tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64063523041313453802024-03-13T21:51:14.992+00:00The Crime WarpWriters' and Readers' Perspectives.
Toria Forsyth-Moserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06389752245739598527noreply@blogger.comBlogger1088125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-81436875961696310292021-08-08T01:30:00.001+01:002021-08-08T01:30:00.187+01:00Blog Tour: Writing The First Cut - a guest blog post by author Val Penny<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1XumenCLEI0/YQ5b2hO-wuI/AAAAAAAAJ9w/M53LBaYaDXkeXL6CcZP5fyqFT9F4xHj8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/The%2BFirst%2BCut%2B%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1XumenCLEI0/YQ5b2hO-wuI/AAAAAAAAJ9w/M53LBaYaDXkeXL6CcZP5fyqFT9F4xHj8QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h252/The%2BFirst%2BCut%2B%25282%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Huge thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto Val Penny's The First Cut blog tour. I am absolutely delighted to be hosting a guest post from Val. But first to get you in the mood. Here's a little more about The First Cut</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Blurb</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The First Cut (DS Jane Renwick #1)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">It’s hard to escape a brutal past…<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">A vicious serial killer is on
the loose. Victims include an academic and notable members of Edinburgh’s
high society. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">When Detective Sergeant
Jane Renwick learns through DNA that a member of her family could be the
killer, she is banished to the sidelines of the case and forced to look on
impotently as the hunt for the killer ramps up. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Frustrated, she decides to
conduct her own investigations. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Has someone from her
estranged birth family returned to haunt her? And where will the killer strike
next? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">It’s a race against time…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">This
fast-paced, gripping police procedural is set in Edinburgh and Glasgow,
Scotland. It is the first in the new series of Scottish
thrillers by bestselling crime writer, Val Penny.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Purchase Link
- </b><a href="https://mybook.to/thefirstcut"><b>mybook.to/thefirstcut</b></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Now over to Val</span></p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 106%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Writing
<i>The First Cut</i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 106%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWWgw_El-YY/YQ5cJ7cfAyI/AAAAAAAAJ94/adHF1uB7HkMke8RRgpn3urRDiXJlHM-_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/The%2BFirst%2BCut%2BCover%2BFinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="802" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWWgw_El-YY/YQ5cJ7cfAyI/AAAAAAAAJ94/adHF1uB7HkMke8RRgpn3urRDiXJlHM-_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/The%2BFirst%2BCut%2BCover%2BFinal.jpg" width="201" /></a></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog
today.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 106%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">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. Later, I wrote documents,
contracts, and courses as part of my job, but my time was well accounted for
and so I did not create any fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 106%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">However, 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 gets very old
very fast, so I turned to reading. It was the only thing I had the energy to do
and could do safely.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 106%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">I read voraciously, as I always have. I particularly
enjoy reading crime fiction and thrillers. I indulged this interest with many
crime novels including those by Peter Robinson, Ian Rankin, Linwood Barclay and
Kathy Reichs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 106%;">After a while, I began to feel a little better and
decided to start reviewing the books I read in a blog </span><a href="http://www.bookreviewstoday.info/"><span style="line-height: 106%;">www.bookreviewstoday.info</span></a><span style="line-height: 106%;">
I enjoyed doing that. Then, as I began to feel better still, I got restless,
but was still did not well enough to do very much and I complained to my
long-suffering husband about getting bored. It was then he challenged me: ‘If
you know so much about what makes a good book, why don’t you write one?’ I did
laugh. However, the challenge set, I have been writing police procedural crime
thrillers set in Scotland ever since.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 106%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">In fact, my publishers, Dark Stroke Books have just
launched the first book in a new series <i>The Jane Renwick Thrillers</i> where
the main character is Detective Sergeant Jane Renwick, <i>The First Cut</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 106%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Jane Renwick appears in my original series of crime
novels, <i>The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries</i> but the main character is
Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson. However, there was no competition about who
my new main character should be. I had created an interesting back story for
Jane Renwick. She grew up in care and struggled against the odds to achieve her
ambition of joining the police force, but she did manage to do this and is a
respected police detective in the Major Incident Team (MIT). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 106%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">However, Jane has not been able to marry. She lives
with her civil partner, Rachael Anderson, who is also a detective on the force.
The First Cut is set in 2014 and marriage for the LGBTQ community did not
become legal in Scotland until 2016. Maybe Jane and Rachael will marry in the
future.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 106%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">The Jane Renwick Thrillers will reflect the work of
MIT, therefore Jane’s stories will take her all over Scotland, not just
Edinburgh where she and Rachael live. I look forward to sharing the beautiful
and varied parts of Scotland with my readers as they follow Jane’s adventures.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 106%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Val Penny<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><o:p> </o:p><b style="text-align: center;">Author Bio </b></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 25.5px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jkjLjTG2yNk/YQ5cUY5IvaI/AAAAAAAAJ98/ISiGR7ATUTo2TPG0yqq_sodUOQ6048TKACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/The%2BFirst%2BCut%2B-%2BVal%2Bauthor%2Bpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jkjLjTG2yNk/YQ5cUY5IvaI/AAAAAAAAJ98/ISiGR7ATUTo2TPG0yqq_sodUOQ6048TKACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/The%2BFirst%2BCut%2B-%2BVal%2Bauthor%2Bpic.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Val Penny’s other crime novels, <i>Hunter's Chase Hunter's Revenge, Hunter's<br /> Force</i> <i>Hunter’s Blood</i> and <i>Hunter’s Secret</i> form the bestselling series <i>The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries</i>. They are set in Edinburgh, Scotland, published by darkstroke Her first non-fiction book <i>Let’s Get Published</i> is also available now and she has most recently contributed her short story, <i>Cats and Dogs</i> to a charity anthology, <i>Dark Scotland.</i><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Val is an American author living in SW Scotland with her husband and their cat.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Social Media Links – </b><a href="http://www.valpenny.com/">www.valpenny.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">https://www.facebook.com/Authorvalpenny</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/296295777444303">www.facebook.com/groups/296295777444303</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">https://www.facebook.com/groups/167248300537409</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://twitter.com/valeriepenny">https://twitter.com/valeriepenny</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17300087.Val_Penny">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17300087.Val_Penny</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Val-Penny/e/B07C4725TK?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1611574956&sr=1-1">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Val-Penny/e/B07C4725TK?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1611574956&sr=1-1</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">https://www.bookbub.com/profile/val-penny</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Buy Links</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">mybook.to/hunterschase</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">mybook.to/huntersrevenge</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">mybook.to/huntersforce</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">mybook.to/huntersblood</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">mybook.to/hunterssecret</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">bit.ly/LetsGetPublished</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">mybook.to/darkscotland</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">mybook.to/thefirstcut</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-19887413030502884312021-08-03T00:30:00.074+01:002021-08-03T00:30:00.235+01:00Blog Tour: Q&A with The Lies I Tell author Joel Hames<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BhtgjfQf74w/YQE89MExHoI/AAAAAAAAJ8U/AQOiwVS5WEURSUQL_yNH0c4HJLvBFS4ZACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/The%2BLies%2BI%2BTell%2BBook%2BTour%2BPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BhtgjfQf74w/YQE89MExHoI/AAAAAAAAJ8U/AQOiwVS5WEURSUQL_yNH0c4HJLvBFS4ZACLcBGAsYHQ/w452-h640/The%2BLies%2BI%2BTell%2BBook%2BTour%2BPoster.jpg" width="452" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">What a delight to be chatting to the delightful Joel Hames author of <i>The Lies I Tell.</i> Thanks so much to Spellbound books and Zooloos Book Tours for the invite to the Blog Tour with a wonderful Q&A. But First, here's the blurb ...</span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Blurb </span></p><p class="xxmsonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 12.85pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FtMKHak8bWw/YQE9Q42igDI/AAAAAAAAJ8c/AGMOdCaXkbkPJ1js7JHik03dCDRNbEBYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/The%2BLies%2BI%2BTell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1283" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FtMKHak8bWw/YQE9Q42igDI/AAAAAAAAJ8c/AGMOdCaXkbkPJ1js7JHik03dCDRNbEBYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/The%2BLies%2BI%2BTell.jpg" /></a></b></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>SHE’S WATCHING
YOU, <br />
<br />
BUT WHO’S WATCHING HER?</b><br /><br />
<i>From the bestselling author of Dead North, a tense, claustrophobic
psychological thriller perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Claire McGowan and Clare
Mackintosh.</i><br />
<br />
Meet Polly.<br />
Meet Emily.<br />
Meet Belinda.<br />
<br />
They're all me.<br />
<br />
My name is Lisa and I’m an identity thief. If I’m not inside your system
stealing your money, I’ve probably already stolen it. I’m your friend. I’m a
thief. I’m gone. I’m in control.<br />
<br />
Only now, the tables have been turned. I’m in danger. My son is in danger. And
I don’t know where that danger’s coming from.<br />
<br />
Any friend.<br />
Any enemy.<br />
Any stranger.<br />
Anyone from the past I’ve been trying to outrun for years.<br />
<br />
<b>NOBODY CAN BE TRUSTED.</b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="xxmsonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 12.85pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Book Links </b><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Amazon UK : </span></b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08THZRDRW"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08THZRDRW</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Amazon US </span></b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lies-Tell-Know-Whos-Watching-ebook/dp/B08THZRDRW"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://www.amazon.com/Lies-Tell-Know-Whos-Watching-ebook/dp/B08THZRDRW</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Q&A with Joel Hames</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Current
Work</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell us a bit
about your current book release.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The
Lies I Tell</span></i><span style="line-height: 107%;"> was published by SpellBound in February,
and it’s a book that’s very close to my heart. It’s the story of Lisa, an
identity thief who seems, at first, to have no conscience and little sympathy for
her victims. But as her history is gradually revealed, and it becomes clear
that she’s been shaped by events outside her control, her present-day life
takes a shocking twist: someone’s figured out who Lisa is. With the police at
her door and a dead body in the mix, Lisa needs to re-examine her past if she’s
to find out who’s tormenting her, and why, and protect herself and her young
son.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Where did the inspiration for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lies I Tell</i> come from?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Oh, a number of places. I think the idea of the tables
being turned on a central character who seems to be in control is a really
appealing one – it enables the reader to see, at first, the façade that
character wants to present, and then strips it away as power descends into
helplessness and their true nature is revealed. In that sense, it’s influenced
by books like Norman Mailer’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tough Guys
Don’t Dance </i>and Iain Banks’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Complicity</i>,
with two key differences: the central characters in both those books are
already somewhat out of control before the events begin, whereas Lisa’s
apparent security is only revealed as built on shifting sands as her story
unfolds; and unlike Lisa, they’re both male, and even as a male author who’s
written male protagonists more often than not, I’ve had enough of being made to
feel sympathetic towards men diving headlong into what looks a lot like an
exaggerated, plot-driven mid-life crisis. So even if the plot structure is
influenced by those novels, I like to think of Lisa herself as a product of
more modern novels – akin to Mary from Helen Fitzgerald’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Worst Case Scenario</i>, or even Rachel from S E Lynes’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Can You See Her? </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Plotwise, my wife and a number of friends have all
fallen victim to identity frauds of the various types described in the book,
too, so I didn’t have far to look for source material!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">How long did </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The
Lies I Tell</i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"> take to write</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Not long to write – probably just three or four months
– but another four months before that to plan it out and another four months <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">after</i> that to rewrite it entirely half a
dozen times until I was satisfied with it!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Writing
Habits</span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where is your favourite
place to write and why?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">The year before last I did some writing on a Cornish
beach while my wife and daughters surfed. Sounds lovely but I wouldn’t
recommend it. Sand and glare are a bad combination. So no, I like to write in
the study I share with my wife, until she gets on a Zoom call and kicks me out,
at least.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there a
particular book you wish you’d written and why?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Commercially, and rather obviously, I wish I’d written
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone</i>,
because then I could have my very own Cornish beach to write on, and I’d
probably be able to replace the sand with something less annoying. Also, it
would be in the Caribbean rather than Cornwall.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">From a literary perspective, I’d like to have written <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Never Let Me </i>Go, because it’s pretty
much perfect in every way, right down to the fact that some people, strangely,
just can’t get on with it. If I’d written <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Never
Let Me Go</i> I’m convinced I’d never write again, because there wouldn’t be
any point, and I’m constantly amazed by the fact that Ishiguro’s carried on
writing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="line-height: 107%;">Author
as a Person </span></u></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you tell us
two things about yourself that your readership may be unaware of?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Two? I’ll give you three. I’m pretty much blind in one
eye, I’m an MMA black belt, and I once played Wembley (</span>Wembley Conference Centre, that is. Still, 3,500 in the audience, so not bad going.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>If you weren’t a writer what would you like to do?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Musician/songwriter or professional crossword setter,
both of which I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can</i> do, but in
neither case to the level necessary to make an actual living out of it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Which author are you cosying up with tonight? </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Three books: on my Kindle I’m reading Louise Beech’s
wonderful <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This Is How We Are Human</i>, a
powerful novel about the decisions the mother of an autistic twenty-year-old
boy is forced to make; in paperback I’m reading Carlo Rovelli’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Helgoland</i>, about how Heisenberg et al
developed quantum mechanics in the early years of the twentieth century; and on
audio I’m listening to Gillian Flynn’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gone
Girl</i>, which I should have read years ago, stupidly avoided because I like
to steer clear of hype, but am absolutely loving now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="line-height: 107%;">Future
Projects <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></u></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Could you describe the book you are working on at the
moment using only 5 words?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">The book is the third in a new series, the first of
which will be called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dead Dogs Don’t Bark</i>,
and all three are best summed up in the words <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sergeant Zebedee is *!^$ing weird<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Have you ever thought of setting a book somewhere
exotic so you could visit that place or perhaps live there for a while? Where
would that / will that be?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Hah! That’s a great idea. No. In fact, it’s been the
opposite: I come up with locations that fit the scenes I want to describe, and
then, if I don’t know them well, I have to scope them out, but they’re never
exotic! Orford Ness is the setting for the climactic scene in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lies I Tell</i>, and it’s desolate and
windswept and atmospheric, but it’s Suffolk, not San Francisco. I’ve used a
fictionalised version of where I currently live for bits of the Sam Williams
books and the new Zebedee series, as well as London and Manchester, which I
know very well indeed, and also parts of Argentina, but places in Argentina I’m
already familiar with. The only place that might really count as exotic in any
of my books is the African setting for the second half of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Art of Staying Dead</i>. Just two problems in terms of visiting:
it’s (a) riven by civil war and (b) completely fictional.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">But you’ve got me thinking, now, and I’m this close to
plotting out a sequel to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lies I Tell</i>
in which Lisa is “forced” to spend a fortnight in Costa Rica, poor thing…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span>Thanks so much for having me on today, I really
appreciate it and I hope I’ve been sufficiently interesting not to lose you
readers in droves!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Author Bio</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E2EGCNm0wjY/YQE9h8QuDEI/AAAAAAAAJ8k/8kOFwzrTZIUYOUBKpkfXglokWVK-CTx3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Joel%2BHames%2Bauthor%2Bphoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E2EGCNm0wjY/YQE9h8QuDEI/AAAAAAAAJ8k/8kOFwzrTZIUYOUBKpkfXglokWVK-CTx3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Joel%2BHames%2Bauthor%2Bphoto.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">A Londoner in exile, Joel Hames lives in rural Lancashire
with his wife and two daughters.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">His works of fiction include the bestselling Sam Williams
trilogy Dead North, No One Will Hear and The Cold Years, and the standalone
psychological thriller The Lies I Tell.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: arial;">When not writing or spending time with his family, Joel likes
to eat, cook, play the piano, and make up excuses to avoid walking the dog.
There’s the MMA thing, too, but he doesn’t like to show off.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: arial;">You can find out more about Joel and sign up to his mailing
list through social media or his very own website:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Facebook: facebook.com/joelhamesauthor</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Twitter: @joel_hames</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Website: http://www.joelhamesauthor.com</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">
Follow him at:<br />
<br />
<b>Facebook</b> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelhamesauthor/">https://www.facebook.com/joelhamesauthor/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Twitter </b><a href="https://twitter.com/joel_hames">https://twitter.com/joel_hames</a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><br />
<b>Website</b>: </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span><a href="http://www.joelhamesauthor.com/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">http://www.joelhamesauthor.com</span></a></span><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<br />
</div>
</div>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-79252695612857879272021-07-16T01:00:00.072+01:002021-07-16T01:00:00.214+01:00Blog Tour: Review of The C Word : For some lockdown has been murder by various authors<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QVLFYdARt4o/YO7FA3TxNGI/AAAAAAAAJ6w/bby13iCl4N46Cxp7WOsLFTSJCsmLrh8IQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1640/The%2BC%2BWord%2BTour%2BPoster%2B%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QVLFYdARt4o/YO7FA3TxNGI/AAAAAAAAJ6w/bby13iCl4N46Cxp7WOsLFTSJCsmLrh8IQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/The%2BC%2BWord%2BTour%2BPoster%2B%25281%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Chuffed to bits to have been invited by Zooloo's Book Tours to this tour for the NHS charities short story anthology The C Word, published by Spellbound Books.</span><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><b><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Book Blurb </span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>100%
of all royalties from The C Word will be donated to NHS Together Charities</b>.</span></div><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">
<br />
So, what do writers do during Lockdown? They create murder, mystery, death and
destruction of course!<br />
<br />
The C Word is a collection of short stories collated during the COVID-19
pandemic to raise money for NHS Charities Together. A plethora of wonderful
stories created by a wide variety of writers, each with their own unique style.
Some you will know already and some we’ve yet to introduce you to. However, we’re
sure you’ll want to hear from each & every one of them again as we leave
2020 behind us.<br />
<br />
With contributions from Steve Mosby, Sophie Hannah, Elly Griffiths, Sarah
Hilary , Rob Scragg , Trevor Wood and many more<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Amazon - </span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Word-some-lockdown-been-murder-ebook/dp/B08RRW8K6P/"><span style="line-height: 107%;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Word-some-lockdown-been-murder-ebook/dp/B08RRW8K6P/</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Amazon US - </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Word-some-lockdown-been-murder-ebook/dp/B08RRW8K6P"><span style="line-height: 107%;">https://www.amazon.com/Word-some-lockdown-been-murder-ebook/dp/B08RRW8K6P</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">My Thoughts</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DrX8t3Whxss/YO7FKKokBzI/AAAAAAAAJ60/0GX_nooBwFwfZFNTLPBH0gNb1PSO8O0_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/The%2BC%2BWord%2BAntholgy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DrX8t3Whxss/YO7FKKokBzI/AAAAAAAAJ60/0GX_nooBwFwfZFNTLPBH0gNb1PSO8O0_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/The%2BC%2BWord%2BAntholgy.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">A stellar cast of familiar (and some new to me) authors have penned a range of lockdown inspired tales. As an author myself, I find short stories the hardest to write and am always in awe of other authors skills in that department. This anthology was a delight to read. I found myself dipping into it at odd moments to get my fiction rush. The range of content is delightful from the uncanny to the straight forward thrill read and from the edgy and tense to the softer more cosy read. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">This is the sort of read you can lose yourself in and although I don't read many short stories myself, I found myself rereading a couple of the most enchanting ones. I was introduced to authors i'd never read before and now my TBR pile is in danger of tottering over. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">This anthology has something for everyone and just to tempt you even more, isn't it great that 100% of the royalties will go straight to NHS Charities.</span></p><br /><p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-31472804229046465462021-07-12T02:00:00.064+01:002021-07-12T02:00:00.222+01:00Blog Tour : Sneaky Peek from Let Sleeping Murder Lie by Carmen Radtke<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-posQb-n7QPQ/YOlhnm2fC5I/AAAAAAAAJ4Y/V6bs4-CWPYUw81ErivBOzlTVIQoci-S4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1640/Let%2BSleeping%2BMurder%2BLie%2BBlog%2BTour%2BPoster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-posQb-n7QPQ/YOlhnm2fC5I/AAAAAAAAJ4Y/V6bs4-CWPYUw81ErivBOzlTVIQoci-S4gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Let%2BSleeping%2BMurder%2BLie%2BBlog%2BTour%2BPoster.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Huge thanks to Zooloo's book tours for inviting me to host this extract from cosy crime novel Let Sleeping Murder Lie by my friend Carmen Radtke. It's great to be kicking off this blog tour. Hope you enjoy this sneaky peek...</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Blurb</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Let Sleeping Murder Lie </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8nMeMfm3Whg/YOliPAuhsVI/AAAAAAAAJ4g/5vtldlRtzH4ldwUSo_toTDEdg59asmxEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Let%2BSleeping%2BMurdersLie.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8nMeMfm3Whg/YOliPAuhsVI/AAAAAAAAJ4g/5vtldlRtzH4ldwUSo_toTDEdg59asmxEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Let%2BSleeping%2BMurdersLie.jpeg" /></a></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">American Eve Holdsworth is living her quintessential
English dream in a picturesque village in the countryside. Meeting an attractive
stranger adds to the appeal.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">But Ben Dryden is a pariah in Eve’s new neighbourhood,
since his wife was murdered five years ago, and he was the only suspect.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Eve, who is absolutely sure someone as charming as Ben
could never be a killer, is<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">determined to solve the case and clear Ben’s name,
even if it’s against his will.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Soon enough Eve finds herself in deep waters, and with
her life at stake, she can only pray that her romantic notions won’t be the end
of her …</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Buy Links</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Amazon UK </b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08W2JCD68">https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08W2JCD68</a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Amazon US </b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08W2JCD68"><b>https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08W2JCD68</b></a></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b style="text-align: center;">Sneaky peek</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b style="text-align: center;">Let Sleeping Murder Lie </b></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> <br />
Had a good day?” Hayley set down pot and cup, and a china cow with milk. <br />
Eve showed her the binoculars. “I’ve taken up bird-watching.”<br />
“There’s a group you could join if that floats your boat.” Hayley
shuddered. “They’re <br />
constantly searching for new blood, and believe me, that’s not simply a turn of
phrase. <br />
Marching for miles at the crack of dawn, through mud and thistles, and when you
can’t tell one bloody warbler from another, they’ll tear you apart.” She
gave the gleaming counter a quick wipe. “Still, it’s a nice hobby I
suppose.”<br />
“I’m not much of a joiner.” Eve stirred her tea. “I just prefer to
have a purpose when I <br />
go for a longer walk. Otherwise I’ll slack off after a week or so.”<br />
The discussion at the back ended with one of the women, a septuagenarian with
a <br />
mass of flame-coloured hair pouring out from under a woollen hat, taking up the
darts. Her lack of aim was only equalled by the force of her throws. The
dart-tips penetrated the wall left of the board. Pockmarks in the plaster
led Eve to think it was a regular occurrence. The discussion started anew.<br />
“That’s a pity,” Hayley said. “They always look for reinforcements
at our local am-<br />
dram. Our donkey’s ass moved away, and that could be the end of the group.”<br />
Eve’s blank stare elicited a chortle from Hayley. <br />
“We do nothing but the panto each year. It’s good fun.”<br />
Eve lied, “I’ll think about it.”<br />
The dart game got heated. Hayley ignored it. <br />
“Do you know anything about a cabin in the woods? I was told it’s
got a bad <br />
reputation,” Eve said.<br />
Hayley dropped her polishing cloth. “What cabin?”<br />
“A little place, about two or three miles further down the
stream?”<br />
“How did you hear that?”<br />
Eve added an unnecessary splash of milk to her tea and
stirred it again. “A guy I met<br />
mentioned it. Tanned, blonde, thirty-something. His name was …”<br />
“Ben Dryden.”<br />
“Yes.” Eve didn’t know why she was surprised. Bartenders knew
everything, and <br />
everyone.<br />
Hayley picked up her cloth. “The place has a bad reputation
alright, as does the rest of <br />
the property. And the owner.”<br />
“But why?” Eve asked.<br />
“A woman was murdered there five years ago. No conviction, but ask
most people <br />
here, and they will swear to one thing. It was Ben who killed his wife.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Author Bio</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6eR9_DFnD4M/YOliaDkBp1I/AAAAAAAAJ4k/FbEWCTInriIkSHoKOjzt6tra0B2Lmm0_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Carmen%2BRadkte%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6eR9_DFnD4M/YOliaDkBp1I/AAAAAAAAJ4k/FbEWCTInriIkSHoKOjzt6tra0B2Lmm0_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Carmen%2BRadkte%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Carmen Radtke has
spent most of her life with ink on her fingers and a dangerously<br /> high pile of
books and newspapers by her side.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p> </o:p></span>She has worked as a
newspaper reporter on two continents and always dreamt of becoming a novelist
and screenwriter.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">When she found herself
crouched under her dining table, typing away on a novel between two earthquakes
in Christchurch, New Zealand, she realised she was hooked for life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">When Carmen is not
writing cozy mysteries, reading or dreaming of travel, she is busy acting as
resident cat servant or tap-dancing (badly, but enthusiastic).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">She is currently working on her next Jack and Frances
mystery.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Follow her at:<br />
<br />
</span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Twitter</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/CarmenRadtke1">https://twitter.com/CarmenRadtke1</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Bookbub:
</b><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/profile/carmen-radtke">https://www.bookbub.com/profile/carmen-radtke</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Facebook</b> : <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorcarmenradtke">https://www.facebook.com/authorcarmenradtke</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Instagram</b> : <a href="https://www.instagram.com/scribbler25/">https://www.instagram.com/scribbler25/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Website:
</b><a href="file:///C:/Users/HP/Downloads/carmenradtke.com">carmenradtke.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><br /><p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-42775745731591577742021-07-09T10:28:00.000+01:002021-07-09T10:28:06.535+01:00Blog Tour: Death Rains Down, Q&A with author Kevin McManus<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WX24WUaOHjM/YOgVhVgiJpI/AAAAAAAAJ3c/GisaNMujEeQVvFV7payIC01b4dq3cv40gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1640/Death%2BRains%2BDown%2BTour%2BPoster%2B%25285%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WX24WUaOHjM/YOgVhVgiJpI/AAAAAAAAJ3c/GisaNMujEeQVvFV7payIC01b4dq3cv40gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Death%2BRains%2BDown%2BTour%2BPoster%2B%25285%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Huge thanks to Spellbound Books and Zooloo's Book Tours for inviting me on the Blog tour and to Kevin McManus for answering all my questions.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; text-align: left;">Tell us a bit about your current book release</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%;"></span></strong></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><strong><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1vrSAA6x9V8/YOgWFAVd9gI/AAAAAAAAJ3k/GHUgUFL4x50L7flrxK2oFxmiXY7QELJ6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/Death%2BRains%2BDown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1vrSAA6x9V8/YOgWFAVd9gI/AAAAAAAAJ3k/GHUgUFL4x50L7flrxK2oFxmiXY7QELJ6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Death%2BRains%2BDown.jpg" /></a></strong></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><strong>The story is set in Western
Ireland in the fictional town of Port Ard. The year is 2007, the height of the
Irish property boom. The town is awash with building workers from Eastern
Europe. Corrupt politicians and business entrepreneurs are making a tidy sum
from their endeavours. Against this backdrop a Polish woman working for a
successful estate agent is murdered. Her boyfriend who is the chief suspect has
disappeared. Enter Ray Logue a world weary detective and his sidekick Jack
McGarry who unearth a sordid path of drug smuggling, murder and cover ups as
they dig deeper into the investigation. </strong><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">Where did the inspiration for Death Comes Down come
from?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%;">The novel was inspired by some
of those great crime movies and TV series of the early 70s such as the
French Connection, The Sweeney and Get Carter. I especially wanted to capture
the natural banter that goes on between detectives, to make them move
believable, like Regan and Carter, Popeye Doyle and Buddy Russo.
The thing that sparked the story was just reading about an unsolved case in
England in the 1980s concerning the murder of a female estate agent. She went
out to meet a client for a viewing of a property and she was never seen again.</span></strong><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">Is there a subsidiary character you have created and are
particularly fond of and why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">I love the character of Jack McGarry, Ray
Logue’s sidekick. Ray and Jack are a bit like the Odd Couple or perhaps a
married couple (not literally) constantly bickering and poking fun at each
other but when it comes down to it, they are very close and would lay their
lives of the line for each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray
Logue is rough and ready, doesn’t care much about his appearance or his general
health. He is over weight, a smoker and a heavy boozer. Jack McGarry is a
family man, very health conscious, dresses in a neat suit every day. The
contrast each other in so many ways.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have a
particular writing routine you follow?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">I work by day as a secondary school teacher
so I generally write for an hour or so in the evenings around 8pm until 9pm and
squeeze in a few hours at the weekend but the bulk of the writing takes place
during the Summer holidays. We get three months off during the Summer in Ireland,
so that’s not so bad.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">Any tips for would-be writers seeking publication?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">Have confidence and belief in yourself. Be
prepared for lots of rejections from publishers but don’t let that sway you. Be
persistent, eventually a door will open for you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">Can you tell us two things about yourself that your
readership may be unaware of?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">I played Bass guitar in rock bands for about
twenty years. Alongside writing Crime fiction I also write poetry and I
published my first poetry novel last year called “Spirits in the Forest”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">If you weren’t a writer what would you like to do?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">A bass guitarist in a rock band or a gardner
but I don’t think my back is strong enough for that job.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">Which author are you cosying up with tonight? (or what
are you reading ATM)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">A graphic novel about the 2000AD character
Slaine. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">Have you ever thought of setting a book somewhere
exotic so you could visit that place or perhaps live there for a while? Where
would that / will that be?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">I would love to live in Iceland for a while,
is Iceland exotic? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">Do you linger in your research period or do you rush
your research to get stuck into the writing? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do a little research
at the start to get me going but generally I am not sure how the story will
develop so I generally research as required as I write. It is weird and freaky
the information you have to google as you write a crime novel. If the CIA are
tracking me, they might be getting worried.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Arial Rounded MT"; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 18.19px; padding: 0cm;">Book Blurb :-</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 18.19px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 18.19px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Introducing Detective Ray Logue. A renegade, hard living & damaged cop. Full of Irish charm & the best detective in Port Ard.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Detective Ray Logue has become something of a maverick in Jim Mulcahy’s police department, having never quite got over the death of his wife 12 years earlier.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Now a hard-drinking loner and occasional loose cannon, Logue is a thorn in Mulcahy’s side, who occasionally crosses the fine line of taking the law into his own hands to see justice served.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">As the body count starts to rise, Logue suspects he may have stumbled into a dangerous web of lies and cover-ups, stretching from his own department all the way to the very top of the political spectrum.<br /><br />From the law-enforcers to the law-makers, from respectable businessmen to Russian mobsters – a sinister hand is exercising an iron grip across the whole social order and it will destroy anyone who dares get in its way.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">Author Bio</span></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7fUFmtp2c0Q/YOgWUt5zLxI/AAAAAAAAJ3s/tb59UBgmnnouR6FfweYr5PXi-iAOpKP5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/Kevin%2BMcManus%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7fUFmtp2c0Q/YOgWUt5zLxI/AAAAAAAAJ3s/tb59UBgmnnouR6FfweYr5PXi-iAOpKP5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Kevin%2BMcManus%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: black;">Kevin
McManus is an Irish author. He primarily writes Crime Fiction novels but also<br />
delves into writing poetry and short stories. He lives in County Leitrim in
Western Ireland with his wife Mary and their dog Jack. He works by day as a
secondary school teacher. Kevin has produced a series of novels featuring an
Irish Detective called Ray Logue and a series based around a New York Detective
called John Morrigan. His debut novel published in 2016 was “The Whole of the
Moon”. In a previous incarnation, Kevin was a bass guitarist in several rock
bands for over twenty year. Kevin is a supporter of Aston Villa FC which has
caused him to age prematurely.</span></span><p></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: black;">
Follow him at:</span><br />
<b style="background-color: black;">Facebook</b><span style="background-color: black;">: </span></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Books-by-Kevin-McManus-1075444599167606" style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">https://www.facebook.com/Books-by-Kevin-McManus-1075444599167606</span></a><span style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><br />
<b>Twitter</b>: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/bassbreeze" style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">https://twitter.com/bassbreeze</span></a><span style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Amazon</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"> : </span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kevin-McManus/e/B01E4GF0GY/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kevin-McManus/e/B01E4GF0GY/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1</a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><b>Amazon UK </b>: </span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08ZR6HNTT/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08ZR6HNTT/</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><b>Amazon US</b> : </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Death-Rains-Down-Kevin-McManus-ebook/dp/B08ZR6HNTT"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://www.amazon.com/Death-Rains-Down-Kevin-McManus-ebook/dp/B08ZR6HNTT</span></a></span><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Arial Nova",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Nova",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k6kI9CgWI-E/YOgWhKcoXVI/AAAAAAAAJ3w/bUzSKk9mbBY_CLPdZ9f_SdGigFL4tD8swCLcBGAsYHQ/s1640/Death%2BRains%2BDown%2BTour%2BPoster%2B%25285%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k6kI9CgWI-E/YOgWhKcoXVI/AAAAAAAAJ3w/bUzSKk9mbBY_CLPdZ9f_SdGigFL4tD8swCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Death%2BRains%2BDown%2BTour%2BPoster%2B%25285%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br /><p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-33978982458944544782021-07-02T00:30:00.073+01:002021-07-02T00:30:00.235+01:00Blog Tour: Book review, Mind Guerrilla by Martin Tracey<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QUxd_Hj8t9E/YNxXlgKYYjI/AAAAAAAAJxk/nBzCvxrlCRE6yW6cIcNvZ9nobN9dJdwyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1640/Mind%2BGuerrilla%2BBlog%2BTour%2BPoster%2B%25283%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QUxd_Hj8t9E/YNxXlgKYYjI/AAAAAAAAJxk/nBzCvxrlCRE6yW6cIcNvZ9nobN9dJdwyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Mind%2BGuerrilla%2BBlog%2BTour%2BPoster%2B%25283%2529.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"> Huge thanks to Zooloo's book tours for inviting me to take part in the Mind Guerrilla Tour. </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Book Blurb</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51QSUQ51YHL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51QSUQ51YHL.jpg" width="250" /></a></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">When a high-end
escort is discovered murdered in her plush waterside apartment, so begins the
hunt for a serial killer known as The Crucifier due to the unusual slaying and
positioning of his victims.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">In parallel there remains the need to locate a
dangerous and elusive doomsday cult.</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">DCI William Chamberlain and DI Judd Stone have
an acute thirst for justice on both accounts.</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Stone is an ex-football hooligan turned cop.
Riddled with guilt and anger, he is used to getting results – albeit somewhat
unconventionally.</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Chamberlain suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, but
curiously, as his health deteriorates, his ability to perform acts of
telekinesis increases. When faced with life or death, Chamberlain progresses
from manipulating physical matter to controlling minds and sets in motion a
dramatic chain of events. But why do things spiral out of control, placing an
unknown high-profile target in danger?</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Assistance comes from the most unlikely of
sources but who is also working against the wheels of justice?</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">And just what is the connection between The
Crucifier, the cult and the high-profile target?</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">With Spaghetti Western overtones, the chase from
Liverpool to London and through both Birmingham UK and Alabama, finds both
detectives having to confront their darkest demons in pursuit of the sweet
taste of revenge.</span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Buy Links</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">Amazon UK - </span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Guerrilla-Martin-Tracey-ebook/dp/B017OA10UW"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Guerrilla-Martin-Tracey-ebook/dp/B017OA10UW</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">Amazon US - </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Guerrilla-Martin-Tracey-ebook/dp/B017OA10UW"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Guerrilla-Martin-Tracey-ebook/dp/B017OA10UW</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">Book Depository - </span><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Mind-Guerrilla-Martin-Tracey/9781518818974"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">https://www.bookdepository.com/Mind-Guerrilla-Martin-Tracey/9781518818974</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">My Thoughts</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Mind Guerrilla is certainly a book that will stay with you, from its memorable cast of characters, to it's extremely detailed attention to detail, to it's supernatural element. Whilst a bit too much detail for me - I think it slowed the pace down a bit- Mind Guerrilla was a good read and that was largely down to the great characterisation. I felt that each character held their own and if I was to walk down a street in Birmingham i would be able to pick them out from the crowd, so well did I come to know them by the end of the book.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The sense of Birmingham as a city really shone through and I feel the author really researched the historic elements of the novel. With various plot lines to follow, I occasionally wondered if the novel might benefit from cutting out a storyline to keep it more compact. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">A good read from an author I will read more of. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Author Bio</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzdyQdC_d7I/YNxYO8srWWI/AAAAAAAAJxs/pdnn-_LftNoZUJtSSon1PcoJh7XUrAKmACLcBGAsYHQ/s629/Martin%2BTracey%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="629" height="198" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzdyQdC_d7I/YNxYO8srWWI/AAAAAAAAJxs/pdnn-_LftNoZUJtSSon1PcoJh7XUrAKmACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h198/Martin%2BTracey%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Martin Tracey is an author who likes to push the boundaries of reality. Even when injecting elements of the<br /> supernatural, the terror that grips you is very real. Not necessarily a genre specific author, psychological thrills are a plenty.<span style="line-height: 14.98px;"><br /><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">He has a passion for The Beatles & Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. Both music and football/soccer often find their way into his stories.</span><br /><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Martin lives in Birmingham, UK and is married with 2 daughters.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Follow him at:</b></div><b>Facebook</b>: </span></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100048743922721"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100048743922721</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"><br /><b>Instagram</b>: </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/martinofmolineux/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">https://www.instagram.com/martinofmolineux/</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"><br /><b>Twitter</b>: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MartinTracey1"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">https://twitter.com/MartinTracey1</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">Amazon: </span></b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Martin-Tracey/e/B009ANTBWG/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Martin-Tracey/e/B009ANTBWG/</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">Blog: </span></b><a href="http://www.martintracey.co.uk/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">http://www.martintracey.co.uk</span></a></span></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-21236065636724038192021-06-18T00:30:00.061+01:002021-06-18T11:04:07.350+01:00Blog Tour: Guest Post from Beth Merwood, author of The Five Things, on Memories of Writing<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qCD0RTmIIrk/YMsHOKwT88I/AAAAAAAAJmw/oQXnryDikL41qvboNbDpjPKBwH6d47TtACLcBGAsYHQ/s700/The%2BFive%2BThings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qCD0RTmIIrk/YMsHOKwT88I/AAAAAAAAJmw/oQXnryDikL41qvboNbDpjPKBwH6d47TtACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h252/The%2BFive%2BThings.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Huge thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for arranging this tour and inviting The Crime Warp to host a guest post from Beth Merwood on Memories of Writing. But first, here's the blurb.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">The Five Things blurb<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="Default"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uW_HpjCHjxU/YMsHZ2vKRvI/AAAAAAAAJm0/tSsF_Avud0oh80K2E5wmtr-TJeasAaGLACLcBGAsYHQ/s750/TheFiveThings_w14669_750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uW_HpjCHjxU/YMsHZ2vKRvI/AAAAAAAAJm0/tSsF_Avud0oh80K2E5wmtr-TJeasAaGLACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/TheFiveThings_w14669_750.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="color: white;">For <b>nine-year-old</b>
Wendy, the summer of 1969 will never be forgotten.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="Default"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">Local
kids have always told stories about the eerie wood
on the outskirts of the village, and Wendy knows for sure
that some of them are true. Now the school holidays have started and
she's going to the wood again with Anna and Sam, but they soon become convinced
that someone is trying to frighten them off.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="Default"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">When a terrible
event rocks the coastal community, the young friends can't help
thinking there must be a connection between the incident, the tales they’ve
heard, and the strange happenings they’ve begun to witness. As glimpses
of a darker world threaten their carefree existence, they feel
compelled to<i> </i>search out the underlying truth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b>Purchase Links</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">UK - </span></b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Things-Beth-Merwood-ebook/dp/B08ZMN5PC5"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Things-Beth-Merwood-ebook/dp/B08ZMN5PC5</span></b></a><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">US - </span></b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Five-Things-Beth-Merwood-ebook/dp/B08ZMN5PC5"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">https://www.amazon.com/Five-Things-Beth-Merwood-ebook/dp/B08ZMN5PC5</span></b></a><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Guest Post: Memories of Writing by Beth Merwood</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="Body"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>As an adult, I find there are very few pastimes
that completely absorb me. I rarely lose track of time, and throughout the day
I will be continually distracted by other thoughts or by the urge to pick up
the phone or put on the kettle. Writing, however, is an exception.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>For me, writing has always been important and
somehow special, something that soothed my mind and helped me to work things
out. I find it very satisfying to take a thought that has been roaming around
in my head and manage to successfully put it down in words. The satisfaction is
purely personal: I don’t need to share the writing; the resulting material may
never be seen by another soul.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>I have often felt the need to write something
down in order to understand it, particularly a feeling, an emotional reaction
to something. Once on paper it seems less painful, or in terms of a positive
emotion, it seems captured.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>There are occasions when I find it hard to say
the right thing at the right moment, but I can write it down. Again, this is
more than likely to be for my own purposes only.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>My earliest memories of sharing my writing are
from school, as I’m sure they are for a lot of us. At primary school, I was
allowed, on two occasions, to write and put on a play for the other children.
That I was allowed to do this seems astonishing to me now. I still remember a
little boy from the youngest year group approaching me in the playground
following one performance. He asked me how I’d managed to make the teapot move
— which I suppose indicates what type of play it was! That the production had
made so much of an impact on the boy, that he had been interested enough to
seek me out and ask me about it afterwards, took me aback.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US">It was pretty much all downhill from then on,
but at home I made tiny books by cutting up sheets of paper, folding them and
stitching them in the centre to form a spine. I don’t remember much about the
subject matter. I enjoyed stories made up by my elder brother, and can remember
being astounded by a tale written by a young schoolfriend at our middle school.
He had used a lot of slang dialogue in an essay, and at that stage of our educa</span><span lang="FR">tion</span><span lang="EN-US"> it seemed to
me to break all the moulds. That pupil, I am fairly sure, did not go on to be a
great author. In fact I believe he left school at the first opportunity and
took a job that had nothing to do with words or letters. I am no longer in
touch with him, but I bet he could still write a thumping story.</span></span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>In my teenage years I wrote the usual poems
& songs. We had a band and played and sang our songs sitting on the bed in
the lead singer’s bedroom. We recorded the material on a cassette tape recorder
and proudly played our works to a few other carefully selected companions.</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>Writing has always been there: enjoyable,
helpful and necessary. I see it as exercise for the mind, like going for a walk
in your head and making a note of where you went to.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: white;"> Author Bio</span></o:p></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zzgp8oWQa-c/YMsHx6cfg8I/AAAAAAAAJnA/tp_reYZng4kLKcy8M3sktfSTRmM4Glm3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/The%2BFive%2BThings%2B-%2BBethM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zzgp8oWQa-c/YMsHx6cfg8I/AAAAAAAAJnA/tp_reYZng4kLKcy8M3sktfSTRmM4Glm3QCLcBGAsYHQ/w240-h320/The%2BFive%2BThings%2B-%2BBethM.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Beth Merwood is from the south of England. The Five Things is her debut
novel.<br /><b> </b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span><p></p><p></p><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="DE" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></b></p><p class="Body" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b><span lang="DE">Social Media Links </span></b><b>– <o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="TableStyle2" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bethmerwood"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">https://www.instagram.com/bethmerwood</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="TableStyle2" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/lizcity77"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="EN-US">https://twitter.com/lizcity77</span></span></a></span></p><p class="Body"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="TableStyle2" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="https://bethmerwood.wixsite.com/write"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">https://bethmerwood.wixsite.com/write</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="TableStyle2" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bethmwriting" target="_blank"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">https://www.facebook.com/bethmwriting</span></a></span></p><p class="TableStyle2" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Catch up with the rest of the tour here</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b5FxbnFuPuw/YMsIK6bIooI/AAAAAAAAJnI/eDE47iYHibc_jw9HcCWqsgpHeul5dE9ygCLcBGAsYHQ/s2538/The%2BFive%2BThings%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1239" data-original-width="2538" height="312" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b5FxbnFuPuw/YMsIK6bIooI/AAAAAAAAJnI/eDE47iYHibc_jw9HcCWqsgpHeul5dE9ygCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h312/The%2BFive%2BThings%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="TableStyle2" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-3187395799913379602021-06-14T01:30:00.037+01:002021-06-14T09:19:19.259+01:00Blog Tour: Death on the Lake by Jo Allen - Book Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fn-z9OP28Kg/YMRwGnGmchI/AAAAAAAAJmU/APfS0t4fVqgRMcRpterNWfuzBkB2SLoegCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Death%2Bon%2Bthe%2BLake%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner%2B%25285%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="2048" height="396" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fn-z9OP28Kg/YMRwGnGmchI/AAAAAAAAJmU/APfS0t4fVqgRMcRpterNWfuzBkB2SLoegCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h396/Death%2Bon%2Bthe%2BLake%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner%2B%25285%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto the Death In The Lake Blog Tour </span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d0ZAtQ3eQ6c/YMRwUJhgzCI/AAAAAAAAJmY/fsA_mv8336gen1wIvtyOLVAVVgF4Pw1dACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/death-on-the-lake-FINAL%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d0ZAtQ3eQ6c/YMRwUJhgzCI/AAAAAAAAJmY/fsA_mv8336gen1wIvtyOLVAVVgF4Pw1dACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/death-on-the-lake-FINAL%2B%25281%2529.jpg" /></span></a></b></div><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Death on
the Lake</span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Three youngsters, out for a good time. Vodka and
the wrong sort of Coke. What could possibly go wrong?</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">When a young woman, Summer Raine, is found
drowned, apparently accidentally, after an afternoon spent drinking on a boat
on Ullswater, DCI Jude Satterthwaite is deeply concerned — more so when his
boss refuses to let him investigate the matter any further to avoid
compromising a fraud case.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">But a sinister shadow lingers over the dale and
one accidental death is followed by another and then by a violent murder.
Jude’s life is complicated enough but the latest series of murders are personal
to him as they involve his former partner, Becca Reid, who has family
connections in the area. His determination to uncover the killer brings him
into direct conflict with his boss — and ultimately places both him and his
colleague and girlfriend, Ashleigh O’Halloran, in danger…<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Purchase Links</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">UK - </span></b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08XY25KBM"><b>https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08XY25KBM</b></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">US
- </span></b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XY25KBM"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XY25KBM</span></b></a><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></b><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">My Thoughts</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Here we are with DCI Jude Satterthwaite in the Lake District and in this one, setting is everything. Although this is the 5th in the series, I bounced in at number 5 and felt comfortable reading it. There was enough backstory to fill any missing gaps, but not to much. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">The backdrop to this series is beautifully present throughout the book and as well as the beauty of the area, you get a very real sense of tension and dread as the story unfolds. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">With contemporary themes of drug usage and teen activity, the layers keep being peeled away to reveal more and more suspects and clues. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">I'll certainly read more of this series</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b>Author Bio </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TfxTLgEOx_8/YMRyhWJjmwI/AAAAAAAAJmk/TNXdh3fr_oYBPKdjyUYmTFSbh2HiDIlIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/RNA-249%2Bcopy.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TfxTLgEOx_8/YMRyhWJjmwI/AAAAAAAAJmk/TNXdh3fr_oYBPKdjyUYmTFSbh2HiDIlIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/RNA-249%2Bcopy.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Jo Allen is the author of the successful DCI Satterthwaite series
of detective<br /> novels set in and around the English Lake District, where she
lives. After a career in economic consultancy she took up writing and was first
published under the name Jennifer Young in genres of short stories, romance and
romantic suspense. In 2017 she took the plunge and began writing the genre she
most likes to read – crime. In common with all her favourite characters, she
loves football (she's a season ticket holder with her beloved Wolverhampton
Wanderers) and cats.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Social
Media Links – <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Twitter @</span><a href="https://twitter.com/JoAllenAuthor"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">JoAllenAuthor</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/JoAllenAuthor"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">https://www.facebook.com/JoAllenAuthor</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Instagram @</span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/joallenauthor/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">JoAllenAuthor</span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-22241207034916390352021-06-13T02:00:00.061+01:002021-06-13T02:00:00.242+01:00Blog Tour: Q&A with Marisa Noelle, author of The Reckoning<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SooYodNKgLg/YMRr4GKK0ZI/AAAAAAAAJl8/OssmEWxBm8UtGny43dWqyj7GzxsTVsmSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1640/The%2BReckoning%2BTour%2BPoster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SooYodNKgLg/YMRr4GKK0ZI/AAAAAAAAJl8/OssmEWxBm8UtGny43dWqyj7GzxsTVsmSwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/The%2BReckoning%2BTour%2BPoster.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />H<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">uge thanks to Zooloos book for the invite to host a Q&A for The Reckoning Blog Tour. First up, here's the blurb</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">The Reckoning Blurb</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"></span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O24Hug1GCyI/YMRsGPqwGqI/AAAAAAAAJmA/IKnaEA9HHMwGSfotYCb1kOlfYFoEZOeVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/The%2BReckoning%2BBook%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O24Hug1GCyI/YMRsGPqwGqI/AAAAAAAAJmA/IKnaEA9HHMwGSfotYCb1kOlfYFoEZOeVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/The%2BReckoning%2BBook%2BCover.jpg" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: white;">THE FIGHT
IS NOT OVER.<o:p></o:p></span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">A NEW
NEMESIS HAS AWOKEN.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">Sinister visions of an
evil entity with looming yellow eyes haunt Silver’s dreams, threatening to
destroy the new world she and her friends have created. The terrifying omens
push Silver to experiment with her abilities, but awaken a burgeoning thirst
for more power.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">As Silver walks a fine
line between good and evil, her friends become wary of her intimidating
abilities. She finds understanding in a sympathetic newcomer, but their
deepening friendship drives an even deeper wedge between Silver and her
suspicious friends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Tragedy strikes during
preparations for the final stand, bringing a terrible choice. Grief drives
Silver toward reckless actions that may doom the final battle. Can she repair
the relationships with her friends and control her powers before her vision
becomes reality?</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: white;">Purchase Links<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">Amazon UK – </span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reckoning-Marisa-Noelle/dp/1527279227"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reckoning-Marisa-Noelle/dp/1527279227</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">Amazon USA - </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reckoning-Marisa-Noelle/dp/1527279227"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;">https://www.amazon.com/Reckoning-Marisa-Noelle/dp/1527279227</span></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Q&A with Marisa Noelle</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><u>Current
work</u></span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><u> </u><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sfBF0oFVCIc/YMRsR9QMZGI/AAAAAAAAJmI/znVtA5Uqyc85gv_u_-OjUJdQS-Z7QV8QwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1245/Marisa%2BNoelle%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="1113" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sfBF0oFVCIc/YMRsR9QMZGI/AAAAAAAAJmI/znVtA5Uqyc85gv_u_-OjUJdQS-Z7QV8QwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Marisa%2BNoelle%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><b>Where did the inspiration for The Reckoning come
from?<br /></b><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">I think the idea for the novel has been inside me for
a long time. I was really into science at school and enjoyed studying Biology
at A-Level. During that time, the first animal was cloned, Dolly the Sheep, and
I was fascinated by the process. Did it have its own consciousness? A soul?
Personality? I asked big questions and couldn’t stop thinking about it. When I
studied genetics, I was fascinated how traits got passed down. The idea of the
human genome project would open so many doors, once they mapped everything. My
thoughts went from there to the idea of an all-species project, and the ability
to take DNA from an species and use its attributes to enhance humans. With the
idea of designer babies emerging, I wanted to explore the possibilities of
genetic engineering if left unchecked. It’s one thing to eradicate sickle cell
amenia from an embryo’s DNA and an entirely different thing to choose blue eyes
and blond hair. But who should make that choice? And where should the line be
drawn? It is these questions I address in The Unadjusteds trilogy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><b>If The Reckoning was ever to be televised or made into a film
who would you like to play your main character and why?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">I love thinking about this! I mean, what author
doesn’t want to see their book come to life on the big screen? When I first
wrote the trilogy, I had in my head for Silver, an actress called Jessica
Stroup. She was in the re-vamp of Beverley Hills 90210 and went by the name
Erin Silver. But everyone just called her Silver, which is where I got the name
from, and borrowed her characteristics too. Unfortunately, time has passed and
dear Jessica is a little too old to play the role of my Silver, but I’d take a
kickass Marie Avgeropoulos from The 100 any day. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><b>Is there a subsidiary character you have created and are
particularly fond of and why?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">I do have a soft spot for Paige. She’s been through a
lot and is without family. But she manages to find love and a future for
herself. I think her ability of being able to fly is fantastic and is one I’d
be tempted by. She is Silver’s best friend and confident and I feel really
protective over her and her gentle nature. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Writing
Habits </i></span></u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><b>Any tips for would-be writers seeking publication?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">There are 2 things I always say to other aspiring
authors. Firstly, persevere. The writing world is full of rejection and is
super competitive, but if you give up, it will never happen. You just need to
keep going. The second thing is to find your tribe. Find some other authors in
your genre and form a group. You can support each other, celebrate each other’s
successes and commiserate your failures. It makes the whole process so much
more tolerable and takes the sting out of rejections. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><b>Any writing exercises you’ve found particularly useful
as a writing stimulus?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">I really love the courses by Writers HQ. They helped
me to understand the mechanics of plotting a novel. Something I thought I’d
been doing before that, but hadn’t! It gave me the skills to plot not just the
events, but delve into character arcs too, and I find it so useful. I use their
methods every time I start a new book. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Author
as a Person </span></u></b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><b>Can you tell us two things about yourself that your
readership may be unaware of?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">I am both American and British. It gets really
confusing as I don’t really belong in either place, but call them both my home!
My parents moved to England 2 months before I was born, so I have dual nationality.
We lived in California for a few years when I was a kid, and this experience
has given rise to a lot of the settings in my novels. When I was there, I
became such a bookworm and was influenced by American writers. I still have an
affinity for their style and tend to write in a similar way myself. I can’t
seem to stop myself setting my books there!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><b>If you weren’t a writer what would you like to do?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">I’d like to be a marine biologist working with
dolphins. I love the water, the ocean and I love to swim. Dolphins have always
been my favourite animals, so I’d love to work with them in some capacity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><b>Which author are you cosying up with tonight?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">I am currently reading Wranglestone by Darren
Charlton. It’s a YA apocalyptic, but also a gay romance. It’s pacey and tense
and right up my street! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Future
Projects </span></u></b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><b>Could you describe the book you are working on at the
moment using only 5 words?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">My WIP is entitled Plastic: JAWS meets the environment<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><b>Do you linger in your research period or do you rush
your research to get stuck into the writing? </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;">I do like to get stuck in,but will spend time plotting
to make sure I have all my beats nailed. This keeps me from veering off track.
As most of my books are dystopian/horror/fantasy, I haven’t had to undergo
serious research before I start and tend to go look things up when I need them.
One of my WIPs is about the Duke of Edinburgh award so I will need to research
that first! I did fine myself looking up chlorine levels in the water system in
San Diego! And with <i>Plastic</i>, I had to look at a lot of pictures of the
Pacific Garbage patch and also statistics on ocean trash, as well as
understanding how government agencies respond to emergencies. As I usually have
more than one project on the go, I can be editing one thing and plotting
another, so it tends to fit well together if I have research to do. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Author Bio</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: white;">Marisa Noelle
is the writer of middle grade & young adult novels in the genres of
science-fiction, fantasy & mental health including The Shadow Keepers, The
Unadjusteds Trilogy (The Unadjusteds, The Rise of the Altereds, & The
Reckoning), and The Mermaid Chronicles – Secrets of the Deep. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: white;">She is a
mentor for the Write Mentor program that helps aspiring MG & YA authors.
With dual citizenship, Marisa has lived on both sides of the Atlantic and uses
settings in both the USA and UK as inspiration for her novels. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: white;">When she’s not
writing or reading or watching movies, she enjoys swimming. In the pool she
likes to imagine she could be a mermaid and become part of some of her
make-believe words. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Despite being
an avid bookworm from the time she could hold a book, being an author came as a
bit of a surprise to her as she was a bit of a science geek at school. She
lives in Woking, UK with her husband and three children. You can find her on
Twitter @MarisaNoelle77 or her website www.MarisaNoelle.com<br />
<br />
Follow her at:<br />
<b>Facebook</b>: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarisaNoelle77/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://www.facebook.com/MarisaNoelle77/ </span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Instagram</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">: </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/marisanoelle77/"><span style="font-family: "Arial Nova",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">https://www.instagram.com/marisanoelle77/</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Twitter</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MarisaNoelle77"><span style="font-family: "Arial Nova",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">https://twitter.com/MarisaNoelle77</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Goodreads </span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">: </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18305427.Marisa_Noelle"><span style="font-family: "Arial Nova",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18305427.Marisa_Noelle</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Website : </span></b><a href="file://creative-ad1/UserDocs$/ZoeOFarrell/Desktop/Zoe%20BT/Helene%20Leschuel/www.MarisaNoelle.com"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">www.MarisaNoelle.com</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Arial Nova", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><br /><p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-56215529794042589852021-06-12T01:00:00.026+01:002021-06-12T01:00:00.262+01:00Blog Tour: Book Review of Dead Ground by M.W.Craven <p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hi3rgcOwHgI/YLtNJyWDEjI/AAAAAAAAJlA/nxlmQIe0jaAZjkfn1ZTe-dYF224XTHXGACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/BlogTour%2BDead%2BGround.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="336" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hi3rgcOwHgI/YLtNJyWDEjI/AAAAAAAAJlA/nxlmQIe0jaAZjkfn1ZTe-dYF224XTHXGACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h336/BlogTour%2BDead%2BGround.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br />Delighted to have the chance to review Dead Ground because I love Poe and Tilly so much. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Dead Ground Blurb</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; text-align: start;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tYa6wYlYU7w/YLtNRjSmlMI/AAAAAAAAJlE/n0MuubAKX1AzKQ9h3YrzsB16E-8zDLqewCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/9781472131973%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1289" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tYa6wYlYU7w/YLtNRjSmlMI/AAAAAAAAJlE/n0MuubAKX1AzKQ9h3YrzsB16E-8zDLqewCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/9781472131973%2B%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Ground-Washington-Poe-Craven-ebook/dp/B0825PZXPF/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dead+ground&qid=1622887491&s=digital-text&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Available here</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Detective Sergeant Washington Poe is in court, fighting eviction from his beloved and isolated croft, when he is summoned to a backstreet brothel in Carlisle where a man has been beaten to death with a baseball bat. Poe is confused - he hunts serial killers and this appears to be a straightforward murder-by-pimp - but his attendance was requested personally, by the kind of people who prefer to remain in the shadows.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: black; text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">As Poe and the socially awkward programmer Tilly Bradshaw delve deeper into the case, they are faced with seemingly unanswerable questions: despite being heavily vetted for a high-profile job, why does nothing in the victim's background check out? Why was a small ornament left at the murder scene - and why did someone on the investigation team steal it? And what is the connection to a flawlessly executed bank heist three years earlier, a heist where nothing was taken . . .</span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">My Thoughts</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">Aw, well – what can I say? – I was in Tilly and Poe heaven
with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dead Ground</i> and am already
looking forward to the next. One of the things that amazes me about this series
is the diversity of subject matter and storylines. You are always guaranteed to
learn about something you’ve never before encountered and in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dead Ground</i> we traverse the world to
Afghanistan where we learn more about some of the things our troops faced and…
it’s all woven into a perfectly satisfying crime narrative that had me guessing
till nearly the end. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">Then, there’s that beaut of a final twist … but enough
about that – you’ll have to read it to find out about it, but believe me I didn’t
see that one coming – despite the clues that Craven so meticulously dropped
along the way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">The Tillyisms are brilliant - from ‘Spastic colons’ to
‘Water Sports’ they had me chortling and snorting like a farting pig. The
interactions between the characters are believable and compelling, as are the
various obstacles Poe and Tilly face during the investigation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Dead
Ground</span></i><span style="line-height: 107%;"> is one of those satisfying reads that you can’t put
down, but that you just don’t want to end either – a very satisfying position
to be in as a reader. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">In summary, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dead
Ground</i> is an addictive read with a lot of substance, balanced by the levity
of the Poe and Tilly interactions. Pure Gold! </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-42235377753959709462021-06-06T02:00:00.043+01:002021-06-06T02:00:00.211+01:00Blog Tour: Book Review of The Happy Family by Jackie Kabler <p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-stqYvEzTSno/YLtLTVL_usI/AAAAAAAAJkg/5GAcCMHIUUEKGDXIkEFCUZ_VySIefAwKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/The%2BHappy%2BFamily.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-stqYvEzTSno/YLtLTVL_usI/AAAAAAAAJkg/5GAcCMHIUUEKGDXIkEFCUZ_VySIefAwKgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h252/The%2BHappy%2BFamily.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br />Delighted to be part of The Happy Family Blog tour. Thanks to Rachel's Random Resourced for the invite and Harper Collins for the ARC. Before I offer my review, here's the blurb</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span> The Happy Family Blurb</span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m_tGxM5AbIA/YLtLeBOzy6I/AAAAAAAAJkk/E44u5gurj3YxD8shHsoo1yvBVcb-vdLCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/The%2BHappy%2BFamily%2BCover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="843" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m_tGxM5AbIA/YLtLeBOzy6I/AAAAAAAAJkk/E44u5gurj3YxD8shHsoo1yvBVcb-vdLCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/The%2BHappy%2BFamily%2BCover.jpeg" /></a></b></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>A mother who disappeared… </b><br />
When Beth was 10 years old, her beautiful, wild mother Alice walked out and
never came back. Beth’s life since hasn’t always been smooth sailing, but now
she is happy and settled, with a successful career, a loving family and a
beautiful home. <br />
<br />
<b>An unexpected visitor…</b><br />
Then one day there’s a knock at the door. Alice has returned. Overjoyed to have
the chance to rebuild their relationship, Beth invites her mother to move in.<br />
<br />
<b>A life that comes crashing down…</b><br />
At first, everything seems wonderful. But then Beth’s friends begin to drift
away, strange things start to happen at home, and rumours begin to circle
about her past. As the mysterious events around Beth become darker and more
dangerous, she is forced to question everything. Is somebody in her life trying
to destroy her happiness? And how far will they go?<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Purchase Links<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>UK - </b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Happy-Family-gripping-psychological-bestselling-ebook/dp/B08N47DHNP"><b>https://www.amazon.co.uk/Happy-Family-gripping-psychological-bestselling-ebook/dp/B08N47DHNP</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>US - </b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Family-gripping-psychological-bestselling-ebook/dp/B08N47DHNP"><b>https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Family-gripping-psychological-bestselling-ebook/dp/B08N47DHNP</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">My Thoughts</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">I love a good psychological thriller – probably because
I like to get into the minds hearts and dark misdeeds of human nature and, if I
didn’t do it through the medium of reading, I might be tempted to stalk my
neighbours (Only kidding) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">In The Happy Family there is a slow build-up of
tension – a stalker, a mysterious secret, a troubled history involving a long
lost parent and a cast of characters which we learn more about as the book progresses,
are all thrown into the mix early on. At first I thought the build-up was a tad
slow, but then the tension really ratchets up and we are left guessing and
double guessing ourselves as nobody really seems to be who they present
themselves as. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">The strength of The Happy Family is the
characterisation. We really get to know the characters through dialogue and
action which results in a well-rounded storyline that makes you think ‘this
could happen to me’. I found myself yelling at Beth (the main character)
because at times she was annoyingly stupid – but then who wants to be the boy
who cries wold.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">A satisfying read.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Author Bio</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n25hY8YBSug/YLtLoSESAEI/AAAAAAAAJks/cI3vPK-UDmQNIXP4JDn0AVPCC8xH9DshwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1770/Jackie%2BKabler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1770" data-original-width="1210" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n25hY8YBSug/YLtLoSESAEI/AAAAAAAAJks/cI3vPK-UDmQNIXP4JDn0AVPCC8xH9DshwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Jackie%2BKabler.jpg" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Author Bio
– </b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Jackie Kabler worked as a newspaper
reporter and then in television news for twenty years, including nearly a
decade on GMTV. She later appeared on BBC and ITV news, presented a property
show for Sky, hosted sports shows on Setanta Sports News and worked as a media
trainer for the Armed Forces. She is now a presenter on shopping channel QVC.
The Happy Family is her sixth book; previous novels include the international
bestseller The Perfect Couple. Jackie lives in Gloucestershire with her
husband.</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Social
Media Links – <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Twitter @</b><a href="https://twitter.com/jackiekabler"><b>jackiekabler</b></a><b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Instagram
@</b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/officialjackiekabler/?hl=en"><b>officialjackiekabler</b></a></span><b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Follow The Tour Here</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H9B8nV-V0nM/YLtL9iVKJSI/AAAAAAAAJk4/At8W2QB8iNsBRHx4EV_gR8_o1UuT9QVMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/The%2BHappy%2BFamily%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1463" data-original-width="2048" height="458" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H9B8nV-V0nM/YLtL9iVKJSI/AAAAAAAAJk4/At8W2QB8iNsBRHx4EV_gR8_o1UuT9QVMgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h458/The%2BHappy%2BFamily%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-56667281687959706612021-06-03T01:00:00.033+01:002021-06-03T01:00:00.260+01:00Sneaky Peek: This Land is No Stranger ... Sarah Hollister and Gil Reavil<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r1FXBIhk_2c/YLNhyO4a4JI/AAAAAAAAJkQ/YJ4tBUL-LO8-uZSVPcCjHfRCexD8qD-xwCLcBGAsYHQ/s949/NS%2B4%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="949" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r1FXBIhk_2c/YLNhyO4a4JI/AAAAAAAAJkQ/YJ4tBUL-LO8-uZSVPcCjHfRCexD8qD-xwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/NS%2B4%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">This Land Is No Stranger <b style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;">Blurb</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 115%;">With a career that is spiraling out of control and a nasty
drug habit that has taken her to rock bottom, NYC detective Veronika Brand is
looking for a way out. When a call from Sweden interrupts her personal chaos,
the foreign tongue of her distant Swedish relatives pulls her across the
Atlantic with the lure of adventure and escape. But what she finds is far from
the idyllic picture her grandmother painted. Instead of long languid summers
basking in the midnight sun, she unearths secrets long since buried in the
frozen ground.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">In Krister Hammar, a local Sami land rights lawyer, she
thinks she has found a kindred spirit. But when they stumble upon a brutal
murder scene in a manor house owned by the rivals of her family, she starts questioning
his truth. She finds herself being moved like a chess piece between the
desolate region of Härjedalen in the north and the steely-cold streets of
Stockholm, scrambling to find the links between her family history, a trail of
missing Roma girls, and a series of vicious murders.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">In unfamiliar territory on the wrong side of the law,
Veronika has her sights set only on the beast that preys on the wicked. Will
she be able to see past the lure of the northern lights to the dark secrets
that threaten to destroy her?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 115%;"><b style="background-color: black;">Sneaky Peek Extract</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: white;">CHAPTER FOUR</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: arial; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41lsStxlhNL._SY346_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="233" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41lsStxlhNL._SY346_.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="color: white;">Later
in the evening, Brand escaped the crush. She wandered the low-ceilinged second
floor of the old house. The alcohol-and-Adderall mix foxed her brain. She
thought that if someone didn’t put her to bed soon she would drop where she
stood. The hangover from the speed darkened her mood. I should not have come,
she told herself.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Seeking
to clear her head, she stepped out onto a small balcony, warding off the cold
with a shawl fashioned from a blanket taken from one of the upstairs bedrooms.
She wanted to see the stars again.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">There
was no moon, and no aurora. The Milky Way swept from horizon to horizon in a
celestial wake of blue-white starlight. In the yard below, deep snow sparkled
like piled diamonds. The red-painted outbuildings showed dark against the white
landscape.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The
man she had noticed earlier, her fellow outsider, emerged onto the little
balcony. “Ah, here you are,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Here
I am,” she responded. They both took a moment to gaze up at the extravagant
night sky.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">He
broke the silence. “Barns are painted red because of the chemistry of exploded
stars.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">She
glanced over at him. “Is that right?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“No,
really, it’s true,” he said. “When stars collapse, they leave behind dust, what
we call ferrous oxide. There’s a lot of iron in the earth. This ferrous oxide
colors the paint red. And red paint is cheap. You know, farmers like cheap.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“That’s
right,” Brand said, laughing. “That’s true all over the world. My Dalgren
grandparents were farmers.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“That
was Jamestown, New York, right?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Her
smile faded. “Everyone here knows so much more about me than I do about them.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Krister
Hammar,” the man said, giving a curt bow. “You and I are not blood-related. My
wife was a Dalgren, my connection to the family is by choice.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Was?
Is she here?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“She
is…she died five years ago now. Her name was Tove.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Brand
gave a brief consoling nod. They both went inside. Leaning against the wall was
a framed, colored print, a highly stylized portrait of a man holding aloft a
book and wearing a narrow-brimmed cap. The print had a throwback air of Soviet
realism.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Is
this who I think it is?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“If
you are thinking it’s Vladimir Lenin, then yes.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Brand
nodded. “So, the barns are painted red because of ferrous oxide, is it? Not
‘red,’ as in political reds?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“I
believe our hosts might have hidden away Comrade Lenin so as not to offend a
visiting American. That piece used to hang proudly out in the hall.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Have
I fallen in among communists? I am shocked, shocked.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“I
don’t know if you were aware of it back then, but you had fallen in among
Soviet-style communists when you spent time with your grandparents. Gustav and
Klara were not just painted red, they were red through and through.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“In my
childhood, they kept their beliefs to themselves,” Brand said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Yes,
the political atmosphere was dangerous for communists when they emigrated to
America—to speak out was dangerous. I read where J. Edgar Hoover, your FBI
director, used to pronounce the word ‘common-ism.’”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“You
know a lot about America.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“I
went to school there. Boston College, international relations. I came back here
to study law. Immigrant rights.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“You
must be overwhelmed with all the immigration action here lately. And what, are
you barn-red yourself?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Well,
I guess I’m left, liberal, like most of the Dalgren family is now. Though if
you dig deeper, you’ll find some of the old guard. Didn’t Gustav and Klara
speak to you about anything?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Brand
gazed out the window. “Grandma Klara used to talk about this, the night sky in
Sweden,” she said quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The
two of them gazed up at the starry night for a long beat. “Most of us live in
cities,” he said. “We don’t often stop to look up at the stars, too busy
looking down at phones. They say this type of situation breeds atheism.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“So
that’s what causes it!” Brand said, laughing again.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“How
could you not believe in something bigger than yourself, looking up at this
every night?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Brand
turned to face him directly. “Where are you from?” she asked. “What part of
Sweden?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“As
far north as you can go. At least, that’s where I was born. You call it
Lapland.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Reindeer,”
Brand said. “Santa Claus.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Yes,
although nowadays the Sami people—my people, my mother was Sami— herd reindeer
with motocross bikes, and the tourists jet in on package tours, cramming in the
obligatory culture stop before skipping over to Finland’s more coveted Santa’s
workshop. There are two of them, competing with each other to attract
customers.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Brand
appraised the man openly. “I felt there was something about you. I’ve never fit
in anywhere either. I don’t think I’m doing so well with this crowd.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Give
them a chance,” Hammar said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">They
stood in uncomfortable silence. Brand had the sense the man had something to
get off his chest. She tried to wait him out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“I'm
tired” she said finally. “I think I need to go to bed.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Listen,
just now I have a case,” Hammar said abruptly. “A young girl, a Romani teenager
named Varzha who has disappeared. Because she is an immigrant, no one cares to
look for her.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Romani?”
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Gypsy,
as you say. Her disappearance may be part of a pattern. I thought since you’ve
worked against traffickers in America…” He trailed off.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Brand
stared. “Oh, hell no,” she said. “You want me to look into this disappearance
of yours?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Your
knowledge, as a New York City detective, here among us, such expertise could be
invaluable.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“You
have police in this country, am I correct?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Yes,
of course.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“And I
assume they investigate disappearances?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Well,
yes. But—”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Brand
cut him off. “Then that’s the best course of action. I’m a big fan of letting
people do their jobs.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Okay,
of course, of course,” Hammar said quickly. “And you must have your own thing
while you are in Sweden.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“That’s
right, I have my own thing.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Americans
are never without their own thing,” Krister said. “Yes, right. This gypsy girl,
she is of no importance.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Oh,
for pity’s sake,” Veronika exclaimed, mildly irritated at last. “I think we
ought to leave Comrade Lenin and the gypsies and head back downstairs.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“All
right.” Hammar sighed. “We don’t want your people to think we’re conspiring up
here.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">They
turned towards the stairs. The largest room on the second floor was more like a
hallway, long and narrow and running half the length of the house. Brand
noticed the wooden floorboards were over three feet wide. That had to mean they
had been milled a very long time ago, from timber taken out of old-growth
forest. Everything was painted white, walls and floor both.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The
rise and fall of Dalgren voices still sounded from downstairs. Brand wondered
where she was going to sleep. Maybe right where she stood would do just fine.
She felt so tired she was dizzy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Hammar
headed toward the stairway. He turned back around. “They didn’t translate what
she said exactly right.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Brand
couldn’t summon the effort to understand what Hammar was talking about. She was
worn out. Fatigue, she knew from long nights spent on police casework, could
develop into an almost hallucinatory state.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“The
old woman,” Hammar explained. He stood poised at the top of the stairs. “They
told you that Elin said you’re here to catch the bad guys. But she didn’t say
exactly that.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">He
wanted Brand to ask him what Elin Dalgren had really meant. She remained standing
in place. She felt unsteady on her feet, as though the room was swaying
slightly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 11pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“She
said you were here to kill the devil.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 115%;">
<span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Brand didn’t understand. In the far corner of
the room stood a children’s bed, more of a divan really, piled with pillows and
a stuffed toy gorilla. She crossed to it and impulsively laid down. Her mind
shut off as she listened to Hammar’s footsteps receding down the stairs.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;">AUTHOR BIO</span></b></p>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Sarah Hollister</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> i<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; mso-highlight: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZkKfhH8HEC0/YLNi_ppZWOI/AAAAAAAAJkY/AUVZBs-YSNAXsGmWs6bhXuci4zuctXzIACLcBGAsYHQ/s839/NS6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="839" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZkKfhH8HEC0/YLNi_ppZWOI/AAAAAAAAJkY/AUVZBs-YSNAXsGmWs6bhXuci4zuctXzIACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/NS6.png" width="320" /></a></div>s an American writer and playwright, living the Scandinavian
reality on<br /> one of the 24,000 islands in the Swedish archipelago near Stockholm.
Her plays <i>Sisters’ Dance</i> and <i>Relative Truth</i> have been produced in New
York City, and she is a member of the <i>Dramatikerförbund</i>
(Sweden’s drama guild), which awarded her residences at the Henning Mankell
House in northern Sweden. She is a founding member of the Stockholm Writers
Festival</span>. A New York-based screenwriter and journalist, <b>Gil Reavill</b> often writes about crime,
both in fiction, with the “13” series of thrillers (<i>13 Hollywood Apes</i>, <i>13 Stolen
Girls</i>, <i>13 Under the Wire</i>) and
non-fiction, with <i>Mafia Summit</i> and <i>Aftermath, Inc. </i>Reavill also co-wrote
the screenplay for the corrupt-cop feature film, <i>Dirty</i>, starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. </span></span>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-62936726914135017902021-06-01T01:00:00.050+01:002021-06-01T01:00:00.211+01:00Blog Tour: Q&A with Dr Glass author, Louise Worthington<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_CUjphzycs/YLNf7RQjX9I/AAAAAAAAJjk/K0qZ4HyuWxEmb_J7HhW1TwLoZDBFtXbswCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Dr%2BGlass.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_CUjphzycs/YLNf7RQjX9I/AAAAAAAAJjk/K0qZ4HyuWxEmb_J7HhW1TwLoZDBFtXbswCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h252/Dr%2BGlass.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Thanks so much to Rachel's Random Resources for invitingme onot this fascinating Blog Tour. I am so excited to share such a fascinating Q&A with you. But first up, here's the blurb </span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Dr. Glass Blurb</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OpTKX7lflIY/YLNgLJ6v51I/AAAAAAAAJjs/bFd3hf8hBhMqQBRTOCKJ5zcBxl2EohbQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Dr%2BGlass%2B-%2BHigh%2BResolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OpTKX7lflIY/YLNgLJ6v51I/AAAAAAAAJjs/bFd3hf8hBhMqQBRTOCKJ5zcBxl2EohbQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Dr%2BGlass%2B-%2BHigh%2BResolution.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Clinical psychologist Dr Emma-Jane
Glass falls for her captor when the roles of client and therapist are reversed
in a psychologically layered story of revenge and grief. Is it a case of
Stockholm Syndrome, or something else?<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">When Dr Emma-Jane Glass’ interview on local
radio is deemed to be sympathetic towards a mother’s actions to kill herself
and young child, Drew Rogers hatches a plan to teach the psychologist a thing
or two about being left behind as a spouse. Abducted and held captive in an
empty property, Dr Glass swaps places in the psychologist’s chair.</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Drew puts the motivation of his wife’s actions
down to his extra-marital affairs, but then the sordid truth behind his
family’s </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">disappearance </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">is revealed.</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Hard-hitting and emotional, <i>Dr Glass </i>is
the first novel in the Glass Minds Series from the author of <i>Rachel's Garden</i>,
<i>The Entrepreneur</i>, <i>Willow Weeps</i> and <i>Rosie Shadow</i>.</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Purchase Links</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>UK - </b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Glass-Does-psychologist-Minds-ebook/dp/B08SR3PLNL/"><b>https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Glass-Does-psychologist-Minds-ebook/dp/B08SR3PLNL/</b></a><b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>US - </b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Glass-Does-psychologist-Minds-ebook/dp/B08SR3PLNL/"><b>https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Glass-Does-psychologist-Minds-ebook/dp/B08SR3PLNL/</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Dr. Glass Blog Tour Louise Worthington Q and A</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><i>The story-line is described as
‘psychologically layered’. Can you elaborate?<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">I’d say there are three strands. The first
is, before the story starts, a wife takes her own and her son’s life. In the
story, the reasons behind the murder-suicide are unravelled. I don’t want to give
any spoilers away!</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Secondly, the main character is Dr Emma-Jane Glass, a
clinical psychologist, who is abducted and held captive by a deranged patient
reeling from grief and depression. She develops feelings for her captor and
psychologically bonds with him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Lastly, a patient seeks help from Dr Glass and a colleague
when her daughter dies from an asthma attack. She begins to turn a corner and
come to terms with her loss with professional help and time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><o:p> </o:p><i style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></i><i style="text-indent: -18pt;">When did you first become interested in
psychology?</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">I enrolled on an online postgraduate course about four years
ago after reading a couple of books about psychological experiments. The first
one was the Stanford Prison Experiment which focused on the struggles of power
between prisoners and staff; and the next one was about David Reimer, a boy
raised as a girl.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mental
health and wellbeing have become entrenched in our daily narrative. Young
children talk about stress and anxiety. Only around ten – fifteen years ago, it
wasn’t common idiolect. I think psychology is a fascinating topic which readers
and viewers continue to demonstrate an interest in, even when some of the
issues like self-harm and suicide are hard-hitting.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><o:p> </o:p><i style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></i><i style="text-indent: -18pt;">Have you written book two in the Glass
Minds Series?</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Not yet, but I am planning and researching it as we speak!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">In book one, the friendship between Emma-Jane and Lucy is
introduced, and a minor character, Kat, who plays a hand in the fate of the
mother and child. escapes scot-free. At some point in the series, these
characters will return into Dr’ Glass’ world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><o:p> </o:p><i style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></i><i style="text-indent: -18pt;">Aside from books on psychology, what else
do you like to read?</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">I love reading anything by Maggie O’Farrell, Donna Tartt and
Nicci French. I’ve just started reading <i>Push </i>by Ashley Audrain. As well
as literary fiction, thrillers and suspense, I read flash fiction and poetry. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">It’s fantastic to be able to go to the library again after
lockdown, and browse selves in book shops and charity stores. I am an
old-fashioned reader who enjoys the feel and smell of a paperback/ hardback. We
have a couple of disused telephone boxes in the village converted to the
village library where books are exchanged. It’s a great way to try a new genre
and author. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><o:p> </o:p><i style="text-indent: -18pt;">What else is in the pipeline?</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><i>Rachel’s Garden</i> and <i>The Entrepreneur</i> are
selling well in the UK and US. The audiobooks for them come out in June and
September this year, so along with <i>Dr Glass,</i> I will be busy promoting
them, keeping my <a href="https://louiseworthington.co.uk/">website</a> up to
date and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1AN2E6K9xNto_vUMpxax-w">You
Tube channel.</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/universalbooklinks/7f55dc1c-ad06-11eb-92bd-03467f24983b"><i>Other
Voices</i></a> comes out in the spring 2022 and I’ve got two other novels in
draft form. This year has been a very busy one with the release of several
books!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><o:p> </o:p><b style="text-align: center;">Author Bio –</b></span></p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 15pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0X-8RxxKHI/YLNgvOfscjI/AAAAAAAAJj0/yzO2hfOGIfgcImAI9IUqQZI9_oIPqCG6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1009/Dr%2BGlass%2BAuthor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0X-8RxxKHI/YLNgvOfscjI/AAAAAAAAJj0/yzO2hfOGIfgcImAI9IUqQZI9_oIPqCG6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Dr%2BGlass%2BAuthor.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Louise is the author of the psychological thrillers <i>Rachel’s Garden</i>, <i>Willow Weeps, the Entrepreneur</i>, and the<br /> horror novel, <i>Rosie Shadow</i>, book one in the Black Tongue Series.</span></strong><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><p></p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 15pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Born in Cheshire, England, Louise studied literature at the University of Essex. As a teenager she read until the small hours, enjoying the darker worlds conjured by Stephen King and Daphne du Maurier.</span></strong><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 15pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">When Louise isn’t reading or writing, you’ll most likely find her outside enjoying the Shropshire countryside with her husband or messing about with her daughter, and furry and feathered friends.</span></strong><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Website:</b> <a href="https://louiseworthington.co.uk/" target="_blank">https://louiseworthington.co.uk/</a> <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Goodreads:</b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19741912.Louise_Worthington"><b>https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19741912.Louise_Worthington</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Facebook:</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Louise-Worthington-105535434860475"><b>https://www.facebook.com/Louise-Worthington-105535434860475</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Twitter: @</b><a href="https://twitter.com/louiseworthing9"><b>louiseworthing9</b></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Author Links<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/universalbooklinks/09b2478c-ab82-11eb-a251-07b4eed54e2c"><i></i></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><i><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBihPXHbdX8/YLNg5_WRe_I/AAAAAAAAJj4/sGVPBwXYTJcFC3vpVWvmUm8B1-lvE4E6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s970/Dr%2BGlass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="970" height="198" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBihPXHbdX8/YLNg5_WRe_I/AAAAAAAAJj4/sGVPBwXYTJcFC3vpVWvmUm8B1-lvE4E6QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h198/Dr%2BGlass.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><i><br />Dr.
Glass</i><i> </i>is available from Amazon as an eBook and paperback.
Details of Louise Worthington’s other psychological fiction can be found on her
<a href="https://louiseworthington.co.uk/">website.</a><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Follow Louise on:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Twitter @louiseworthing9<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/profile/louise-worthington">BookBub</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard?ref=nav_profile_authordash">Goodreads</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 27pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: black;">More about Dr Glass</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 27pt;"><b><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;"></span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zop0fxN6ius/YLNhCUQoRfI/AAAAAAAAJkA/LvbA6aX2Z54v7PgepSiQjA3a-QmZP6iDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s336/Dr%2BGlass%2B1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="336" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zop0fxN6ius/YLNhCUQoRfI/AAAAAAAAJkA/LvbA6aX2Z54v7PgepSiQjA3a-QmZP6iDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Dr%2BGlass%2B1.png" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: white;">Dr. Glass: A psychologically layered story of revenge and grief.<o:p></o:p></span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 27pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Dr Emma-Jane Glass</b> is a qualified clinical psychologist with her own practice. Emma-Jane has an article published about maternal filicide (a mother murders their child or children) in an academic journal and is subsequently interviewed on local radio about her sympathetic standpoint.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Her perfect life changes when she receives hate mail.<br /><br /><i>'Your business is my business now. How many more are going to die before you stop meddling? One, two, ten, Dr Death?'</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Abducted and held captive in an empty house, Dr. Glass begins to doubt her own mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">The tables turn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">And roles reverse.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">Emotions are raw. Who is in control?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><b>Hearts and
minds collide in a shocking tale of psychological suspense.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Fans
of <i>The Silent Patient</i> and <i>The Last Sister</i> will
love this hard-hitting and emotional tale.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Dr Glass is
the first novel in the Glass Minds Series from the author of <i>Rachel's
Garden</i> and <i>The Entrepreneur.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">‘A
diabolically gripping thriller.’ Book Sirens Reviewer.</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Follow<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> the rest of the tour here</span></b><b style="text-align: left;"><o:p> </o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p></o:p></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dHYonDzbWuo/YLNhKkT4EyI/AAAAAAAAJkI/49-_DyxgPrwF9NntIPEyGaJtSpAdjF4BgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Dr%2BGlass%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="2048" height="336" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dHYonDzbWuo/YLNhKkT4EyI/AAAAAAAAJkI/49-_DyxgPrwF9NntIPEyGaJtSpAdjF4BgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h336/Dr%2BGlass%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-92208163207183683662021-05-31T01:30:00.046+01:002021-05-31T10:58:30.525+01:00Blog Tour: Maltese Steel by Stuart Field ... Today we have an Author Guest Post: 'Why I Write Thriller novels.'<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vdZxZt10VpU/YLNcWQdb1jI/AAAAAAAAJjE/sjjqZofgfh0yI34TXKjVgLNe5o1vvJ4qQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Maltese%2BSteel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vdZxZt10VpU/YLNcWQdb1jI/AAAAAAAAJjE/sjjqZofgfh0yI34TXKjVgLNe5o1vvJ4qQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h252/Maltese%2BSteel.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br />Delighted to be hosting a fascinating guest post from Maltese Steel author Stuart Field about why he writes thriller novels... </span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Thanks so much to the author and to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto this tour. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Maltese Steel Blurb</span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tSXC7nqHzY8/YLNco-FSQCI/AAAAAAAAJjM/rpJi-PDN3uExxGWXKwfWxCXUwK_iM62UgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Maltese-Steel-Main-File%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tSXC7nqHzY8/YLNco-FSQCI/AAAAAAAAJjM/rpJi-PDN3uExxGWXKwfWxCXUwK_iM62UgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Maltese-Steel-Main-File%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="color: white;">A woman is found dead on the island of Gozo. The
cops say she fell from the Azure Window tourist spot, but her father thinks
otherwise.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: white;">CIA Section Chief Foster needs help to prove it was
murder, so he turns to the only person he knows can get the job done: John
Steel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: white;">The Hive, securely seated under the US Embassy on
the island of Malta, is an operation that monitors all passage from North
Africa and the Middle East into Europe and the US. A platform that requires the
latest in technology and facial recognition.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: white;">In seven days, that software will be updated. In two
days, all hell will break loose. And the clock is ticking for an attack on
American soil.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: white;">Together with the beautiful Sammara Malk of Mossad, can Steel
find out who killed Lucy - and stop whoever is behind the impending attack?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Purchase Links <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>UK - </b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maltese-Steel-John-Book-ebook/dp/B08X393QRM/"><b>https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maltese-Steel-John-Book-ebook/dp/B08X393QRM/</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>US - </b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Maltese-Steel-John-Book-ebook/dp/B08X393QRM/"><b>https://www.amazon.com/Maltese-Steel-John-Book-ebook/dp/B08X393QRM/</b></a><b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b> </b><span style="text-align: center;">Guest Post</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Why do I like writing Thriller
novels?</span></b></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: white;">The answer is simple. Because
they are fun and challenging.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: white;">To write a thriller or crime
novel, you need to look into the darker side of yourself and wonder how you
will kill someone. Not only that, but you need to also swap hats and figure out
how the protagonist is going to solve this crime.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: white;">Even though thriller/crime
novels have strange freedom about them, there are still facts and other rules
that must be adhered to, such as locations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: white;">The annoying thing about
locations is that you have to be accurate unless it is set in the future or a
made-up city or town. For instance, you can’t say that the protagonist went
down East 40<sup>th</sup> Street and saw the rows of Brownstone buildings when
there aren’t any. However, I find that sometimes you can bend the rule slightly
by putting in a restaurant or diner where there possibly could be one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: white;">The problem with writing
thrillers set in the present is when you write something, the chances are that
people live near that location, drive that car, or become proficient with that
weapon. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: white;">Despite the rules that we must
abide by, don’t forget, thrillers are meant to be fun and well – thrilling.
People like the escapism of Bourne, Bond, the woman with the dragon tattoo.
Just like people enjoy reading about fantasy or romance, and horror. As a
writer, it is our job to send people on a journey, and the more thrilling the
adventure, the possibility that they will come back for more.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: white;">I love writing. Perhaps
someday I will write something other than thillers. But, for now, my passion
lies with the agent or detective that has to solve that puzzle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: white;">For any new or would-be
writers, all I can say is have fun. Enjoy what you are doing, have a blast with
your characters. And whether you are a plotter or a fly-by the seat of your
pants kinda writer, just have a passion for what you are doing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: white;">Also – and more importantly,
never give up. So what if your manuscript doesn’t get excepted by an agent.
There will be other chances later if that is what you want. But, for the
moment, don’t let it get you down. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: white;">Also, get into groups. There
are plenty on social media. Also, get yourself to Crime festival conventions.
These are a wealth of information and gets you noticed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: white;">Happy writing and reading
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Author Bio<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hyUDUHAKvsU/YLNdFlNZbRI/AAAAAAAAJjU/QdaRiA59U3EokWVYPZgfka-RuxHAx9RagCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/Maltest%2BSteel%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hyUDUHAKvsU/YLNdFlNZbRI/AAAAAAAAJjU/QdaRiA59U3EokWVYPZgfka-RuxHAx9RagCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Maltest%2BSteel%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Stuart Field is a veteran who now works in security after serving twenty-two<br /> years in the British Army. As well as working full time he writes in his spare time. Stuart was born and raised in the West Midlands in the UK. His love for travel has been an inspiration in some of his work with his John Steel thriller series. As well as future John Steel novels, Stuart is working on a new series and standalone novels.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="https://twitter.com/StuartField14" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/StuartField14</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/stuart.field.5811" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/stuart.field.5811</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="http://www.stuartfieldcrime.com/" target="_blank">www.stuartfieldcrime.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/36446907-stuart-field" target="_blank">www.goodreads.com/user/show/36446907-stuart-field</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> Catch up on the rest of the tour here</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zMb2mpLMGWI/YLNdQTo1fmI/AAAAAAAAJjY/GEnhyEZyr1EjrHuzag0TMp1JeNNp8BCLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Maltese%2BSteel%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1223" data-original-width="2048" height="382" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zMb2mpLMGWI/YLNdQTo1fmI/AAAAAAAAJjY/GEnhyEZyr1EjrHuzag0TMp1JeNNp8BCLQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h382/Maltese%2BSteel%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-47627067016519483542021-05-28T01:30:00.142+01:002021-05-28T09:23:15.198+01:00Blog Tour: Tony Forder The Autumn Tree, My review<p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iFQds-Vu9G4/YKelNCy4TrI/AAAAAAAAJhI/AhG0dRB8fa8MpP7mv3eg2OV1d6VWzgN7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1281/Blog%2BTourB.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1281" height="384" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iFQds-Vu9G4/YKelNCy4TrI/AAAAAAAAJhI/AhG0dRB8fa8MpP7mv3eg2OV1d6VWzgN7wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h384/Blog%2BTourB.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="background-color: black; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">It seems like ages since I've had my Jimmy Bliss fix... but now I've read The Autumn Tree, I'm delighted to be part of the blog tour. </span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Autumn Tree in five words ... </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Humorous, Gritty, Intriguing, Poignant, Blissful</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The <b><i>Autumn Tree</i></b>, by Tony J Forder, is
the ninth book in the DI Jimmy Bliss series, but is the eighth full-length
novel – December 2020’s <i>Bliss Uncovered</i>
being a prequel novella.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><o:p> </o:p>The Bliss series has seen the development of not only the
lead character, but also the likes of DS Penny Chandler, DS Olly Bishop (Bish),
DCs Hunt, Ansari and Gratton, as well as the much missed Mia Short. DCI Diane
Warburton and Detective Superintendent Marion Fletcher remain in charge of the
Major Crimes Unit at the Thorpe Wood police station in Peterborough.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>The Blurb</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nm8txFb_Q64/YKemG7mOOoI/AAAAAAAAJhU/1W4UsUR1Tq4PJgh-Yx4uiPnlP2C1dD2TQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Ebook.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nm8txFb_Q64/YKemG7mOOoI/AAAAAAAAJhU/1W4UsUR1Tq4PJgh-Yx4uiPnlP2C1dD2TQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Ebook.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">After a young woman is found strangled to
death, Bliss is called to the scene. When he learns that one of his business
cards was found among the victim's clothing, and he is told what was written on
the back of it, Bliss is immediately troubled. The card was one of five he
handed out to trafficked young women he and his team had previously rescued
from a shipping container.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">When he sees the victim, Bliss realises she was
not one of those saved that day. So whose card does she have? Any why? And is
it connected to her murder?<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black;"><o:p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The murder investigation proves to be more
complex and challenging than the team could possibly have imagined. But just as
they think they have it figured out, they learn that depravity has no boundaries...</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p> </o:p></span>My Thoughts</b></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S2BFCl4aG3U/YKemPXFd-_I/AAAAAAAAJhY/KK7DJeO4-9wJl1yMl64MRWmgv29Ub66zACLcBGAsYHQ/s811/bliss.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="811" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S2BFCl4aG3U/YKemPXFd-_I/AAAAAAAAJhY/KK7DJeO4-9wJl1yMl64MRWmgv29Ub66zACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/bliss.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">I make no secret of the fact that I am a Blissful Bliss fan and am thrilled to have had the<br /> opportunity to read an ARC of this book. There are so many good things to say about The Autumn Tree, that to be honest I was a bit stumped as to where to begin. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The plot is tricksy, poignant, authentic and thought provoking. For me it was a delight to see a thread from an earlier novel picked up once more in The Autumn Tree and pulled to expose another aspect to trafficking, slavery and depravity. Forder is able to explore darkness, but through humour, ensures their is a safety valve in place so we don't boil over completely. It is this sensitivity to the darkness uncovered in The Autumn Tree that makes it such a compelling and authentic read. It can easily be read as a standalone as Forder has dropped enough breadcrumbs for a new reader to fllow, but any new readers will, I'mm sure head right off to the Zon to buy the rest of the series. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">One of the triumphs of this long lasting police procedural series is the team dynamics which make you feel as if you are part of the team too. Bliss has to make adjustments in this one, but the camaraderie, gallow's humour and mutual respect amongst his colleagues are a joy to read and again serve to lighten some of the darkness. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Every time I read a Bliss book, I think to myself 'this is the best one yet' ... and every time Forder goes on to prove me wrong, because the next one always seems to surpass the one before. This is true of The Autumn Tree. I thought Slow Slicing was unbeatable, but then the mardy auld bugger(only joking Tony) has gone and blown it out of the park with The Autumn Tree. I've thought a lot about why that is and come to the conclusion that Forder is a master of allowing his characters to grow, age and face new obstacles in each book, which means that they remain fresh and real. Bliss is one of those characters you can engage with. Sometimes I want to yell at him for his self-destructive streak and at others I want to just go for a pint with him and help him sort out his life. Bliss is a man of contradictions and it is these contradictions, his 'dog with a bone' attitude and his unbreakable commitment to those he sees as part of his 'group' that make him such a readable, likable and frustrating character.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The Autumn Tree deals with some very dark themes, that need to be spoken about. Forder deals with them through attention to detail, lots of action, intriguing sub plots and a cast of characters that will remain with you for a long time. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">In case you're wondering ... I LOVED THIS BOOK. 5 stars from me.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Author Bio</b></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDF-HzUmMa0/YKemV_bdaeI/AAAAAAAAJhc/RSi8pRq56H49oGj1tkuZGucxLy95IF_BwCLcBGAsYHQ/s329/Cropped.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="319" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDF-HzUmMa0/YKemV_bdaeI/AAAAAAAAJhc/RSi8pRq56H49oGj1tkuZGucxLy95IF_BwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Cropped.png" /></a></div>Tony J Forder is the author of the bestselling <b style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">DI Bliss</b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"> crime thriller series. The first
seven books, </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Bad to the Bone, The Scent
of Guilt</i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">, </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">If Fear Wins,</i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The Reach of Shadows</i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">, </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The Death of Justice</i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">, </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Endless Silent Scream</i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">, and </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Slow Slicing</i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">, were joined in December
2020 by a prequel novella, </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Bliss
Uncovered. </i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The series now continues with, </span><b style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><i>The Autumn Tree</i></b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">,
scheduled for release on 24 May 2021.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Tony’s other series – two action-adventure
novels featuring Mike Lynch – comprises both <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scream Blue Murder, </i>and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Cold
Winter Sun.</i> These books were republished in April 2021.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black;"><o:p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">In addition, Tony has written two standalone novels: a dark,
psychological crime thriller, </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Degrees of
Darkness</i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">, and a suspense thriller set in California, called </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Fifteen Coffins</i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">, released in November
2020</span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black;"><o:p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"> T</span></o:p></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">ony lives with his wife in Peterborough, UK, and is now a
full-time author. He is currently working on the first book of an intended new
crime series, whose working title is </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The
Huntsmen</i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black;"><o:p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"> LI</span></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">nks</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Website: </span><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.tonyjforder.com/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">https://www.tonyjforder.com/</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Facebook: </span><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/tonyjforder/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">https://www.facebook.com/tonyjforder/</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Twitter: </span><span lang="EN"><a href="https://twitter.com/TonyJForder"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">https://twitter.com/TonyJForder</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
@TonyJForder<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN">Amazon
Author: </span><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/l/B01N4BPT65">https://www.amazon.co.uk/l/B01N4BPT65</a></span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN">Goodreads:
</span><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16166122.Tony_J_Forder">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16166122.Tony_J_Forder</a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Fantastic Fiction: </span><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/tony-j-forder/">https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/tony-j-forder/</a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="EN" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Tony can
also be found on Instagram.</span></p><br /><p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-84579754783180449792021-05-26T01:30:00.067+01:002021-05-26T01:30:00.271+01:00Blog Tour: A Sneaky Peek from Whatever It Takes by Heaton Wilson<p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O12XR7_88YI/YKeay54LM-I/AAAAAAAAJgY/lgD52wv1iv83e5Tm1XI9gCaORban9M4qgCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Whatever%2BIt%2BTakes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O12XR7_88YI/YKeay54LM-I/AAAAAAAAJgY/lgD52wv1iv83e5Tm1XI9gCaORban9M4qgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h252/Whatever%2BIt%2BTakes.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br />Yaaay! Chuffed to bits to be on the <i>Whatever It Takes </i>blog tour. Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the invite. I love offering sneaky peeks as it's a great chance for the reader to get a feel for the novel and I'm convinced that once you've read this sneaky peek you'll be clicking the To Buy Link. But first ...</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b style="background-color: black;">Whatever It Takes Blurb</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PFozyJW8AQ8/YKea6AlAaeI/AAAAAAAAJgc/PPP3yZEP1Q0BPp5kniYqRlLl0YiFafTmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Whatever%2BIt%2BTakes%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PFozyJW8AQ8/YKea6AlAaeI/AAAAAAAAJgc/PPP3yZEP1Q0BPp5kniYqRlLl0YiFafTmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Whatever%2BIt%2BTakes%2BCover.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">DCI Jane Birchfield is facing a series of personal challenges: a rocky
relationship with her partner, her mum hardly talks to her; and her boss and
mentor is critically ill, which means she is having to cover his post as well
as her own. Then she has to take charge of the toughest of murder
investigations. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Jamie Castleton is found dead, seemingly frozen in position at a computer
in a grubby internet cafe in the Manchester suburb of Ashbridge. Enquiries
reveal he was a self employed tech consultant and a computer expert, so what
was he doing in there? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The more Jane and her team dig under the surface, the more the evidence
points to one of Manchester's biggest companies, Greaves, and its super-wealthy
boss, Graeme Hargreaves. This leads Jane into a sordid underworld, and a
surprise twist in the investigation forces her to face up to an event in her
own past, that she has kept buried for 25 years. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Slowly, but surely, the net tightens around the suspects, but can she
stay objective, and can she keep herself, her team, and her relationship,
together, and bring the killer to justice? For Jane it has become a personal
crusade, but in this race against time there is far more at stake than she ever
imagined.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Purchase Link - <a href="https://linktr.ee/heaton">https://linktr.ee/heaton</a><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Extract from <i>Whatever It Takes,</i> by Heaton Wilson</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-95bJew2IPys/YKebHpSfYWI/AAAAAAAAJgo/PcZFbT8BhZwmwEOog3BcLT2L4kymMQB4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Whatever%2BIt%2BTakes%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-95bJew2IPys/YKebHpSfYWI/AAAAAAAAJgo/PcZFbT8BhZwmwEOog3BcLT2L4kymMQB4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Whatever%2BIt%2BTakes%2BCover.jpg" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><i><span style="line-height: 150%;">Scene setting: Jamie
Castleton has been found dead, frozen in position at a computer </span></i></span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">in an internet
café near Manchester. He was found by
the manager, Paolo Gonzales. DS George Creasey has been tasked with checking
his computer records to establish what Jamie – a self employed IT consultant -
was doing there...</span></i><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span>‘So, can you track back to recover what that lad was up to?’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Paolo Gonzales’ enormous frame was a tight fit in the shabby
desk chair, in his cramped office on the first floor of the Pretty Cool Café.
The back of his shirt was stained dark with sweat, and no wonder – the warm air
heater on the wall was groaning with the effort.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">The equally large, and now claustrophobic, DS George Creasey
removed his jacket and slung it over the back of his chair, sipping water as
Gonzales squinted at a screenful of foreign language.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘What’s that you’re looking at, Mr Gonzales?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘Is code, URLs, all that, yes.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘From the deceased’s computer?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘No, no. From server. Have to find unique address.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">George grunted and looked at his watch. This was taking
forever. And could he even trust that the information he would get would be
accurate? What if that lad had been here every night looking at porn or
paedophile sites or some other illicit stuff? In that case, the proprietor of
this ‘respectable business’ - as Gonzales described it – would be doing
everything he could to remove the evidence... wouldn’t he?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">George made a note to get one of Phil’s IT guys in to take a
peek. Mark Manning would know what to do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Gonzales scratched the dark stubble on his cheek and leaned
back. ‘Okay sir. Have tracked down. Will print off screen so you keep.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘Thank you, Mr Gonzales. Before you do that, do you mind if
I take a picture of that on my phone?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘No, no secret here. Please …'<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">He wheeled out of the way, then turned to check the paper
tray in the printer, while George fumbled to get the screen image focussed. He
took an extra shot, just in case.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘So, what are we looking at here?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘Web site addresses, email messages... browse history, sir.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘Anything interesting or unusual about it?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘No sir. Jamie was a good boy. In here a lot. Very quiet,
like I said. Some of them make lots of noise and try to do bad things -’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘Like what?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘Dark web, drug supply, all things. I have controls here to
tell me, so I throw them out. Never throw Jamie out. Very good boy.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘Dark web. I’ve heard of it, but …'<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘Clever. Dangerous place. Need very good computer skill to
go there. Many criminals use it. No way to track, see. All anonymous.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘OK, thanks, we’ll need to look into that. But no evidence
here that Jamie was going there, or trying to go there? No sign of any dodgy
activity?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Gonzales rasped out a laugh. ‘Jamie a nice guy, but clever,
too. He would know not to try here. So, what can I say?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘So, tell me, in simple language if you can, what was he
doing when he came in this evening?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Gonzales pressed a couple of keys and the printer sprang
into life. ‘OK, you want coffee first?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">George tried very hard not to betray his real feelings about
the vending machine coffee on offer, having discreetly spat a mouthful into the
pedal bin about ten minutes ago.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">‘That’s very kind of you, but no thanks. Don’t let me stop
you though.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><i><span style="line-height: 150%;">Then, towards the end of the chapter, forensic investigator
Phil is wracking his brains to find a cause of death, as he talks into his
voice recorder …</span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span>‘No signs of violence. No signs of self-defence. No defects
in the vital organs. We’ve ruled out suffocation, choking, heart failure. The
only thing we have is that needle mark. But no evidence of any nasty substances
in the blood test... Though the guys at region might find something with their
equipment. What could cause a healthy fit young man to apparently just die
instantly?’</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Author Bio </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dA_0gSlnwwY/YKebd3JcP5I/AAAAAAAAJg4/cU0C7GyFl1Q0l6c143cKMV1mcOB0LzMGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1372/Whatever%2BAuthor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1372" data-original-width="1372" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dA_0gSlnwwY/YKebd3JcP5I/AAAAAAAAJg4/cU0C7GyFl1Q0l6c143cKMV1mcOB0LzMGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Whatever%2BAuthor.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">I have been a newspaper journalist, a postman, a public relations officer, a consultant, an actor, a director, a playwright. And I have always kept writing.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">I always felt I could write a novel. And I did! The first book in my crime fiction series featuring DCI Jane Birchfield, Every Reason, came out in 2016. Whatever It Takes was published in 2021; and the third book (which follows on where Whatever It Takes ends) is nearing completion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">I'm from Manchester but now live on the Isle of Wight, where the sea is never far away. It's the perfect place to be creative, and to walk the dogs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Social Media Links – @<a href="https://twitter.com/kkevvin">kkevvin</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 150%;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://facebook.com/heatonwilson"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black;">http://facebook.com/heatonwilson</span></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Check out the rest of the tour</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_QXdqH-O40/YKebnt6kgNI/AAAAAAAAJg8/qLTJiilOb787AsVlcw9zQwmUqoJhWowuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2271/Whatever%2BIt%2BTakes%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="2271" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_QXdqH-O40/YKebnt6kgNI/AAAAAAAAJg8/qLTJiilOb787AsVlcw9zQwmUqoJhWowuwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h296/Whatever%2BIt%2BTakes%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span><p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-81247410813341062612021-05-24T00:00:00.050+01:002021-05-24T00:00:00.195+01:00Blog Tour: A Sneaky Peek from Echoes of Home by M.L Raynor<p><span style="background-color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fbORr2nl2FA/YKeVrwSiT9I/AAAAAAAAJf8/tLy0B7U0DHg7_bkJn7lYmjzUfskM3TF6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1640/Echoes%2Bof%2BHome%2BUpdated%2BTour%2BPoster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fbORr2nl2FA/YKeVrwSiT9I/AAAAAAAAJf8/tLy0B7U0DHg7_bkJn7lYmjzUfskM3TF6wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Echoes%2Bof%2BHome%2BUpdated%2BTour%2BPoster.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="color: white;"><br />Huge thanks to Zooloos book tours for inviting me to be part of the Echoes From Home blog tour. The Crime Warp is delighted to be offering a Sneaky Peek from this novel , But first ...</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The Blurb</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNAyOcKpvvg/YKeV30FFCII/AAAAAAAAJgA/zNNAuuBLaFUQy5-Ar7hyBp95EbEC8gltQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Echoes%2Bof%2BHome%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1278" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNAyOcKpvvg/YKeV30FFCII/AAAAAAAAJgA/zNNAuuBLaFUQy5-Ar7hyBp95EbEC8gltQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Echoes%2Bof%2BHome%2B%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div>After accepting a generous opportunity to start afresh, Leslie Wills, a young man from Stoke-on-Trent, eagerly begins his long-distance journey to the Scottish Highlands of Elphin, a settled village that sits huddled amongst the dominating mountains. Its people are welcoming, and the beauty of the land is great. But deep within its Highland paths, a location rests hidden from the public’s eye. A location which entices you to learn the truth of its troubled past. But once you bear witness to its sights and sounds, its presences will never allow you to forget.</span></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 14.98px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Uncover the truth, Journeying back to a forgotten time. With a plot full of secrets and suspicion that will leave you longing for answers.</div></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Echoes of Home<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div><h1 style="line-height: 14pt; margin-bottom: 30.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0cm 30pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><span>Prologue</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">My
footsteps echoed like a whisper from the ceiling above, and with each and every
step, the placing of my feet became lighter as if not wanting to disturb any
other occupants who might lurk within the house.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">With each
stride further ventured, the more the shimmering light from behind faded. I
slid my sweating palms firmly across the withered wallpaper, its delicate
pattern tearing instantly from the touch of my fingers. The hall soon came to
an expected end, displaying two entrances that stood at either side. The first
remained sturdily in place, unable to be budged from its swollen frame.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">With only
a slight urge to investigate, I attempted to gain access to the next room. As
luck would have it, the door opened and I curiously peered inside. It appeared
to be the main living area. And although my thoughts remained doubtful, it
became immediately clear there was no issue in regards to the power supply in
this room. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">For the
first time without worry, I entered and closed the door contently behind me. It
was quite spacious at first glance and already cluttered with some fairly dated
furnishings. I expected nothing more from this kind of dwelling. Not to my
taste exactly, but I was more than happy to spend the night here and judge the
remainder of the cottage when visibility was not at its worst. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Buy your copy here </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Amazon UK - <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08LTQ7YJF" id="yiv6100728728LPlnk" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08LTQ7YJF</a></span></div><div class="yiv6100728728_Entity yiv6100728728_EType_OWALinkPreview yiv6100728728_EId_OWALinkPreview yiv6100728728_EReadonly_1"></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Amazon US - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LTQ7YJF/" id="yiv6100728728LPlnk" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LTQ7YJF/</a></span></div><div class="yiv6100728728_Entity yiv6100728728_EType_OWALinkPreview yiv6100728728_EId_OWALinkPreview_1 yiv6100728728_EReadonly_1"></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Author Bio</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pvQ0khpoWs/YKeWCxU2hGI/AAAAAAAAJgI/nKxDBHN5k50oRFnvmmp75NZizjJg9UUewCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/ML%2BRayner%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pvQ0khpoWs/YKeWCxU2hGI/AAAAAAAAJgI/nKxDBHN5k50oRFnvmmp75NZizjJg9UUewCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/ML%2BRayner%2BAuthor%2BPhoto.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 107%;">Born and bred in the county
of Staffordshire. Matt is a keen reader of classical, horror<br /> and fantasy
literature and enjoys writing in the style of traditional ghost stories. During
his working life, Matt joined the ambulance service in 2009, transporting critically
ill patients all over the UK. After writing his first novel, Matt was welcomed
into the family of Question Mark Press publishing and now dedicates his time on
future releases. His hobbies include genealogy and hiking, and he enjoys
spending time with his wife, Emma, his children, and his family.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><br />
<br />
Follow him at:<br />
<b>Facebook</b>: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MLRayner"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://www.facebook.com/MLRayner</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><br />
<b>Instagram</b>: </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/m.l.rayner/"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://www.instagram.com/m.l.rayner/</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><br />
<b>Twitter </b></span><a href="https://twitter.com/M_L_Rayner"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://twitter.com/M_L_Rayner</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Amazon :</span></b>
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/M.-L.-Rayner/e/B08LTXNSH4">https://www.amazon.co.uk/M.-L.-Rayner/e/B08LTXNSH4</a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Goodreads: </span></b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20902655.M_L_Rayner"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20902655.M_L_Rayner</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sA06ERmImAk/YKeWM44HQYI/AAAAAAAAJgQ/6pWcdjuoSLQllLk6rGlpeCNjk5k_2oh7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Zooloos%2BBook%2BTours%2B%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sA06ERmImAk/YKeWM44HQYI/AAAAAAAAJgQ/6pWcdjuoSLQllLk6rGlpeCNjk5k_2oh7gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/Zooloos%2BBook%2BTours%2B%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Nyala, Kefa, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: white; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #174e86; font-family: Nyala, Kefa, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></p></div></div><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #174e86; font-family: Nyala, Kefa, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div style="color: #174e86; font-family: Nyala, Kefa, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></div><div id="yiv6100728728Signature"><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div style="color: #174e86; font-family: Nyala, Kefa, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"></span></div><div style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "UI Web -apple-system", BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><div style="color: #174e86; font-family: Nyala, Kefa, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/zooloosbookdiary/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #196ad4; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">/</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-68550316532410082242021-05-23T02:30:00.046+01:002021-05-23T02:30:00.207+01:00Blog Tour: Spotlight on A Knot of Sparrows by Cheryl Rees Price<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YY2x0ZPYI5E/YKeSMJUuuSI/AAAAAAAAJfc/OBrTq3LZ0usFfQ59Lcpv4RWoFxJSLuGVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/A%2BKnot%2Bof%2BSparrows.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YY2x0ZPYI5E/YKeSMJUuuSI/AAAAAAAAJfc/OBrTq3LZ0usFfQ59Lcpv4RWoFxJSLuGVwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h252/A%2BKnot%2Bof%2BSparrows.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br />Huge thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto the<i> A Knot Of Sparrows </i>blog tour.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">There's something very special about fiction written by Welsh authors. Similarly to Scottish authors there is an inevitable grittiness born of their exposure to expansive rugged landscapes. Combine that with a great community feeling and you know you're onto a good read. In <i>A Knot of Sparrows </i>you can expect a raw sense of place, gritty murder, an intriguing puzzle and fascinating characters ... What more could you ask for? </span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">More than that though is the title. I don't know about you, but any crime novel with a bird in the title has me hooked. There is something creepy and insidious about associating a bird with murder and it gets me every time. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">A Knot Of
Sparrows blurb<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><b><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MltZHYMpHz0/YKeTJmBZ5LI/AAAAAAAAJfk/zf29wYkaXpc8toEqwIG_tRUn93x9LaJGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/A%2BKnot%2Bof%2BSparrows%2Bby%2BCheryl%2BRees-Price.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MltZHYMpHz0/YKeTJmBZ5LI/AAAAAAAAJfk/zf29wYkaXpc8toEqwIG_tRUn93x9LaJGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/A%2BKnot%2Bof%2BSparrows%2Bby%2BCheryl%2BRees-Price.jpg" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Welsh detective Winter Meadows takes
on a new murder case<o:p></o:p></span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">There were a lot of things you could
call Stacey Evans. And many of them would be true. And unprintable. But did she
deserve to be murdered?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">DI Winter Meadows has no doubt of the
answer when he takes on the case. The crime was violent. The victim helpless.
But the motives are many, and the only clue is a strange word left on Stacey’s
body.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">DI Meadows struggles to pierce the
secrecy surrounding the teenager’s busy love life. Was the killer one of her
pursuers acting out of jealousy? Maybe someone’s wife seeking revenge?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">But as each suspect is excluded from
the enquiry, and other markings turn up, Meadows is convinced that something
more sinister is afoot.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">When another body is found, a veil of
silence descends like a fog upon Gaer Fawr. What more will it take for the
village to give up its secrets?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">A KNOT OF SPARROWS is the fourth
standalone title in a series of murder mysteries by best-selling author Cheryl
Rees-Price. It will appeal to fans of David Pearson, L J Ross, John Dean, Joy
Ellis, and Pippa McCathie.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">The full list of books is as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">1. THE SILENT QUARRY<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">2. FROZEN MINDS<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">3. SUFFER THE CHILDREN<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">4. A KNOT OF SPARROWS<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Cheryl Rees-Price is also the author
of the standalone thriller BLUE HOLLOW.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">All of these books are FREE with
Kindle Unlimited and available in paperback from Amazon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Purchase Links <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">UK - </span></b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08XQS6219/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08XQS6219/</span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">US -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XQS6219/"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XQS6219/</span></b></a><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Author Bio<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iP6O2jlUkK0/YKeTUFuhB-I/AAAAAAAAJfo/k9iHR9wMEoUR3jkm23oNDd25z5q0o5KHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Cheryl%2Bby%2BRasa%2BMombeini%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iP6O2jlUkK0/YKeTUFuhB-I/AAAAAAAAJfo/k9iHR9wMEoUR3jkm23oNDd25z5q0o5KHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Cheryl%2Bby%2BRasa%2BMombeini%2B%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Cheryl Rees-Price was born in
Cardiff and moved as a young child to a small ex-mining<br /> village on the edge of
the Black Mountain range, South Wales, where she still lives with her husband,
daughters and cats. After leaving school she worked as a legal clerk for
several years before leaving to raise her two daughters.<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Cheryl returned to education, studying
philosophy, sociology, and accountancy whilst working as a part time book
keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project
management and accounting services.</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion
for writing, the success of writing plays for local performances gave her the
confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and
gardening which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Social
Media Links – <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebookfolks"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Book
Folks | Facebook</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorcherylReesPrice"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Cheryl
Rees-Price | Facebook</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://twitter.com/CherylreesPrice"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">https://twitter.com/CherylreesPrice</span></span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>Follow the rest of the tour here</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qj3q7ddIj8c/YKeTjElwpQI/AAAAAAAAJfw/NSlaYlgXGgs0dcnoqZjkM6dl988QbSqGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/A%2BKnot%2Bof%2BSparrows%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="2048" height="374" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qj3q7ddIj8c/YKeTjElwpQI/AAAAAAAAJfw/NSlaYlgXGgs0dcnoqZjkM6dl988QbSqGwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h374/A%2BKnot%2Bof%2BSparrows%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-16483737453805520012021-05-21T01:00:00.081+01:002021-05-21T01:00:00.238+01:00Blog Tour: Q&A with Christina O' Reilly, author of Retribution<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r50St8znyYg/YJ05Z_0SJjI/AAAAAAAAJcs/3pqp0r9arSoP7jEReOAaFU_CFbDPECcEACLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Retribution.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r50St8znyYg/YJ05Z_0SJjI/AAAAAAAAJcs/3pqp0r9arSoP7jEReOAaFU_CFbDPECcEACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h252/Retribution.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Thanks so much to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto the Retribution blog tour and a special thanks to the author Christina O'Reilly for agreeing to do an author Q&A.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">But before we get down to the nitty gritty, here's the blurb</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Retribution Blurb<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jJKlSRLZNLw/YJ07loshgjI/AAAAAAAAJc4/kgPrK8HjqwMzYkC6t70crmzECYDFlYWuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Retribution%2BCover_Image%2B-%2BRetribution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1339" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jJKlSRLZNLw/YJ07loshgjI/AAAAAAAAJc4/kgPrK8HjqwMzYkC6t70crmzECYDFlYWuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Retribution%2BCover_Image%2B-%2BRetribution.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">A
young woman has been murdered on Ripton Beach. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">DSS ‘Archie’ Baldrick and DC Ben Travers
eventually identify the body as that of Lucy Martin, who has been renting a
bach in the area. Her husband, Oliver, seems to know very little about his wife
or her background. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">What was Lucy hiding? Why has she no
family or friends?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">As the number of suspects mounts up,
Archie begins to conclude that the real answer lies in Lucy’s dark and
mysterious past, and that the murderer may be just a little too close for
comfort …</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><o:p> </o:p><b>Purchase Links</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>UK: </b><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Retribution-Christina-OReilly-ebook/dp/B08M5XX5V6/" target="_blank">Available here</a></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>US - </b><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Retribution-Christina-OReilly-ebook/dp/B08M5XX5V6/" target="_blank">Available here</a></b><b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b> </b><span style="text-align: center;">Author Q&A</span></span></p></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Tell us a
bit about Retribution</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Retribution</span></i><span style="line-height: 107%;">
is the second book in the ‘Archie’ series of novels. Like my first crime novel,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Into the Void</i>, this book features
Detective Senior Sergeant ‘Archie’ Baldrick and his sidekick Detective
Constable Ben Travers. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Retribution</i>
they are investigating the murder of a young woman, Lucy Martin, whose body has
been found on a local beach. The case is an intriguing one as they soon
discover that Lucy’s husband knows very little about his wife or her
background. What was Lucy hiding? What was it in her past that led to her
murder?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">How long did </b><b>Retribution</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> take to write<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Retribution took about a year to write, mainly because
I got stuck at about the fourth chapter, then we moved house and then the Covid
19 pandemic happened, so it was an unsettling time. Lockdown was good for
getting back into writing though as there were very few interruptions!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Could you
describe how the germ of an idea develops into a full-blown novel<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">With Retribution, I started with the idea of a body on
a beach. Then I had to decide where this woman had come from what had happened
to her and why. There had to be something mysterious and unusual in her
background that would lead to her murder, so I had a lot to think about –
luckily the ideas came quickly and easily.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Writing
Habits </span></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"> <b>Where is
your favourite place to write and why?</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1JlBTZY4Xj8/YJ07uk7gMAI/AAAAAAAAJdA/qKly5GwbHnQpJNP5Qh_BVmwyu1xblwDAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/stock-photos-image1773564164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1JlBTZY4Xj8/YJ07uk7gMAI/AAAAAAAAJdA/qKly5GwbHnQpJNP5Qh_BVmwyu1xblwDAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/stock-photos-image1773564164.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">I have a room in my house that has some big bookcases
so I write at my desk in the corner surrounded by all my favourite books.
Sometimes when I’m stuck I spend quite a bit of time looking out of the window
and letting my mind wander, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hoping that
a solution to the current problem will magically appear (and sometimes it
does).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Do you have
a particular writing routine you follow?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">This sounds a bit weird, but I start each morning with
60 easy maths questions, which I do as quickly as possible (this is a method
taken from a book called ‘Train Your Brain’ and is designed to get your brain
woken up and working). Then I read out loud for 5 minutes which is another way
of lighting up your brain. Then I can start writing! I usually only write in
the mornings as I feel that this is when I think most clearly, and I aim for at
least 500 words a day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><u><span style="line-height: 107%;">Author
as a Person </span></u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gHGDCk6rEoQ/YJ074Eg3cMI/AAAAAAAAJdI/XVZ4RAYyIvEl49f6k2BW72BZn5NGGU1_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Retribution%2B-%2BAuthor%2Bphoto%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gHGDCk6rEoQ/YJ074Eg3cMI/AAAAAAAAJdI/XVZ4RAYyIvEl49f6k2BW72BZn5NGGU1_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Retribution%2B-%2BAuthor%2Bphoto%2B1.jpg" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Who are your
writing heroes and why?</span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">My favourite author at the moment is Kate Atkinson. I
love her novels because they combine humour with gut-wrenching emotion and the
plots are clever. Another favourite is Ruth Rendell and her Inspector Wexford
mysteries. I particularly like the interaction betweenWexford and his sidekick,
Mike Burden.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">What is it
about Crime fiction as a genre that turns you on?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">For me the attractive thing about crime fiction is the
blend of mystery, puzzles and human psychology. I’m not generally keen on
gritty, gory or violent crime novels, but I do like a gritty plot line.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Which author
are you cosying up with tonight? <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">At the moment I’m reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Her Fearful Symmetry</i> by Audrey Niffenegger. I’ve read the book
before but many years ago. This is something I do a lot – now I am trying to
only keep books that I intend to read again so I can keep my book collection
under control!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><u><span style="line-height: 107%;">Future
Projects </span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Could you
describe the book you are working on at the moment using only 5 words?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Detective novel, abducted child, devastating. (No
title yet)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Do you
linger in your research period or do you rush your research to get stuck into
the writing? </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">I do a bit of research before starting the book, in my
planning phase, but once I’ve begun writing a lot of questions come up that I
hadn’t anticipated so I’ll research them along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><o:p> </o:p>Thank you so much!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="text-align: justify;">Author Bio </b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Christina is a writer and professional proofreader living in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Four of her short stories have been published, one in a magazine and the others in anthologies produced by Page and Blackmore, Rangitawa Publishing and most recently in <i>Fresh Ink: Voices from Aotearoa</i>, produced by Cloud Ink Press.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">As well as being a finalist in the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Awards,<i> </i>Christina’s first crime novel <i>Into the Void</i> was longlisted for the 2019 Michael Gifkins Memorial Prize for an unpublished novel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b> </b><b><span style="line-height: 15.6933px;">Social Media Links – </span></b><span style="line-height: 15.6933px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Christina-OReilly-Author-102419694721372/"><b>https://www.facebook.com/Christina-OReilly-Author-102419694721372/</b></a></span></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Follow the rest of the tour here</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lRYy_wXhWas/YJ07bPlLsEI/AAAAAAAAJc0/niH8zyCDbUkI7vF12APpE9XZJ4UdbNbDACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Retribution%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1163" data-original-width="2048" height="364" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lRYy_wXhWas/YJ07bPlLsEI/AAAAAAAAJc0/niH8zyCDbUkI7vF12APpE9XZJ4UdbNbDACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h364/Retribution%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-85124414991056965722021-05-18T01:30:00.173+01:002021-05-18T01:30:00.249+01:00Blog Tour: Q&A with Jane Badrock author of Comatose<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gfV5QvLmQSY/YJ02RO6iWSI/AAAAAAAAJcQ/QF5bqeF_UVoewydN78pn0xjFsRim94kmQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1640/Comatose%2BBlog%2BTour%2BPoster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gfV5QvLmQSY/YJ02RO6iWSI/AAAAAAAAJcQ/QF5bqeF_UVoewydN78pn0xjFsRim94kmQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Comatose%2BBlog%2BTour%2BPoster.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"> <br />Huge thanks to Zooloos Book Tours and Wuestion Mark Press for inviting me onto Jane Braddock's Comatose Blog Tour, It is indeed a privilege </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">I'm delighted to present insight into author Jane Badrock, her writing, her writing habits and future projects. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"><b style="background-color: black;">But first, here's the blurb</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 14.98px;"><b style="background-color: black;">COMATOSE</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 14.98px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 14.98px;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uko2QdMEUVw/YJ02g4TZD-I/AAAAAAAAJcY/rWX7zD79BEY7OtbaZh70v0-1GfVx1v2TwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1536/comatose%2BAuthor%2BPicture%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="958" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uko2QdMEUVw/YJ02g4TZD-I/AAAAAAAAJcY/rWX7zD79BEY7OtbaZh70v0-1GfVx1v2TwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/comatose%2BAuthor%2BPicture%2B%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 14.98px;">...and her nightmare is just beginning.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 14.98px;">Two car crashes, one location, one survivor.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 14.98px;">Newly promoted DS Karen Thorpe is determined to prove these are no accidents. But the only witness is in a coma.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 14.98px;">Now there's a rapist on the loose.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 14.98px;">Karen's in the fight of her life... and her boss isn't on her side.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 18.19px; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Nyala, Kefa, sans-serif">Amazon UK - </span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comatose-Jane-Badrock-ebook/dp/B08YX2KVM8" id="yiv4167874238LPlnk" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comatose-Jane-Badrock-ebook/dp/B08YX2KVM8</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 14.98px;"></span></span></p><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Amazon US - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Comatose-Jane-Badrock-ebook/dp/B08YX2KVM8" id="yiv4167874238LPlnk" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Comatose-Jane-Badrock-ebook/dp/B08YX2KVM8</a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"><b style="background-color: black;">All about Jane Badrock</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">Current
work</span></i></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> Comatose
is a twisty crime story but where it's a bit unusual is that alongside DS Karen
Thorpe, who is trying to solve the case, you also hear from the comatose
victim, Stella as she makes her own journey back to wakefulness.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> I was inspired to write it after I was driving and managed to avoid an accident
when a car which cut in front of me braked suddenly. I just started thinking
'what if…' and before I'd got to my destination, I had the rough outline.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> I</span></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> started writing it back in 2013. I was still working full time and had masses
to do with our money-pit of a house, so it wasn't a priority. I kept on at it,
alongside others I wanted to write, eventually getting it into a fairly decent
shape in 2019. Then I polished it up this year. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -18pt;">I'd
like an unknown actress to play Karen. Something that might kickstart her
career. In the story, Karen is finding her way so I think an actress in a
similar position would be perfect.</span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"> N</span><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -18pt;">one
of the characters are based on real life people, but I have drawn on people
I've met over the years for inspiration. One set of my grandparents lived in
Manchester and I lived in Chesterfield when I was young. The name Cary comes
from the bride-to-be my husband and I met on holiday. Shen and her groom They
needed witnesses for their marriage, so we stepped in.</span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -18pt;">When
I get an idea, I have no idea where it's going to go. I have written a few
novels for Nanowrimo, but Comatose wasn't one of them. I expect the practice of
writing 50,000 words in a month probably sketched it out in my brain as
something to aim for.</span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"> I</span><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -18pt;">'m
fond of two of them in particular. Macy Dodds and John Steele who effectively
become Karen's sidekicks.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial;"><u><span style="line-height: 107%;">Writing
Habits</span></u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iQl-o_MqNqY/YJ02tzHhUaI/AAAAAAAAJcc/ndkmP_F7sEwYL_4PmAkCFUFEO5vJw16EQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/stock-photos-image1107237245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iQl-o_MqNqY/YJ02tzHhUaI/AAAAAAAAJcc/ndkmP_F7sEwYL_4PmAkCFUFEO5vJw16EQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h213/stock-photos-image1107237245.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">I
have just taken over my husband's study which is much bigger than the tiny room
I<br /> used to have and I'm loving it.</span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">I
sometimes find excuses not to go into my study, but when I do, the words almost
always come.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">My
routine used to be very regular. I would spend at least an hour every evening
before having a bath and cooking tea. More recently, circumstances have changed
and it's all over the place!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">Writing
is actually much harder than it at first appears. If it really is your heart's
desire you have to have a hide like a rhino, listen to all the advice others
will give you and most importantly stick at it. Writers will often get their
breakthrough from the most unexpected routes. I'd also say that being formally
published is not the holy grail it used to be. There are plenty of authors
using independent routes these days.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -18pt;">Writing
100 word stories is always fun. I've also written short stories by getting
people on like to give me a page number and line number from a book, then
taking the first whole sentence as an opening sentence.</span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -18pt;">I
don't wish I'd written anyone else's book. I'm happy to admire them and hope
that one day readers will take my books to their hearts.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"> </span><b style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">Author
as a Person</span></u></b></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-afgIsuywryc/YJ025Fq3TEI/AAAAAAAAJck/VD1wPRG4JZwV37g5TdDINyuiUy74Tva-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s940/comatose%2BAuthor%2BPicture%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="940" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-afgIsuywryc/YJ025Fq3TEI/AAAAAAAAJck/VD1wPRG4JZwV37g5TdDINyuiUy74Tva-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/comatose%2BAuthor%2BPicture%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">I
have no idea what readers know about, or think of me! Quite a few know I write
poems!</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -18pt;">There's
nothing else I want to do now other than write and paint and </span><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -18pt;">I
like puzzles.</span></span><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> ATM </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%;">I'm
trying to read some classic 19th and 20th century novels. I'm on 'Of Human
Bondage' at the moment but haven't had time to read anything in ages!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -18pt;">I
don't do dinner parties. I'm more a 'get drunk at the bar' kind of gal! I've
been lucky to do just that with lots of very interesting people over the years.</span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 107%;">I'm
compelled to write. Once the idea comes, it's my mission to make it into the
best and most engaging story I can.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><u><span style="background-color: black; color: white; line-height: 107%;">Future
Projects </span></u></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">My next project is </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%;">The
Ice Maiden. Why is Maddie's life threatened?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> Maddie's having dreams and visions and begins to realise she's being
threatened. She's often shaken awake by her flatmate. One day she's woken by
the smell of petrol and burning and the sounds of broken glass….</span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">Author Bio</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: white; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Jane writes novels, short
stories and poems, usually with a good dose of humour in them. She's probably
owes it all to her late grandmother who, she's just found out, also wrote short
stories and poems. She tends to get an idea and then run with it whether it be
a 100 word short story or an 80 thousand word novel. It all depends on the
voices in her head at the time…</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Follow her at:</span></b></p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<b>Facebook</b>: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/janebadrockauthor/"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">https://www.facebook.com/janebadrockauthor/</span></a><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br />
<b>Instagram</b>: </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/janebadrock/"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">https://www.instagram.com/janebadrock/</span></a><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br />
<b>Twitter</b>: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/janebadrock"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">https://twitter.com/janebadrock</span></a><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Amazon :</span></b>
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Badrock/e/B07HZ2HD3Q"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Badrock/e/B07HZ2HD3Q</span></a><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Goodreads: </span></b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18510015.Jane_Badrock"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18510015.Jane_Badrock</span></a></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #0f1111; font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><br /></b></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-88109635132638017832021-05-15T11:38:00.006+01:002021-05-15T11:38:37.179+01:00Blog Tour: Spotlight on Paparazzi by Jo Fenton<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iEJYTjXBqo0/YJ-kGcHGcgI/AAAAAAAAJdU/p9piZANaB2Qtxnyd7ww81ZF1i0hiwF0nQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Paparazzi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iEJYTjXBqo0/YJ-kGcHGcgI/AAAAAAAAJdU/p9piZANaB2Qtxnyd7ww81ZF1i0hiwF0nQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h252/Paparazzi.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><p></p><p><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Huge thanks to Rachel's Random resources for inviting The Crime Warp to spotlight Jo Fenton's Paparazzi Blog tour. One of the reasons I'm so excited about this book is that it's a Private Investigator story.... not only that, it's two kick ass women PI's - what more could you want. </span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Here's the Blurb </span></i><b><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Paparazzi</span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZXMMH9LrWM/YJ0xWY6_kNI/AAAAAAAAJcI/zIudp6IyJlU_dvqf9Pk6RYr2U6lHBeyuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Paparazzi%2BCover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="802" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZXMMH9LrWM/YJ0xWY6_kNI/AAAAAAAAJcI/zIudp6IyJlU_dvqf9Pk6RYr2U6lHBeyuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Paparazzi%2BCover.jpg" /></span></i></a></div><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>A stalker. A popstar’s family murdered. A terrified photographer.<br /></b><o:p></o:p></span></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">It’s thirty years since Becky White joined the police. Now, six months after leaving the force, she is suffering from PTSD, when an old friend turns up with a tempting offer. </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Following the creation of The White Knight Detective Agency, their first client is a press photographer – a member of the Paparazzi – a young woman with a mysterious and troublesome stalker.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">But as the case develops, Becky and Joanna find themselves embroiled in murder. When they are unable to prevent further deaths, their investigation takes them down an unexpected path.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">But can they trust their instinct? And will they identify the killer in time to save a child’s life?</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> <b>Paparazzi</b>, the second instalment in the bestselling Becky White Thriller series. takes you on a journey into the deceptive world of superstars – and those who follow them! </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Buy your copy here</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>UK - </b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08ZCK7S37/"><b>https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08ZCK7S37/</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>US - </b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08ZCK7S37/"><b>https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08ZCK7S37/</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Author Bio </span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Jo Fenton grew up in Hertfordshire, UK. She devoured books from an early age, particularly enjoying adventure books, school stories and fantasy. She wanted to be a scientist from aged six after being given a wonderful book titled “Science Can Be Fun”. At eleven, she discovered Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer, and now has an eclectic and much loved book collection cluttering her home office.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Jo combines an exciting career in Clinical Research with an equally exciting but very different career as a writer of psychological thrillers.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">When not working, she runs (very slowly), and chats to lots of people. She lives in Manchester with her husband, two sons, a Corgi and a tankful of tropical fish. She is an active and enthusiastic member of two writing groups and a reading group.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Website </b><a href="http://www.jofenton137.com/"><b>www.jofenton137.com</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Facebook: </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/jofentonauthor/"><b>https://www.facebook.com/jofentonauthor/</b></a><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Twitter</b>: <a href="https://twitter.com/jl_fenton">https://twitter.com/jl_fenton</a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Pinterest: </b><a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/jofenton137/">https://www.pinterest.co.uk/jofenton137/</a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Follow the tour here</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MK8DqMPcMoc/YJ-kiD8ow3I/AAAAAAAAJdc/nn2XY5jXEdITmYIH3cayh7Ebhnk_loa9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2521/Paparazzi%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1247" data-original-width="2521" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MK8DqMPcMoc/YJ-kiD8ow3I/AAAAAAAAJdc/nn2XY5jXEdITmYIH3cayh7Ebhnk_loa9QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h316/Paparazzi%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div><i><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></i></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-33430431266851308392021-05-15T01:30:00.048+01:002021-06-01T08:04:56.066+01:00Blog Tour: Spotlight on Paparazzi by Jo Fenton<p><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vbDMuwCTvM8/YJ0v__5Ae7I/AAAAAAAAJbw/cc7gfLkKZcooR25GGtNvujIrg1I0p-7uACLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Paparazzi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vbDMuwCTvM8/YJ0v__5Ae7I/AAAAAAAAJbw/cc7gfLkKZcooR25GGtNvujIrg1I0p-7uACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h252/Paparazzi.png" width="640" /></a> <br />Huge thanks to Rachel's Random resources for inviting The Crime Warp to spotlight Jo Fenton's Paparazzi Blog tour. One of the reasons I'm so excited about this book is that it's a Private Investigator story.... not only that, it's two kick ass women PI's - what more could you want. </span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Here's the Blurb</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Paparazzi<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZXMMH9LrWM/YJ0xWY6_kNI/AAAAAAAAJcI/zIudp6IyJlU_dvqf9Pk6RYr2U6lHBeyuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Paparazzi%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="802" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZXMMH9LrWM/YJ0xWY6_kNI/AAAAAAAAJcI/zIudp6IyJlU_dvqf9Pk6RYr2U6lHBeyuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Paparazzi%2BCover.jpg" /></span></i></a></div><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>A stalker. A popstar’s family murdered. A terrified photographer.<br /></b><o:p></o:p></span></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">It’s thirty years since Becky White joined the police. Now, six months after leaving the force, she is suffering from PTSD, when an old friend turns up with a tempting offer. </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Following the creation of The White Knight Detective Agency, their first client is a press photographer – a member of the Paparazzi – a young woman with a mysterious and troublesome stalker.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">But as the case develops, Becky and Joanna find themselves embroiled in murder. When they are unable to prevent further deaths, their investigation takes them down an unexpected path.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">But can they trust their instinct? And will they identify the killer in time to save a child’s life?</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> <b>Paparazzi</b>, the second instalment in the bestselling Becky White Thriller series. takes you on a journey into the deceptive world of superstars – and those who follow them! </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Buy your copy here</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>UK - </b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08ZCK7S37/"><b>https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08ZCK7S37/</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>US - </b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08ZCK7S37/"><b>https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08ZCK7S37/</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Author Bio </span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Jo Fenton grew up in Hertfordshire, UK. She devoured books from an early age, particularly enjoying adventure books, school stories and fantasy. She wanted to be a scientist from aged six after being given a wonderful book titled “Science Can Be Fun”. At eleven, she discovered Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer, and now has an eclectic and much loved book collection cluttering her home office.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Jo combines an exciting career in Clinical Research with an equally exciting but very different career as a writer of psychological thrillers.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">When not working, she runs (very slowly), and chats to lots of people. She lives in Manchester with her husband, two sons, a Corgi and a tankful of tropical fish. She is an active and enthusiastic member of two writing groups and a reading group.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Website </b><a href="http://www.jofenton137.com/"><b>www.jofenton137.com</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Facebook: </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/jofentonauthor/"><b>https://www.facebook.com/jofentonauthor/</b></a><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Twitter</b>: <a href="https://twitter.com/jl_fenton">https://twitter.com/jl_fenton</a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>Pinterest: </b><a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/jofenton137/">https://www.pinterest.co.uk/jofenton137/</a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Follow the tour here</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNTyw9t7k0k/YJ0wAO5R6GI/AAAAAAAAJb4/ZgiammS1TWo2u2M9-iZjmRhueugL4uXQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2521/Paparazzi%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1247" data-original-width="2521" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNTyw9t7k0k/YJ0wAO5R6GI/AAAAAAAAJb4/ZgiammS1TWo2u2M9-iZjmRhueugL4uXQwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h316/Paparazzi%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Arial Rounded MT"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: "Arial Rounded MT"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-59884796184380330882021-05-11T01:30:00.054+01:002021-05-11T01:30:00.224+01:00Blog Tour: A Sneaky Peek from Alison Knight's The Legacy<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7nZo1DpYYo/YJJ_cWvyF5I/AAAAAAAAJaw/ZxA0iqbWlY0o0ZscagQ1eRE3w-xZSO4twCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/The%2BLegacy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7nZo1DpYYo/YJJ_cWvyF5I/AAAAAAAAJaw/ZxA0iqbWlY0o0ZscagQ1eRE3w-xZSO4twCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h252/The%2BLegacy.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br />Delighted to have been asked to join The Legacy Blog Tour and I'm delighted to offer a Sneaky Peek from Alison Knight's new release, <i>The Legacy</i>.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Huge thanks to Alison, Darkstroke Books and Rachel's Random Resources for the invite. But first, just to tantalize you a little, here's a little bit about the book...</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">The Legacy Blurb</span></p><p class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VurnzG3oCQo/YJJ_mSvWY0I/AAAAAAAAJa0/3i15Dwo7uyI7Z_PB7QU51qR9G9W2XxEOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/The%2BLegacy%2BCover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="802" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VurnzG3oCQo/YJJ_mSvWY0I/AAAAAAAAJa0/3i15Dwo7uyI7Z_PB7QU51qR9G9W2XxEOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/The%2BLegacy%2BCover.jpeg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://mybook.to/legacy" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Available here</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">An unexpected inheritance. A web of deceit. A desperate escape. <br /></span></span></b></p><p class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">London, 1969.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></p><p class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> </span></p><p class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">James has his dreams of an easy life shattered when his aunt disinherits him, leaving her fortune to her god-daughter, Charlotte. He turns to his friend, Percy, to help him reclaim his inheritance – and to pay off his creditors. But when their plans backfire, James becomes the pawn of Percy and his criminal associates.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> </span></p><p class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Charlotte is stunned when she is told of her windfall. After an attempt at cheating her out of her inheritance fails, James tries to intimidate her. But she is stronger than he thinks, having secrets of her own to guard, and sends him away with a bloody nose and no choice but to retreat for now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> </span></p><p class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Resigned, James and his spoilt, pampered girlfriend, Fliss, Percy’s sister, travel across France on a mission that promises to free James from the criminals for good. But James isn’t convinced he can trust Fliss, so he makes his own plans to start a new life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> </span></p><p class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637msonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span class="yiv2317972213ydp11628fd1yiv3241368637"><span lang="EN-US">Will James be able to get away, or will his past catch up with him? Will Charlotte’s secrets turn the legacy into a curse?</span></span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"> </span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">Sneaky Peek</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <i>THE LEGACY </i>by Alison
Knight:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Background:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
London, 1969. James is expecting to inherit a fortune from his spinster aunt,
but when the will is read, he is in for a nasty shock.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“Is
this some kind of a joke?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“I’m afraid not.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“But … she … I don’t believe you. My aunt
assured my mother on her death bed that she would make me her heir.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“And she has fulfilled that promise. A
bequest of five thousand pounds is very generous.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">James Jarvis glared at the solicitor who
had been reading out his aunt’s will. “It’s a pittance. She was worth a hell of
a lot more than that and you know it.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">The solicitor – what was his name? Irving?
No, Irwin. Gerald Irwin. The man regarded him, his expression cool. He’d been
looking down his damned nose at him since he’d arrived. Now James knew why.
He’d been fleeced – robbed of his rightful inheritance and this Irwin had
allowed it to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“Your aunt felt that this sum was more
than adequate for a young man with a good degree. It’s sufficient to buy you a
modest property and provide the security that your mother wanted for you.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“I have a degree in Classics,” said James.
He didn’t add that he only got a third. “Hardly a subject to open many doors.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“Oh, I don’t know. The civil service is
always looking for the right people.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">James narrowed his eyes. “Thank you for
your careers advice. However, that doesn’t address the issue at hand. I know
for a fact that my aunt intended to make me her primary heir and that her
estate is worth far more than five thousand pounds.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“Well, I’m afraid that your aunt had a
change of heart,” said the solicitor, barely able to contain his glee. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“When?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“A week or so before she died.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“When she was in the nursing home?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">Irwin nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“Well, there you are. She was pumped full
of drugs and not in her right mind. This will must be set aside and her
previous one brought back. That’s the right one.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">Irwin raised his eyebrows. James wanted to
reach over the desk and throttle the damned man. He could do it, too. At
twenty-seven, he was decades younger and fitter than the bloated, middle-aged
buffoon sitting there, intent on ruining James’s life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“I’m afraid there’s no question that your
aunt was of sound mind when she executed this document,” he said, tapping the
will in front of him. “The witnesses spent some time with her, going through
the document, clause by clause, and your aunt explained her reasons for the
changes she had requested.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“Nonsense. She would have been doped up to
the eyeballs. I refuse to believe she could have been lucid.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“I can assure you–”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“And I can assure you, sir, that this is
totally unacceptable.” James took a deep breath, trying to hold onto his
temper. Didn’t this idiot realise what a disaster this was? He needed more than
five thousand pounds. His debts were more than that, and were rising daily. And
the kind of people he owed didn’t take kindly to waiting for payment. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“I’m very sorry you feel that way, Mr
Jarvis. But this will is valid, and I would strongly advise you not to waste
time and money trying to challenge it. Your aunt gave a statement to witnesses
to explain her decision and I have checked with everyone who saw her in her
final weeks …” He paused and his look pinned James to his seat. “All of them
will confirm that your aunt was in charge of her faculties right up to the end
– a fact that you would have been aware of, had you taken the trouble to visit
her yourself.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">James felt his cheeks flush. He hadn’t
felt this wretched since he’d been hauled before the headmaster at school after
he gave another boy a bloody nose. He’d had a good reason for hitting the
little shit, but because the boy’s father was rich and James’s had been dead,
no one was interested in listening to his side of the story. He’d got a
thrashing and had nearly been expelled. Now, years later, he was facing the
same humiliation. Only this time, he was facing a punishment far more deadly
than a caning. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“I telephoned regularly,” he said. He’d
wanted to know how long the old girl had left. “No one suggested that she
wanted me to visit. Is that what this is all about?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">Irwin shrugged. “I can only report what is
in this document and the supporting statements.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">James sat back and looked at the ceiling,
blinking hard. “I can’t believe she did this to me. I thought she liked me.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“I believe my client was thinking of your
best interests,” said Irwin, his tone a little gentler. “She said you had a
good mind and could do well if you just applied yourself.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">James shook his head, letting out a
guffaw. “My best interests? That’s rich. Leading me on all these years, then
cutting me off like this … “<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“Not cut off, Mr Jarvis. You have a
generous lump sum to start with. I can give you a cheque for your bequest now.”
He opened a drawer and brought out a cheque book.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“It’s not enough. This will isn’t right. I
refuse to believe my aunt was in her right mind, no matter how many witnesses
you parade before me.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">Irwin sighed and put the cheque book back
into the drawer and closed it. James felt a moment of panic. He couldn’t go
away empty-handed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“What are you doing?” he asked, pointing
towards the drawer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“I’m afraid that if you’re intent on
challenging the will I’m not at liberty to pay out any of the bequests. The
estate will have to be kept intact until such time as this dispute is
resolved.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.1pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">“You can’t do that!” He stood up and
slammed his fists down on the desk. “For God’s sake, man. I need that money.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: white;"> AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9bFYYeVgQ4U/YJJ_-qyBa_I/AAAAAAAAJbA/07cFYWg6vg0-EDOzcZWEV_DZpZtUHkcWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s5300/The%2BLegacy%2B-%2Bapril%2B2021%2Bhead%2Bshot%2BAlison%2BKnight.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3975" data-original-width="5300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9bFYYeVgQ4U/YJJ_-qyBa_I/AAAAAAAAJbA/07cFYWg6vg0-EDOzcZWEV_DZpZtUHkcWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/The%2BLegacy%2B-%2Bapril%2B2021%2Bhead%2Bshot%2BAlison%2BKnight.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Alison has been a
legal executive, a registered childminder, a professional fund-raiser and a
teacher. She has travelled the world – from spending a year as an exchange
student in the US in the 1970s and trekking the Great Wall of China to
celebrate her fortieth year and lots of other interesting places in between.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">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. </span><a name="_Hlk68966546"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">She signed her first three-book
publishing contract a year after she completed her master’s degree. <o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk68966546;"></span>
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Legacy</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> is her fifth novel and the second book published by
Darkstroke Books. It is a drama set in 1960s London and France, exploring how
we don’t always get what we want, with themes of greed, intrigue and
desperation. Her previous Darkstroke book, <i>Mine,</i> is a drama also set in
1960s London, based on real events in her family, exploring themes of class,
ambition and sexual politics. Some of the characters from <i>Mine </i>also
appear in <i>The Legacy, </i>although this is a standalone story. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Alison teaches
creative and life-writing, runs workshops and retreats with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Imagine Creative Writing Workshops</i> (</span><a href="http://www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">) as well as working as a freelance editor.
She is a member of the Society of Authors and the Romantic Novelists’
Association.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">She lives in
Somerset, within sight of Glastonbury Tor.</span><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; letter-spacing: .25pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 18.75pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.25pt;"><span style="color: white;">SOCIAL MEDIA
LINKS – ALISON KNIGHT<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 18.75pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/alison.knight.942"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; letter-spacing: .25pt;">www.facebook.com/alison.knight.942</span></b></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; letter-spacing: .25pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 18.75pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="http://www.alisonroseknight.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; letter-spacing: .25pt;">www.alisonroseknight.com</span></b></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; letter-spacing: .25pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 18.75pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.25pt;"><span style="color: white;">@Alison_Knight59
on Twitter<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 18.75pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="http://www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk/"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; letter-spacing: .25pt;">www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; letter-spacing: .25pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 18.75pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="http://www.darkstroke.com/dark-stroke/alison-knight/"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; letter-spacing: .25pt;">www.darkstroke.com/dark-stroke/alison-knight/</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; letter-spacing: .25pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 18.75pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Catch up on The Legacy Blog Tour</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dcRPBXnJgtU/YJKAJyzWwVI/AAAAAAAAJbE/1FhtZHO5iqUrwaggk2V745sYFUSvO4ydQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/The%2BLegacy%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="2048" height="328" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dcRPBXnJgtU/YJKAJyzWwVI/AAAAAAAAJbE/1FhtZHO5iqUrwaggk2V745sYFUSvO4ydQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h328/The%2BLegacy%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 18.75pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-61296974800418974902021-05-07T02:00:00.078+01:002021-05-07T02:00:00.231+01:00Blog Tour: A Spotlight on Cat Hickey's Death of a Texan <p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g4tPuhZRgAo/YJJ6d0JEhKI/AAAAAAAAJaQ/rQeC8nFP1UILrhHSCPPKufbz8DZvskBBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Death%2Bof%2Ba%2BTexan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g4tPuhZRgAo/YJJ6d0JEhKI/AAAAAAAAJaQ/rQeC8nFP1UILrhHSCPPKufbz8DZvskBBgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h252/Death%2Bof%2Ba%2BTexan.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><br />Huge thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and the delightful Cat Hickey for inviting me to cast a spotlight on Death of a Texan and to join the Blog Tour. I'm so excited to be shouting out loud and long about this book and once you've read the blurb you'll understand why</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">Death of a Texan Blurb</span></span></b></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pHWal1ew6TI/YJJ6pxj4R1I/AAAAAAAAJaU/wItxiP8flQglG7kSQEWyYX7NS-ykWyw6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="781" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pHWal1ew6TI/YJJ6pxj4R1I/AAAAAAAAJaU/wItxiP8flQglG7kSQEWyYX7NS-ykWyw6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Cover.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mybook.to/deathofatexan" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span style="color: white;">Available here</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;">A
grieving widow. A sketchy admirer. An adoring boyfriend.</span></span></b></p><p class="xmsonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span lang="EN-US">But one
of them is up to no good.</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="xmsonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US">Chloe's new life in Costa
Rica seems perfect: her relationship with Mateo is heating up, and
her career as a private investigator is off to a good start. She only wishes
that her cases were more interesting than the lost dogs or cheating husbands
she's been hired for so far…</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="xmsonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US">She gets her wish when a
dead body lands, almost literally, at her feet. Hired by the highly strung
Elena Vargas to follow her husband, Victor, Chloe discovers that not
only was he cheating on his wife – he's been murdered.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="xmsonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US">As Chloe delves deeper
into the mystery surrounding Victor's death, she uncovers secret after secret.
The danger becomes all too real when she narrows in on the
killer's identity. Someone is following her everywhere, and threatening
notes arrive on her doorstep.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="xmsonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US">As if that's not bad
enough, her relationship with Mateo begins to unravel, and his
coworker, Jaime, seems intent on convincing her that Mateo is a cheater.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="xmsonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US">Desperately trying to
figure out what's going on, Chloe becomes more and more enmeshed
in a sordid world of lies, sex, and murder.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="xmsonormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US">Who can
Chloe really trust? And can she catch the killer before she becomes
the next victim?</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b style="background-color: black;">What draws me to Death of A Texan</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Well, for one, have you seen that cover? Sexy, dark and enticing. I defy anyone not to be drawn to it. Then there's the title. This sure is no JR killing, but there is something very enthralling about a Texas based crime novel. Don't know if it's that distinctive accent that draws you in or just the sense of history of the state ... but I was enticed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Moving onto the blurb. Death of a Texan offers everything -a range of characters to pique your interest and let's face it, who doesn't like a good Private Investigator novel. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Death of a Texan promises mystery, intrigue, romance and laughs all wrapped up in murder. What more could anyone possibly ask for? A lighthearted, gentle mystery to get the heart pumping and the laughter muscles tugging. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">I for one can't wait to delve into the world of Chloe the PI and the larger than life characters that surround her </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Author Bio<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gTx-gp693MI/YJJ8XrSuRVI/AAAAAAAAJag/2SWpCdRLC1sNJh3t99efqJWm9RvjBobZACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Cat%2BHickey%2B3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1557" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gTx-gp693MI/YJJ8XrSuRVI/AAAAAAAAJag/2SWpCdRLC1sNJh3t99efqJWm9RvjBobZACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Cat%2BHickey%2B3.JPG" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Cat Hickey has a
Master’s degree in Biology, and teaches Anatomy and Physiology at a university
in Baltimore, MD, USA. She writes light-hearted mysteries and thrillers that
are based, partly, on her extensive travels around the world. She is also an
avid yogi who teaches aerial yoga and practices aerial circus arts, and spends
the rest of her time with her three rescue animals, which consist of three cats
and a horse.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Social Media
Links</b> – <a href="http://www.facebook/cathickey">www.facebook/cathickey</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://twitter.com/CatHickey4"><span style="font-family: arial;">https://twitter.com/CatHickey4</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">C<b>atch up with the tour</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9upbOvT8Osc/YJJ853DZseI/AAAAAAAAJao/9k_T5G0d9ckEGb01dASG8CuKI4C9dPcxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Death%2Bof%2Ba%2BTexan%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1118" data-original-width="2048" height="350" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9upbOvT8Osc/YJJ853DZseI/AAAAAAAAJao/9k_T5G0d9ckEGb01dASG8CuKI4C9dPcxgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h350/Death%2Bof%2Ba%2BTexan%2BFull%2BTour%2BBanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406352304131345380.post-26859523381852546342021-05-05T01:00:00.136+01:002021-05-05T12:26:51.929+01:00Blog Tour: Review of The Crazy Season By Jim Ody<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rMY78k3BzjE/YJFD9BjnT7I/AAAAAAAAJZw/G7A7g3sdT_4svVMaB0wrNxvhDpHUEENIgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1640/The%2BCrazy%2BSeason%2BUpdated%2BTour%2Bposter.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rMY78k3BzjE/YJFD9BjnT7I/AAAAAAAAJZw/G7A7g3sdT_4svVMaB0wrNxvhDpHUEENIgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/The%2BCrazy%2BSeason%2BUpdated%2BTour%2Bposter.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> <b style="font-family: arial;">Huge Thanks to Zooloos blogs</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial;">and Question Mark Press</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial;"><span>for inviting me onto <i>The Crazy Season</i> Blog </span><span><span>Tour</span></span></b></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial Nova, sans-serif"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b style="background-color: black;">The Crazy Season in 5 words</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial Nova, sans-serif"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b style="background-color: black;">Enigmatic, Creepy, LOL Funny, Poignant</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4LTDqV3yP3M/YJFEoSANaqI/AAAAAAAAJZ4/ahg-Z8yJ6N4OQD14ZjVxq59rinB3zpgHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s218/JO.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="137" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4LTDqV3yP3M/YJFEoSANaqI/AAAAAAAAJZ4/ahg-Z8yJ6N4OQD14ZjVxq59rinB3zpgHgCLcBGAsYHQ/w201-h320/JO.jpg" width="201" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"><b style="background-color: black;">The Crazy Season Blurb</b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial Nova", sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 14.98px;">Joel Baxter is infamous for solving weird and bizarre cases that others avoid. So, when<br /> he receives an email from a teenage boy Tim saying his town is cursed, he cannot turn it down.</span><span face=""Arial Nova", sans-serif" style="line-height: 14.98px;"><br /><br /><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“…I will more than likely be dead when you read this. There is nothing I can do about it. It’s the curse, and we’ve hit The Crazy Season.” Every 20 years, there are a handful of unexplained teenage deaths and it’s started again.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">With the help of his straight-talking friend Melody, they set out to get to the bottom of the alleged curse. Everybody in Black Rock has secrets and nobody wants to speak.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The closer they get to truth the more Joel and Melody realise that their involvement is far from coincidental.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial Nova, sans-serif"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"><b style="background-color: black;">You can get your copies here:</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"><a href=" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crazy-Season-Joel-Baxter-Book-ebook/dp/B08YXJG4RF" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">Amazon UK :</a> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Season-Joel-Baxter-Book-ebook/dp/B08YXJG4RF" style="background-color: black; font-family: arial;" target="_blank">Amazon USA : </a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span face=""Arial Nova", sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 14.98px; padding: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="text-align: center;">My Thoughts</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Why I've never read a Jim Ody book before is a mystery because <i>The Crazy Season</i> makes me want to read more. I loved the darkness in the book. It had an unsettling sort of feel to it and that kept me on my toes, but, because it was mingled so well with humour, it was sort of balanced. Which brings me on to Melody - what a brilliant character she is. As Joel's sidekick, she is the light to his darkness and her straight talking, humour had me in stitches, or laughing out loud throughout. </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Ody, builds the tension from scene one where we see Joel fall into the darkest slump ever. However, the tantalizing carrot of the teen suicides in a nearby coastal town allow Joel to re-engage with the world around him. </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Ody brings the characters to life through skillful dialogue and pertinent observations of human idiosyncrasies. Using only a few words he is able to make the reader see beneath the dialogue to what's going on in the minds and hearts of the characters.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">I also became really invested in the idea of an investigative journalist in the lead role. This was a welcome change from a normal police procedural, but still with the investigative element. </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">The setting of a coastal town with a dubious gated community at one end combined with teen suicides, secrets and threats keeps the tension on high throughout.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">I'd recommend this as a richly deserved Five Star read!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Author Bio</b></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Aqce0ODFhFE/YJFFAgarBEI/AAAAAAAAJaA/K48caAOix5Q4ELaUKTe35KQvXFO8CzfKACLcBGAsYHQ/s461/Jim%2BOdy%2BAuthor%2BPicture%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="461" height="198" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Aqce0ODFhFE/YJFFAgarBEI/AAAAAAAAJaA/K48caAOix5Q4ELaUKTe35KQvXFO8CzfKACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h198/Jim%2BOdy%2BAuthor%2BPicture%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;">Jim writes
dark psychological/thrillers, Horror and YA books that have endings you won’t
see coming, and favours stories packed with wit. He has written over a dozen
novels and many more short-stories spanning many genres.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Jim has a very
strange sense of humour and is often considered a little odd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When not writing he will be found playing the
drums, watching football and eating chocolate. He lives with his long-suffering
wife, three beautiful children and two indignant cats in Swindon, Wiltshire UK.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Follow him at:</span></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<b><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><b>Facebook</b>: </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/JimOdyAuthor"><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif">www.facebook.com/JimOdyAuthor</span></a></div></b></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Instagram</span></b><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">: </span><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif">@jimodyauthor<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Twitter</span></b><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">: </span><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif">@Jim_Ody_Author<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif">Amazon
:</span></b><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jim-Ody/e/B019A6AMSY/"><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jim-Ody/e/B019A6AMSY/</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: arial;"><u><br /></u></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jim-Ody/e/B019A6AMSY/"><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif"></span></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4kSfWB9WF8/YJFFSIAiIzI/AAAAAAAAJaI/WzEKe87UVt8pHKGmzHFHiByiJoPV_OGdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Zooloos%2BBook%2BTours.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4kSfWB9WF8/YJFFSIAiIzI/AAAAAAAAJaI/WzEKe87UVt8pHKGmzHFHiByiJoPV_OGdQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Zooloos%2BBook%2BTours.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif"><br /></span><b><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"> </o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif" style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif" style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial Nova",sans-serif" style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #0f1111; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Liz Mistryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05978297852761862272noreply@blogger.com0