Blog Tour ~ The A-Z of Everything by Debbie Johnson

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to host today's stop on The A-Z of Everything Blog Tour 

Harper Collins
2017

What's it all about..

P is for Paris where it all began. J is for Jealousy where it all came undone. But the most important letter is F. F is for Forgiveness, the hardest of all.

Sisters Poppy and Rose used to be as close as two sisters could be, but it’s been over a decade since they last spoke. Until they both receive a call that tells them their mother has gone – without ever having the chance to see her daughters reunited.

Andrea, though, wasn’t the kind of woman to let a little thing like death stand in the way of her plans. Knowing her daughters better than they know themselves, she has left behind one very special last gift – the A-Z of Everything

My thoughts about it...

When their mother dies, Poppy and Rose need to come together, not just to grieve the loss of the mother they both adored, but also to set aside differences which have seen the sisters estranged for the last ten or so years. Andrea has loved her daughters to the exclusion of everything else and this love is not lessened by her death, so in order to bring the sisters closer, Andrea, cleverly and rather poignantly, in the days before her death and with the help of her friend, Lewis, devised an A- Z of thought provoking tasks, which must be completed by Poppy and Rose in the days after the funeral,with, one hopes, enlightening consequences.

Losing a parent is never easy and the author's sensitive portrayal of all the different emotions expressed during such a sad time is done in a really thought provoking way. Each sister copes in their own inimitable style but it is when the two women finally come together where the story really starts to come alive.

I really enjoyed travelling through the alphabet with Poppy and Rose. The trials and tribulations they meet along the way really help to make this story such  a joy to read. I enjoyed The A-Z  of Everything written as it is with this author's remarkable skill for always getting right into the very heart of what makes people tick. There's a genuine warmth to the story but also a realistic warning that we must never take life for granted and in the overall scheme of things it's always better to settle differences rather than let them fester and niggle away for too many years.

The A-Z of Everything is Debbie Johnson writing at her absolute best and it's definitely one of my favourite stories this year.

About the Author

Debbie Johnson is a best-selling author who lives and works in Liverpool, where she divides her time between writing, caring for a small tribe of children and animals, and not doing the housework.

She worked as a journalist for many years, until she decided it would be more fun to make up her own stories than to tell other people’s. After trying her hand at pretty much every genre of writing other than Westerns and spy dramas, she has settled on women’s fiction that seems to make people laugh and make people cry, often at the same time.

Her books include The Birthday That Changed Everything, Pippa’s Cornish Dream, and Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe, all published by HarperCollins. She also ghost-wrote model and presenter Abbey Clancy’s debut novel, Remember My Name.

Follow her on twitter @debbiemjohnson, or at www.facebook.com/debbiejohnsonauthor – but be warned, she mainly talks about dogs.

Blog Tour runs until the 7th July so do visit the other stops for more content

My thanks to the author and also to Felicity at Harper Collins for the invitation to be part of this blog tour and for my review copy of The A-Z of Everything.

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Close to Home ...Rebecca Mascull

As a book reviewer I have made contact with authors from all across the globe and feel immensely privileged to be able to share some amazing work. However, there is always something rather special when a book comes to my attention which has been written by an author in my part of the North of England. So with this in mind I have great pleasure in featuring some of those authors who are literally close to my home. Over the next few Saturdays, and hopefully beyond, I will be sharing the work of a very talented bunch of Northern authors and discovering just what being a Northerner means to them both in terms of inspiration and also in their writing.

Today I welcome Northern Writer


Rebecca Mascull

Hi Rebecca, welcome back to Jaffareadstoo... 

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started as an author?

I'm a mum, a teacher & I write novels (when I can find the time!) I started by working hard on it for years before any hope of a publishing contract! But I got there in the end & my first novel was published in 2014, with two more to follow. My latest just came out last month.

Your books are written in North East England, but not always set in this area. Have the people and the landscape around your home shaped your stories in any way?

I'm not native to this part of the world. I was born in Oxfordshire and then spent my teenage years in Kent. Since then I've lived all over the country. My latest novel - about an Edwardian aviatrix - is set in Cleethorpes, near where I now live. It wasn't a conscious choice at first; I just needed somewhere with a large, flat beach for my characters to fly their kites on and for my heroine to land her plane on. So I thought, why not set it down the road? The research will be dead easy and cheap too! 

As a writer based in the North East, does this present any problems in terms of marketing and promoting your books and if so, how do you overcome them?

I don't know really. If I lived in or near London I'd be able to reach more events, I suppose, but then I'm a working mum, with so little spare time, so I can't imagine I'd be able to do loads of events anyway. I use social media to connect with far more readers than I would at events anyway. So, no, I don't think it makes any difference to me where I'm living.

In your research for your books, did you visit any of the places you write about and which have made a lasting impression?

I always try to visit significant settings every time I research a book. The Visitors was set in Kent and I made the trip down to a working hop farm, which was incredibly useful. It gave me the sounds, smells, sights and textures of that world, that I just wouldn't have gained from reading or YouTube videos alone. The same was true of visiting C18th houses and a real cabinet of curiosities for Song of the Sea Maid. As for my latest, The Wild Air, the true setting of that novel was the skies, so in the end, I faced my fears and went flying in a light aircraft. It was awesome and that book couldn't have been written without it.

  

If you were pitching the North East as an ideal place to live, work and write – how would you sell it and what makes it so special?

It's the huge Lincolnshire skies that are so special. I mention them in The Wild Air. There's an incredible sense of space about living here that I haven't felt anywhere else I've lived and I have lived in quite a few places around England. Where I am, I'd say we're more East Midlands than North East as such - we have that link to the flat lands of the fens and East Anglia more than the cliffs of the North Yorkshire coast. I think it's a lovely part of the world and one of the best things it has is lovely people. I've made so many wonderful friends here. Just a simple friendliness and kindness I value hugely. It's also cheaper to live here than most places, so you get more for your money. Long may that continue!

What are the ups and downs to being an author?

The ups are creating something and sharing it with readers. It's a wonderful feeling. Moving people with your words, with any luck. I love that. The downs are many - the uncertainty of it as a career, the lack of remuneration, the negative feedback, the difficulty of making your way in the publishing world...But I can't help myself. I'm addicted to writing and I'll never stop.

Writing is a solitary business - how do you interact with other authors?

Social media! It's changed my life! My publisher suggested I join Twitter in 2013 just before my first book came out and I was very unwilling. But I soon discovered that I loved it! It was such a laugh and also I've made some true friends from social media that I now know in the real world, who have become incredibly important to me. Now I'm on Facebook more than anything and absolutely love it. It makes me laugh every day. I can stay in touch with all my friends and family all over the world and I get to meet new people all the time. The writing group I'm in - The Prime Writers - which is an incredibly supportive bunch of writers all commercially published for the first time when we were 40+ - that group was created through Twitter. So, I'm very grateful to social media. It keeps me happy!

How supportive are local communities to your writing, and are there ever any opportunities for book shops, local reading groups, or libraries to be involved in promoting your work?

If you want to access it, there are always local festivals and writing groups etc. that can be very supportive. There aren't many book shops around here, sadly, which is a real lack in this area. But if you travel a bit you can find them and there is no shortage of readers anywhere. So it's all good. 😊 I'm hoping that we keep our lovely space around here and not too many people discover how lovely Lincolnshire is and fill it up with too many people! Having said that, I know how important visitors are to the local economy, so I don't really mean that; I'm just being selfish! I love it here and feel very grateful for the wonderful friendships I've made here. It's a smashing part of the world.

Find out more about Rebecca on her website
Twitter @rebeccamascull
Facebook

Warmest thanks to Rebecca for being our very welcome guest today

 and for talking about her writing and for sharing her love of the North of England with us

I hope that you have enjoyed this week's Close to Home feature

Coming next week : Sharon Booth



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Author Spotlight ~ Isabella Davidson

I am delighted to have with me on the blog today, Isabella Davidson

 Author of The Beta Mum  Adventures in Alpha Land

Silverwood Books
June 2017

What's it all about ...

When Sophie Bennett moves from a quiet, sleepy suburb of Toronto to glitzy west London, she doesn't know where she has landed: Venus or Mars. Her three-year-old daughter Kaya attends Cherry Blossoms, the most exclusive nursery in London, where Sophie finds herself adrift in a sea of Alpha mums.. These mothers are glamorous, gorgeous, competitive and super rich, especially Kelly, the blonde, beautiful and bitchy class rep. 

Struggling to fit in and feeling increasingly isolated, Sophie starts The Beta Mum, an anonymous blog describing her struggles with the Alpha mums. But when her blog goes viral, she risks ruining everything for herself and her daughter. How long will it be until they discover her true identity? Is her marriage strong enough to survive one of her follower's advances? And will she ever fit in with the Alpha mums?

Hi Isabella, welcome to Jaffareadstoo...☺

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started as an author.

Writing is something I have done my whole life, without even realising it. I wrote a short story when I was 9 years old and my teacher at the time told me that perhaps, one day, I would become a writer. I put this dream on hold when I went to university to study medicine, but it was always there at the back of my mind. When I had my first daughter, I thought I would write during my maternity leave, but then I had my daughter and realised how much work and effort it takes to look after a baby! Six months after I returned back to work, I realised I couldn’t be the doctor I wanted to be and the mother I wanted to be, so I quit working as a doctor. After my second child was born, I started a blog, www.nottinghillyummymummy.com chronicling the entertaining lives of west London residents and my love of writing returned. When people complimented my writing, I thought that perhaps I could write that book. Last year, I took the Faber Academy’s ‘Writing a Novel’ class and one and a half years later, my book, The Beta Mum, Adventures in Alpha Land, has just been published. 

Where did you get inspiration for The Beta Mum Adventures in Alpha Land? 

They say to write about what you know, so I wrote about being a mum and the struggles and challenges of motherhood today. It is set in glitzy west London, which makes for a colourful and entertaining setting, but my main character’s experiences are common experiences that many mothers face today: loneliness, feeling like an outsider, trying to find a balance between being a mother and an individual, having a career and feeling guilty or not having a career and struggling with your identity. I think that many women will relate to my main character’s challenges. 

Tell us three interesting things about your novel which will tempt the reader's interest.

• All my characters are fictional, but some of the events in the book are based on events that have happened to me or to people I know, like the time I went on a play date and someone thought I was there for a housekeeping interview.

• I am not Sophie the main character but I have experienced feelings of loneliness and feeling like an outsider when I was a child and moved around the world every few years, so I used those emotions in Sophie when she moves to London and feels completely like a fish out of water. 

• I had a lot of fun writing the character of Kelly, Sophie’s main ‘frenemy’ who is so bitchy and awful, but also so fun to write. She is a character that you love to hate. 

Whilst you are writing you must live with your characters. During the writing process did they ever dictate how the story progressed, or did you stick with a writing plan from the beginning and never deviate?

My characters didn’t really dictate how the story progressed, but I didn’t have a writing plan either! I tried really hard to have a writing plan, but it constantly changed, so I had to constantly change my characters to adapt to it. My characters evolved over time and became more complex as the book was edited and re-written. When you first start, you know your characters as acquaintances, but as you go through the writing process, you get to know them intimately and they become close friends that you know everything about. It’s a beautiful relationship in a way, between an author and his or her characters. 

  

The book world is very competitive – how do you get your book noticed?

Yes, the book world is very competitive – almost as competitive as some of the characters in my book! Writing a book takes a lot of work, but I never realised how much work it takes to promote a book; it takes hours and days of determination, perseverance and a very thick skin. I have been really lucky in that I have been featured in major newspapers – The Saturday Times and The Daily Mail – but even with this exposure, it is still hard to get noticed when there is so much information we are bombarded with on a daily basis. I have also approached bloggers and book reviewers and organised giveaways. It has been non-stop and it still continues even after the book is published. 

Without giving too much away, what do you hope readers will take away from reading The Beta Mum Adventures in Alpha Land?

I hope that readers will empathise with my character and perhaps feel less lonely in their situation. I know that many mums struggle with motherhood, whether out of loneliness or a loss of identity after having children and I hope that the readers feel that they are not alone. I have already had some wonderful reviews and comments from bloggers and book reviewers, and many have said that they related to Sophie, which is what I intended. Of course, I also want my readers to enjoy the book. It is a light, fun, summer read that isn’t meant to be taken very seriously, so I hope I make someone a little happier after reading it. That’s the beauty of books isn’t it? A bit of escapism and the chance to live another life for a few hours.

About the Author

Isabella Davidson is the author of the popular blog Notting Hill Yummy Mummy, which chronicles the entertaining lives of west London residents. She started The Beta Mum during the six-month Faber Academy novel writing course. Prior to startingher writing career, she worked for a Nobel Prize-winning humanitarian organisation and as a doctor for the National Health Service.

You can find more about Isabella on her website Notting Hill Yummy Mummy by clicking here

Discover her on Goodreads

Follow on Twitter @NHyummymummy #thebetamum

Huge thanks to Isabella for spending time with us today and for answering our questions so thoughtfully.  

The Beta Mum Adventures in Alpha Land is out now and published by Silverwood Books.

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Close to Home ...Helena Fairfax

As a book reviewer I have made contact with authors from all across the globe and feel immensely privileged to be able to share some amazing work. However, there is always something rather special when a book comes to my attention which has been written by an author in my part of the North. So with this in mind I have great pleasure in featuring some of those authors who are literally close to my home. Over the next few Saturdays, and hopefully beyond, I will be sharing the work of a very talented bunch of Northern authors and discovering just what being a Northerner means to them both in terms of inspiration and also in their writing.

Please welcome Northern writer

Helena Fairfax

Helena, a warm welcome  to Jaffareadstoo and thank you for being our guest today. Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started as an author.

I was born in Uganda, where my parents were working as teachers, and I came to England as a child. Since then I've lived in Yorkshire almost all my life. The older I get, the more I realise just how much this lovely county has to explore and discover. I'm not sure I've ever really got used to the cold in winter, though…! In fact, it was on a cold, grim, northern day that I had my first idea for a romance novel. I was sitting on a commuter train to Leeds, looking at the rain running down the grimy windows, and thinking how wonderful it would be to be somewhere warm. I'd worked in Lyon as a teenager, and an image of that sun-soaked city popped into my head. Gradually a story began to formulate in my mind about a young woman from London who goes to work in a modern-day silk mill in Lyon.

That's how my writing journey started. Every morning after that, as I sat cramped next to my fellow sufferers on the 7.25am, I’d bring my idea to life in my notebook. Eventually the seed of my idea on that commute became my first novel, The Silk Romance.

Your books are written in Northern England – how have the people and its landscape shaped your stories?

While The Silk Romance was a reaction against the cold northern climate, my last two full-length novels have embraced the wild, romantic landscape of the north. 

My latest novel, Felicity at the Cross Hotel, is set in the Lake District. The hero is Cumbrian and the heroine comes from the south of England. Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South is one of my favourite novels, and in creating my hero I realised I'd given him similar characteristics to her hero, John Thornton. Northern men are often said to be down-to-earth and quiet, and my hero Patrick Cross fits that description. He's also quite proud and stubborn when he needs to be, which is another northern characteristic!

I also loved the setting to Felicity at the Cross Hotel, so much so that the landscape becomes a character in its own right. If you've ever been to the Lakes you'll know that on fine days it is glorious. The weather can change rapidly, however, and the lakes that sparkled in the sunshine can quickly appear dark and threatening, and the mountains shrouded in mist. It's one of the most beautiful and mysterious landscapes I've ever visited.

As a writer based in the North, does this present any problems in terms of marketing and promoting your books and if so, how do you overcome them?

I think marketing and promoting is difficult and time-consuming no matter where in the UK you live. Most of my books are indie published, which can present its own difficulties, but luckily most readers recognise these days that many self-published books have all the quality of writing, editing, and cover artwork of books published in the mainstream.

There is lots going on in the north for writers. I live near Bradford, and on 26th August this year I'll be at the second Bradford Indie Lit Fest, along with around forty other indie authors. (The event is free, and tickets can be obtained here )

The newsletter from New Writing North is also an excellent source of events and tips for northern writers.

I haven't found the promoting aspect any more difficult than it would be for writers elsewhere, but one thing I do find harder is getting my work to agents. The publishing industry is heavily London-centric. Agents don't travel north often, so when they do, it's worth taking the opportunity of travelling to see them. Last year I went to an event for writers at Manchester Metropolitan University, for example. You can read my write-up of it in this article in Comma Press 

In your research for your books, did you visit any of the places you write about and which have made a lasting impression?

I've visited all the places I've used as settings. Setting plays a big part in my books, whether it's Richmond Park in London – setting for The Antique Love - or the fictional country of Montverrier in A Year of Light of Shadows, which is based on the real country of Monaco. All these settings have made an impression on me, for very different reasons. Richmond Park because of its history as the oldest Royal Park in London, Monaco because of its association with Grace Kelly, whose films I love, and the Lake District because it's one of the most stunning landscapes in the world. I don't think I could single out one. They are all unique!

If you were pitching the North as an ideal place to live, work and write – how would you sell it and what makes it so special?

I used to love travelling the globe, but as I've got older I've realised just how much there is to see and explore in Yorkshire, and just what I take for granted. I'd pitch the county as a place to live because there is a home to suit everyone – whether that's a house by the sea on the coast, a flat in a city like Leeds, a cottage in the countryside like the Yorkshire Dales, or a place in a historic city like York.

As a place to work, most areas of Yorkshire have excellent public transport, which makes the commute relatively easy. The cost of housing is cheaper here, too, than in the south. My daughter's flat in London could buy a whole mansion where I live.

And as a place to write, there is nowhere I'd rather be. I walk the Yorkshire moors every day with my dog, rain or shine, and it's on this wild landscape that I dream up most of my ideas. Yorkshire isn't short of places to go for inspiration, from ruined abbeys to Roman walls, to the city life of Leeds and Bradford. The person who is bored of Yorkshire is bored of life (to borrow a quotation!)

What are the ups and downs to being an author?

The ups are definitely the readers and authors I've met along the way. I now have friends both locally that I meet up with, and friends across the world – people who I'd never have met if I hadn't started writing. I feel as though I have found my tribe!

Other "ups" are finally writing The End on a book (a brilliant feeling!), having a book accepted for publication, and - especially – getting an email from a reader to say how much they enjoyed your book. Sharing a story is what we write for, and when readers say how much they've loved it, it means an enormous amount.

The downs are the amount of time spent marketing and promoting, and learning how to do that effectively. I wish I could do away with that side altogether and just concentrate on writing. Writing is also very often just a sheer slog. Quite often I sit down at my desk and wish I could just read someone else's wonderful book instead of working away at writing my own. But then when the book is finished, I feel a massive sense of achievement.

Writing is a solitary business - how do you interact with other authors?

The community of romance authors is incredibly supportive. When I first started writing, I relied on the author groups I'd found online, and I've made many friendships through them. I didn't know any other romance authors locally when I first started out. The RNA has a "Chapter" that meets in Harrogate, but the times weren't always convenient. I asked in the Romantic Novelists' Association if anyone would like to meet up informally, and there is now quite a big group of us northern romance authors that meets for lunch in Hebden Bridge every couple of months or so. We call ourselves "Authors on the Edge" – on the edge of Lancashire and Yorkshire!

How supportive are local communities to your writing, and are there ever any opportunities for book shops, local reading groups, or libraries to be involved in promoting your work?

I mentioned Bradford Indie lit Fest above, as well as New Writing North. Last year I gave a workshop at Todmorden Lit Fest, along with fellow romance authors Marie Laval and Sarah Mallory. The festival was organised by Calderdale Libraries, and I've found most local libraries are very keen to promote local authors. Keighley Library, near where I live, runs several reading sessions and workshops.

Local newspapers are also very supportive. I was featured in Bradford's Telegraph and Argus on release of A Way from Heart to Heart, and there was an article about my research with Penrith Divers' Club in the Cumbrian News & Star when I was writing Felicity at the Cross Hotel. "Romance Author Seeks a Hero" was the headline!

I've found promoting the romance genre in bookshops isn't easy, though. Despite the existence of professional organisations such as the Romantic Novelists' Association, there is still a tendency for bookshops to look down on romance novels. When I asked my local bookshop if they'd like the leaflet showing all the nominees for the RNA Awards, they told me they didn't stock "that type of thing"!

Thanks so much for hosting me in your Close to Home slot, Jo, and for your interesting questions. It's been a pleasure talking about Yorkshire!

My latest book, a feel-good summer romance called Felicity at the Cross Hotel, is set in the north, in an old Tudor hotel in the beautiful setting of the Lake District.

Here is the blurb:

A quaint hotel in a romantic landscape. The Cross Hotel is the perfect getaway. Or is it?

Felicity Everdene needs a break from the family business. Driving through the Lake District to the Cross Hotel, past the shining lake and the mountains, everything seems perfect. But Felicity soon discovers all is not well at the Cross Hotel …

Patrick Cross left the village of Emmside years ago never intending to return, but his father has left him the family’s hotel in his will, and now he's forced to come back. With a missing barmaid, a grumpy chef, and the hotel losing money, the arrival of Felicity Everdene from the notorious Everdene family only adds to Patrick’s troubles.

With so much to overcome, can Felicity and Patrick bring happiness to the Cross Hotel … and find happiness for themselves?

Amazon

Author Biography

Helena Fairfax writes engaging contemporary romances with sympathetic heroines and heroes she's secretly in love with. Her novels have been shortlisted for several awards, including the Exeter Novel Prize, the Global Ebook Awards, the I Heart Indie Awards, and the UK's Romantic Novelists' Association New Writers' Scheme Award. 

Helena is a British author who was born in Uganda and came to England as a child. She's grown used to the cold now, and these days she lives in an old Victorian mill town in the north of England, right next door to the windswept Yorkshire moors. She walks this romantic landscape every day with her rescue dog, finding it the perfect place to dream up her heroes and her happy endings.

You can find out more about Helena by clicking on the following links:

Newsletter

Website

Facebook 

Twitter 

Pinterest 

Instagram 

Warmest thanks to Helena for being our lovely guest today and for talking about her writing and for sharing her love of Yorkshire with us.

I hope that you have enjoyed this week's Close to Home feature

Coming next week : Melinda Hammond


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Blog Tour ~ All The Good Things by Clare Fisher

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be hosting today's stop on the 

All the Good Things Blog Tour

 

Published by Penguin Viking

1st June 2017

What's it all about...

Twenty-one year old Beth is in prison. The thing she did is so bad she doesn't deserve to ever feel good again.

But her counsellor, Erika, won't give up on her. She asks Beth to make a list of all the good things in her life. So Beth starts to write down her story, from sharing silences with Foster Dad No. 1, to flirting in the Odeon on Orange Wednesdays, to the very first time she sniffed her baby's head.

But at the end of her story, Beth must confront the bad thing.

What is the truth hiding behind her crime? And does anyone-even a 100% bad person-deserve a chance to be good?

What did I think about it ...

Twenty one year old Beth is in prison, she did something really terrible but at the start of the novel we don't know what crime she committed. Gradually piece by jagged piece, Beth's sad and sorry story is revealed after her counsellor, Erika, encourages her to write about all the good things she has in her life.

I found this sensitive and well written story so very, very sad. Beth broke my heart into a million pieces as she lurched from one badly made decision to another, none of which was Beth's fault but rather the fault of a system which let her down on so many levels. Naive and vulnerable, Beth could be any one of a number of susceptible young women who gets tangled in the nets of the social care system.  A system which seems to fail more times than it succeeds.

The author writes with perceptive ease and there’s starkness to the story that gets right into your bones and as the story progresses you just know it’s not going to end well. Like me you’ll probably guess what happened but that’s not really the whole point of the story. The focus is the route which Beth took to get to her point of no return and for that I commend the author’s delicate and subtle handling of a story that is so sad, it hurts.

It’s a story about a life fractured and splintered, of ruined relationships, uneasy role models and the desperate cries for help which went, largely unheard.

Best Read With...a handful of chocolate covered beans...

About the author

Clare Sita Fisher was born in Tooting, south London in 1987. After accidentally getting obsessed with writing fiction when she should have been studying for a BA in History at the University of Oxford, Clare completed an MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London. An avid observer of the diverse area of south London in which she grew up, Clare's writing is inspired by her long-standing interest in social exclusion and the particular ways in which it affects vulnerable women and girls. All The Good Things is her first novel.







Follow on Twitter @claresitafisher #AlltheGoodThings

@PenguinUKBooks @PenguinViking

My thanks to the author and also to Josie at Penguin Random House for their invitation to be part of this blog tour.

Blog tour runs until the 28th June so do visit the other tour stops for more exciting content.

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Blog Tour ~ Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to host today's stop on the Ginny Moon Blog Tour

It's a real pleasure to be able to share this second excerpt from the fabulous Ginny Moon

You can read the first part of the chapter at On My Bookshelf and then read the rest here

HQ Stories
1 June 2017

Everyone is looking at me. All of them. My Forever Mom next to my Forever Dad on the other side of the table with her hand on her big round belly. I don’t know what strikes and shakes are but no one asked a question so I keep my mouth shut very tight.

My Forever Dad takes out a piece of paper. “The computer said the doll was hit eighty-three times and shaken four,” he says. He puts the paper down. “Ginny, did you hit the baby?”

“The plastic electronic baby,” I say even though it’s a rule that We do not correct.

“It doesn’t matter whether the baby was real or not,” he says. “We asked you to try taking care of the baby. We can’t—”

“Brian,” says my Forever Mom. Then to me she says, “Ginny, it’s not okay to hit or shake a baby. Even if the baby isn’t real. Do you understand that?”

I like my Forever Mom a lot. She helps me with my home­work every night after supper and explains things when they don’t make sense. Plus we play Chinese Checkers when I get home from school. So I say, “When I was in the apartment with Glo—”

“We know what happened in the apartment,” she interrupts. “And we’re very, very sorry that she hurt you. But it’s not okay to hurt babies, ever. So we need you to start seeing Patrice again. She’s going to help you get ready to be a big sister.”

Patrice is a therapist. An attachment therapist. I haven’t seen her since the adoption in June. I lived with my Forever Parents at the Blue House a whole year before that. That was when I started going to my new school too.

Which reminds me again that Gloria is on her way right now. I don’t know how long it will take her to get here. I don’t know if she’ll get here before I go to see Patrice. And that’s impor­tant because I need to know when things are going to happen so I can count and check my watch and make sure everything works the way it’s supposed to.

I pick hard at my fingers.

“When will I see Patrice?” I ask.

“We’ll call her on the phone today and see when she’s available,” says my Forever Mom. “Probably early this next week, if she has some time in her schedule. I bet she’ll find an opening, for you.” 

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig is out now! [Hardback, £12.99]

What did I think about it...

There's so much I want to say about Ginny Moon. How she's tough and strong, and yet as vulnerable as a kitten. That she's feisty and funny and will make you laugh out loud, but be warned she will also make you cry so many tears that your hanky will be all screwed up and soggy in your hand. She's special in so many ways but to tell you even a smidgen more would be to spoil Ginny's story forever.

So what I will say is that from the very start of the story, as Ginny settles in with yet another forever mum and dad, is that there are still elements of the lost child about her. A child made wise beyond her fragile years, and who once had more responsibilities heaped upon her vulnerable shoulders by an errant birth mother who should have known better.

I loved Ginny; I wanted to bring her home to live with me. I wanted to give her grapes and milk. I wanted to make her safe from all harm and more than anything I wanted life to be kind to her and for her to find a proper place with people who loved her just for being her quirky little self.

It's a very clever author who has the ability to instill such a sense of character whilst still maintaining the absolute integrity of the novel. I believed every word that Ginny uttered, her voice is strong, her personality cleverly controlled so that she never becomes a caricature of the quintessential 'troubled' child. Her forever parents are another matter altogether, but there again, I'll let you find out for yourself, about just how they all cope as their lives start to fall to pieces.

Ginny Moon will stay in my heart for a good long time. I hope that she can stay in your hearts too...

Best Read with...nine grapes and a glass of milk...

About the author

Benjamin Ludwig is a middle school language arts teacher, who has been teaching both children and adults since 1997. He believes strongly in supporting the voiceless and the displaced, especially their need for attachment. Shortly after he and his wife were married they became foster parents, and adopted their first placement: a teenager with autism and developmental disabilities. 

Ginny Moon was inspired in part by conversations he had with other parents at Special Olympics basketball practices. He hopes to adopt again after his daughter transitions into adulthood. Benjamin lives in New Hampshire.

Visit on Facebook

Follow on Twitter @BILudwig #Ginny Moon

My thanks to the author and also to Samantha at Midas PR for the invitation to join this blog tour and their kind permission to feature the excerpt from Ginny Moon.

Blog Tour Runs until the 8th June, so do visit the other stops for more exciting content

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Review ~ Broken Branches by M. Jonathan Lee

Hideaway Fall
July 2017

What's it all about ..

'Family curses don't exist. Sure, some families seem to suffer more pain than others, but a curse? An actual curse? I don't think so.'

A family tragedy was the catalyst for Ian Perkins to return to the isolated cottage with his wife and young son. But now they are back, it seems yet more grief might befall the family.

There is still time to act, but that means Ian must face the uncomfortable truth about his past. And in doing so, he must uncover the truth behind the supposed family curse.

What did I think about it...

When Ian Perkins moves back into Cobweb Cottage which was once his family home, it opens up festering scars which have been hidden for years. Ian is a deeply troubled young man, obsessed by the idea that a family curse is destroying his peace of mind, and he is determined to delve into his complicated family history in order to discover more about the blight which seems to affect his family.

The author writes well and has infused into the narrative a real sense of sadness which seems to last throughout the whole of the story. I’m struggling to say more as I’m conscious of not giving the plot away which would ruin everything. But the story opens up the debate about the deeply troubling effect of mental health issues within a family, of the difficulties within a marriage which sometimes go far beyond the ordinary, and when the possibilities of saving someone seems an, almost, impossible task.

There's a real element of disquiet about the story, which looks at the disintegration of a family, about the cruelty of living with profound grief, and of how sorrow can manifest itself in unusual behaviour. I had great sympathy for the Perkins' family who seem to be struggling with issues far beyond their control.

All I can say is the dénouement when it comes is profoundly sad, and left me considering the outcome of the story for quite a while afterwards.

Best Read With...a mug of strong, dark coffee...

More about the author can be found on his website

Follow on Twitter @MJonathanLee #BrokenBranches @HideawayFall

My thanks to Sarah at Hideway Fall for my review copy of Broken Branches and also for  the opportunity to be involved in the launch of a new and exciting publishing house.

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Today my guest author is... Wendy Unsworth

I am delighted to welcome back to Jaffareadstoo 

Wendy Unsworth

The Berriwood Series by Wendy Unsworth follows the lives of ordinary people in a pretty little backwater of the Cornish countryside. This is a place of tranquility, where everyone knows everyone and nothing much ever seems to happen. But behind closed doors the quiet idyll of rural life can harbour a darker side, one that involves deceit and lies and sometimes murder.

Dirty Work is the third title in the series; here is a little bit about it:-

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
June 2017

Appearances can be deceptive.

Take the Duke twins. Pete lost his IT job almost two years ago; he is best known in his native village of Berriwood for his tendency to be found propped up against a bar somewhere… or under it. It has been a tough time for Caroline, Pete’s wife, but at last, it seems, he is turning his life around. 

Nathan is the success story of the family, the darling of the local amateur dramatic society who gave it all up for his high flying directorship based in London. But his wife, Marcie hates the lonely days while he works away and forgetting her birthday is the last straw.

When Nathan invites Caroline and Pete to a surprise birthday dinner for Marcie, to make amends, Caroline has her reservations. She knows if anyone is going to spoil the family party it would be Pete; he has done it plenty of times before. What she doesn’t anticipate is that her husband won't even be there and that one of the four will very soon be dead.

Dirty Work will be available for pre-order on Amazon from 15th May 2017 and published on June 16th 2017

All three books in the Berriwood series now have brand new covers

 to celebrate this latest release

About the author

Wendy Unsworth is the author of mystery and psychological suspense books. She has also written a series of chapter books for young children and has enjoyed the challenges of these very different genres.

Wendy has lived in Ndola Zambia, Nairobi Kenya, in a 17th century Cornish cottage, Lincolnshire and Lancashire in England and now divides her time between Scotland and the wilds of Portugal. In between packing and unpacking her passions are writing, reading, travel, her cat Cleopatra and, of course, her family. 

Wendy can be found at her website wendyunsworth.wordpress.com where she loves to welcome visitors. 

Twitter @WendyUnsworth

Amazon UK

Huge thanks to Wendy for spending time with us today and for telling us all about the latest book in her Berriwood series.

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Close to Home ~ Kirsty Ferry

As a book reviewer I have made contact with authors from all across the globe and feel immensely privileged to be able to share some amazing work. However, there is always something rather special when a book comes to my attention which has been written by an author in my part of the North of England. So with this in mind I have great pleasure in featuring some of those authors who are literally close to my home. Over the next few Saturdays, and hopefully beyond, I will be sharing the work of a very talented bunch of Northern authors and discovering just what being a Northerner means to them both in terms of inspiration and also in their writing.

Please welcome Northern writer

Kirsty Ferry

Hi Kirsty and welcome back to Jaffareadstoo. 

Thank you for spending time with us today and for telling us how living in the North East influenced your first novel.

I’ve lived all my life in the north east of England, and much as I love other areas of the country, I do adore where I live and wouldn’t want to move. We are only about twenty minutes from the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne and twenty minutes in another direction gets us to Newcastle airport, or Hexham, or Durham, or Tynemouth on the coast. In fact, we were in Amsterdam once, getting rather drunk on a Wine-and-Cheese-Cruise canal boat, and we got chatting to some Americans. Even they said they were envious of where we lived. ‘Hey,’ said the guy, ‘you can really city-hop from that airport. You can even country-hop! So cool!’ We agreed, and had more wine. That was the night we ended up hitching a lift back to the hotel from a French Tour Bus as we had no idea where we were when the boat pulled up at the end of the tour. But I digress.

The north east of England is also a fascinating and very inspiring area to write about. Lots of people think it’s all flat caps and whippets (a Cockney once asked my husband if he worked in a coal mine and was genuinely surprised I had a car and a job at a University), and that it’s all like a Catherine Cookson novel up here. Well, we do have a proud heritage, but some of that, especially a little further north from us, is down to the Romans.

Memory of Snow Amazon UK

My first novel, The Memory of Snow, was self-published in 2012, and based on Hadrian’s Wall – more specifically, at the site of Brocolitia Roman Fort, the Mithraic Temple and Coventina’s Well. There is nothing left of the Well now except a big boggy puddle; but during the Roman times, it was a sacred well and people worshipped the goddess Coventina there - a deity very specific to that area. There was an excavation in the nineteenth century that revealed a whole load of altars and offerings in the depths of the Well, yet nobody knew why they had seemingly been dumped there. One theory was that a Christian Commander took over the fort, and the Pagan altars were destroyed. Another theory is that there was a raid on the fort, and the valuables were thrown in to be saved and collected at a later date.

Mithraic Temple

Also at the site was a Shrine to the Water Nymphs, of which nothing remains – and a stream that runs down from the Well called Meggie’s Dene Burn, which allegedly swept the ashes of a seventeenth century witch down to the Tyne and out to sea.

Well – I defy anyone with an ounce of imagination to not put all that together and come up with a story; which is exactly what I did. The Memory of Snow is a timeslip, and has three timelines; one in the Roman times (which might explain what happened to Coventina’s Well), one in the seventeenth century, and one in the modern day. I wove fact and fiction together and did lots and lots of research – to the point where people have asked me how much of the story is real. All I can tell them, is that it’s based on fact, but a lot of it came from my head. Yes, for example, my witch is called Meggie; but she’s not an old hag. She’s a very beautiful young girl who just wants to heal people with her herbs. She makes one mistake, upsets the wrong people, and well – you’ll have to read the book if you want to find out more. I recently did a project with Groundworks North East at Newbrough Village, and worked with a youth group who were researching “Old Meggie” as she is known there. I was taken to what remains of the real Meggie’s house, and had a wonderful time learning all about her. The children seemed quite intrigued by the witch trials I talked about as well!

Meggie's House

The Memory of Snow just does its own thing, to be honest. It’s a magical little book and just keeps having little resurgences. It’s also stocked in the gift shops at Vindolanda Museum and The Roman Army Museum, up on the Roman Wall and it’s lovely to know that visitors from all over the world might be buying that book and reading about such a wonderful place. The book itself is so very niche, I don’t know if it would have ever been accepted by a commercial publisher – although everyone I approached loved it and were very apologetic in their rejections! It was just too special, I think.

Covetina's Well

The actual area of Coventina’s Well is strange; but I mean strange in a good way. It’s very peaceful and very spiritual, and you can completely visualise it all as it was, if you stand next to the residual puddle for a little while. I often say that if I had a camper van I’d drive it up there and sit in it and write – maybe have a cuppa, maybe have some biscuits. But I’d certainly get some work done – I can’t think of anywhere more perfect to spark my imagination.

©All photographs by kind permission

You can find out more about Kirsty's books by following this link to Choc Lit

Find on her website 

Follow on Twitter @kirsty_ferry

Warmest thanks to Kirsty for spending time with us today and for sharing with us her love for the North East

I hope that you have enjoyed this week's Close to Home feature

Coming next week : Jan Ruth

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