Review ~ Home for Christmas by Jan Ruth

Celtic Connections
October  28th 2014

The three festive short stories which collectively form Home for Christmas are a delightful bunch of original tales which delve into the very heart and soul of Christmas. Beautifully crafted and with the author’s fine eye for detail, each story leaves you with a wry smile and a realisation that Christmas all too often brings out the best, and the worst in us. The stories flow really well, and whilst the characters are not always likeable, the awkwardness of the everyday situations they find themselves in, add an authentic feel, and there is real enjoyment to be found in reading about their individual predicaments.

It’s far too easy to dismiss short story writing as a bit of fluff and yet what’s evident in Home For Christmas is just how much work has gone into each story, from the detailed plot development, through to the final polished article, there is no room for waffle and certainly no sign of fluff in any of the stories. In fact, I was so carried away with all the stories that I was disappointed when they ended and I could very easily have gone on to read more as each story is creative and lively enough to be developed into a full length novel.

So, if you’re looking for something to ease the burden of shopping for the ubiquitous Brussel sprout and need to escape with a good story and a gingerbread latte, then load these delightfully long short stories onto your kindle and let the writing of this talented author take you Home for Christmas.

About the Author

 

Amazon UK

*~*~*

Review ~ Dark Water: Part Two of Wild Water by Jan Ruth

An excellent continuation....

Jack Redman, estate agent to the smart Cheshire set, should be living the life of his dreams in North Wales with his partner Anna. But his commute from the leafy suburbs of Wilmslow, to the rural bliss of Gwern farm on the outskirts of Conwy, is fraught with anxiety. Caught between a rock and hard place, Jack struggles to organize a life which is made all the more complicated by his increasingly demanding ex-wife Patsy, his precocious daughter Lottie, and the uncertain paternity of two of his children. Whilst he struggles to keep the peace with Anna, the phrase, oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive, springs to mind, as Jack Redman tries to juggle his increasingly difficult personal life.

All too often sequels can become a bit of damp squib with less on offer than what has gone before, but rest assured that this is not the case with Dark Water.  This follow-on story picks up on the threads which were left hanging at the end of Wild Water, and with her usual panache and fine attention to detail, Jan Ruth brings together all the pieces of a story which very quickly becomes a roller coaster of emotional turmoil and smouldering resentments. There is never a lull in the narrative, the plot is allowed to evolve beautifully, and there some really lovely, light moments which offset the darker elements of the story. The banter between Jack and his small daughter, Lottie, is quite irresistible and I found myself laughing out loud at some of their dialogue, and likewise the touching moments between Anna and her dog Benson, brought tears to my eyes and echoed the memories of what it feels like to lose something precious.  With the tension is racked up to an almost impossible level, Jack, Anna and Patsy get caught up in a dark and deadly story of long buried secrets, which threatens not just their relationship with each other, but which also has a profound effect on their family and friends.

As with any part-two story, it is almost essential to have read the first book, and whilst it’s not impossible to pick up the story, you will miss the finer points and that would be to do both the story and the author a great disservice, as the books should be read sequentially. I am heartened that the ending of Dark Water could almost lend itself to another visit to this beautiful part of Wales and I'm sure that Jack Redman and company have a lot more life in them for future stories. I really hope so....

Amazon UK
Amazon US

About the Author

My thanks to the author for sharing her book with me

~***~

New Release ~ Dark Water by Jan Ruth

The tragedy and comedy that is Jack's life; is there a future for him and Anna, or is the past too destructive?

Jack Redman, estate agent to the Cheshire set and skilled juggler of complex relationships. Someone to break all the rules, or an unlikely hero? In this sequel to Wild Water Jack and Anna return to discover that history repeats itself. Anna's long-awaited success as a serious artist is poised to happen, but her joy, along with her relationship with Jack, is threatened by old scores.

Simon Banks is a depressed and unstable man with a plan. He wants to wipe out his past by buying a brighter future, but Jack Redman stands in his way. Will Jack ever escape the legacy of lies and deceit left by his ex-wife? Can Jack and Anna hold it all together, or will tragic repercussions from Jack's past blow them apart forever?

I already have my copy - if you want your copy go to :

 Amazon UK

 Amazon US

Extract from DARK WATER:

She knelt on the cold tiles and buried her face in his coat. It seemed cruel that it was still so vibrant and luxurious other than a light greying around his muzzle, and yet everything inside was breaking down. The top of his head smelt intoxicating, of grass and adventure, of selfless, unconditional love. Did love have a smell? And it smelt of home, faint traces of lavender from his newly washed blanket.

Jack was on the phone in the hall, his voice low, words indistinguishable.

It was a beautiful summer day, full of rolling clouds, light and shade. It was like the day he’d been born, she said. Jack carried him to the apple trees fluttering with white ribbons, horseshoes and hearts. As they neared the right spot, hundreds of crows took flight. She sat propped against one of the twisted trunks and Jack struggled to put the dog down on the ground next to her. Then he kissed her face and went to fetch her some coffee.

They settled together in the long grass and Benson’s nose twitched as she talked.

Presently, two vets arrived, one of them a young trainee, who kept staring at her soiled dressing gown and all the crazy decorations in the garden. They examined the dog and the older vet said he’d likely had a stroke and did she still want to go ahead with euthanasia? They were gentle without being sentimental. She nodded, Benson’s head in her lap, his useless limbs spread on the grass. Jack was silhouetted against the sky, chewing a nail. The trainee vet shaved a neat patch of hair from Benson’s foreleg, while the other one hunkered down next to her with some paperwork.

‘Miss Williams, I need you to understand that once I have administered this injection, your dog will be clinically dead.’

Jack muttered some expletive and turned away. She knew he was wiping his eyes.

‘I understand,’ she said, and signed somewhere in the indicated box.

One hand on his beating heart as the lethal drug seeped into his bloodstream, both eyes on his. He licked her hand, almost twice, and even then it seemed apologetic, as if he was trying to comfort her.

I’ll see you on another dappled lawn, or a bright sunlit mountain under a thousand cloudless skies.

His silent heart, his soulless eyes. Instant, the giving and taking of pain. Now, all the pain was hers, and weirdly, there was some comfort in that.....

© Jan Ruth all rights reserved.

If you haven't read book one then take advantage of its special price on Amazon but hurry as this price is only for a short time.

WILD WATER (Part One)

The tragedy and comedy that is Jack's life; secrets, lies and family ties.

Jack Redman, estate agent to the Cheshire set. An unlikely hero, or someone to break all the rules? Wild water is the story of forty-something estate agent, Jack, who is stressed out not only by work, bills and the approach of Christmas but by the feeling that he and his wife, Patsy are growing apart. His misgivings prove founded when he discovers Patsy is having an affair, and is pregnant. At the same time as his marriage begins to collapse around him, he becomes reacquainted with his childhood sweetheart, Anna, whom he left for Patsy twenty-five years before. His feelings towards Anna reawaken, but will life and family conflicts conspire to keep them apart again?

Buy it here :

Amazon UK
Amazon US

 My Review of Wild Water part one can be found here

About the Author

My thanks to the author for sharing her books with me.

*~*~*

Reviews ~ Wild Water and White Horizon by Jan Ruth

The often irrational ties that bind people together form the basis for this intertwining story of personal relationships and of what happens when life spirals out of control. Jack Redman knows that his marriage is heading for disaster and when he becomes reacquainted with his childhood sweetheart , Anna, he soon realises that everything he once knew to be true is about to change forever.

Set against the backdrop of rural Snowdonia, with occasional forays into the heart of the upmarket Cheshire set, this story really grips from the beginning. There is much to take in, from the heartbroken angst of a marriage gone wrong, through to the emotional realisation that a lost love can never be a forgotten love.

This intelligent read had me hooked from the beginning, I found that I couldn’t put the book down and wanted to read on to find out what would happen next. There is a poignant realism to the story which keeps the momentum going through to the very end and as a genuine empathy with the characters starts to develop, they become people you really care about. The skilful manipulation of the story line and the author’s unique way of bringing her characters to life makes this one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time.

The story opens with a wedding but as the possibilities of love and happy ever afters start to falter, three couples are faced with the realities of life in more ways than one. Tina, Daniel, Linda and Victoria are old friends, but time has changed the focus of their lives until one fateful year when their stories collide and coalesce and life for all of them will never be the same again.

Set against the majestic background of Snowdonia, the skilful absorption of the beautiful Welsh countryside into the narrative sits comfortably alongside the close examination of personal relationships. What I loved most about the story is the way in which the author gets right into the heart and soul of what makes people tick. Totally unpretentious, these characters could be people you went to school with and the situations they find themselves in are done in such a considerate way, that I genuinely began to care what happened to them all.

This story grabbed my attention from the very beginning and held me in its grip until I had read on, in the space of a couple of afternoons, to its timely conclusion.

About the Author

Jan Ruth writes contemporary fiction about the darker side of the family dynamic with a generous helping of humour, horses and dogs. Her books blend the serenity of rural life with the headaches of city business, exploring the endless complexities of relationships.

My thanks to the author for sharing her books with me.

~***~

In my Author Spotlight is ....Jan Ruth

I am delighted to welcome to the blog

Jan Ruth

Author of Novels

Wild Water

Midnight Sky

White Horizon

Silver Rain

 Short Stories

The Long And The Short Of It

A Long Way  From Home

Jan ~ welcome to Jaffareadstoo and thank you for chatting with us about the inspiration for your books.

What do you love about Writing?

It’s something to do with the creation of a cast of people, and then being able to play God and Devil in the same day!

What can you tell us about your books that won't give too much away?

I live in Snowdonia, North Wales, UK. This ancient, romantic landscape is a perfect setting for fiction, or just day-dreaming in the heather. I write contemporary stories about people, with a good smattering of humour and drama, dogs and horses.

Seventeen years ago we moved from Cheshire to North Wales. Although Cheshire has its history and pretty rural surroundings aplenty, Wales is far more extreme in both aspects. The castles and the rugged hillsides scattered with stone settlements, druid’s circles and Roman roads bring out the historical muse in me. To think that I am treading the same path as someone who lived in the Iron Age, is both fascinating and humbling. Snowdonia kick-started my stalled obsession with writing in a very positive way.

All this whimsical talk of the past makes me sound as if I write historical based fiction. Far from it. Much as I admire many other genres I tend to be very much rooted in current times and my work reflects a lot of my own life experiences. But this is where I find the two ideas merge a little because I am most certainly inspired by this Ice Age landscape and the idea that what has gone before, shapes what we see today, but does it shape what we feel, too?

I am certainly in my creative comfort zone tramping up the hills on a moody day. There’s no better way of plot busting. The tiny church of St. Celynin (sometimes known as Llangelynin) is a great find for historians, spiritualists, all kinds of artists, and a certain weary walking writer! It’s quite a climb, some 900 feet above the village of Henryd, but sheltered from the Irish Sea by the comfortable bulk of Tal-Y-Fan. It proclaims to be the most remote church in Wales and due to its location, it is actually better accessed on foot or on horseback, but that’s just me wearing my whimsical hat again. I guess you could ride a quad bike or get a 4x4 along the green lanes and tracks up from the village, but that would spoil the experience considerably. Someone said that ‘The centuries of men’s hands on the same stones put the feeling into a place’. I can relate to this and there’s no better way of making that connection than scrambling over those very same walls and finding a way across the hills. Even the names of the mountains are laced with enough magic to fuel the effort.

The church is named after a 6th Century prince, Celynin, and it is a widely held belief that the remains of the settlement close by was also his home. Inside, there are inscriptions on the white-washed walls of The Ten Commandments and The Lord’s Prayer, and strangely enough a skull and crossbones. The Welsh language, being the oldest (still spoken) language in the world, lends so much more romance and intrigue to any story, even though I don’t understand all the words. One of the well-preserved benches is dated from 1629 and dedicated to Reverend Owen Bulkeley, former rector. Oh, I’d love to go back to those times just for a few hours, to maybe listen to the man reading his sermon and sit with the congregation. Instead, we have to be content with mere historical recordings and the remnants of those times, in whatever form they present.

So, I fling myself down on the rough grass, or if the mountain weather is inclement, sit awhile in the porch to drink coffee and just… fall into the dreamscape. I love the way ancient history here is often blurred by myths and legends, shape-shifters and superstitions. Rich then, in history and romance and easy enough to blend both, with a touch of fantasy and suspense. Especially so when the winter sun is low in the sky, sending out early shadows to creep across the crooked stones of derelict homesteads and graves. And late sunsets in summer, when the scudding clouds floating in a fiery sky take on the shape of dragons and rearing horses. Or maybe, when the druid’s circle is shrouded in mist and… can you hear something? Like the clink of marching armour and the clash of swords…there’s something moving out there, or is it just my imagination?

Do you write stories for yourself, or other people?

I write the fiction I like to read, it’s somewhere between very grown-up chick lit and women’s literature. So, I think the answer is... both.

When do you find the time to write, and do you have a favourite place to do your writing?

I’m lucky to be retired from outside jobs (I’ve done many, varied, and useful for drawing on) so the time isn’t really a problem these days, although even when I was working I still found time to be as productive. If the muse is kicking, I just get on with it!

Which writers have inspired you?

Lots! Dick Francis, Enid Blyton, Victoria Holt, Lewis Carroll, Jilly Cooper, Julia Crouch, Deborah Moggach.

Can you tell us what you are writing next?

I’m currently writing a Part-Two to my first title, Wild Water. I was concerned how I’d feel about this as not only were the characters and plot lines twenty years old, I’d not written a sequel before. However, I’m pleased to report that I’m about 60k in and all the loose threads from part one are starting to come together in a very suspenseful climax. Interesting to note how my writing style has changed too. I don’t think Wild Water was my best writing, technically. But it’s been the most popular novel with regard to the characters, and I’m enjoying being back with Jack and Anna.

After this, I’ll be putting together a collection for Christmas. No doubt I’ll be writing these in the heat of August as I never seem to be able to synchronize the seasons!

Jan - Thank you for sharing your time with us.

It's been a real pleasure to host this interview with you. 

Please come back and chat with us some more.

~***~

For more information about Jan and her books visit her website

http://janruth.com/

*~*~*