Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 140

Have you heard? #HistoricalFiction author, Kathryn Gauci, has a fabulous new book out — Code Name Camille #WW2 #mustread @KathrynGauci

Code Name Camille By Kathryn Gauci

From the USA Today runaway bestseller, TheDarkest Hour Anthology: WWII Tales of Resistance.
Code Name Camille, now a standalone book.

1940: Paris under Nazi occupation. A gripping tale of resistance, suspense and love.

When the Germans invade France, twenty-one-year-old Nathalie Fontaine is living a quiet life in rural South-West France. Within months, she heads for Paris and joins the Resistance as a courier helping to organise escape routes. But Paris is fraught with danger. When several escapes are foiled by the Gestapo, the network suspects they are compromised.

Nathalie suspects one person, but after a chance encounter with a stranger who provides her with an opportunity to make a little extra money by working as a model for a couturier known to be sympathetic to the Nazi cause, her suspicions are thrown into doubt.

Using her work in the fashionable rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, she uncovers information vital to the network, but at the same time steps into a world of treachery and betrayal which threatens to bring them all undone.
Time is running out and the Gestapo is closing in.

Excerpt
(From Chapter 10)
The following day, Paul called at the Reynauds for dinner. He had a new assignment for Nathalie.
‘There’s a man I want you to accompany as far as Tours. I think you will suit the job perfectly,’ he said, lighting up a Gitane. ‘He’s someone very important and it’s vital we get him out of Paris as soon as possible.’
The first thing Nathalie thought of was her new job. If she failed to turn up on Wednesday, that would be the end of it. And then there was the matter of the clothes. She would look like a thief.
Paul read her mind. ‘Madeleine told me about your new job and I think we can work our way around it. If you leave on Saturday, you should be back by Tuesday at the latest. It should only take a couple of hours to get there, but I would like you to stay the night, possibly even two.’
‘May I ask who this man is?’
‘You will know him as René Hubert and he will be your husband.’
Nathalie’s eyes widened. The Reynauds listened without uttering a word.
He took an envelope from his jacket pocket and pushed it across the table towards her. She picked it up and emptied out the contents. In it were two false identity cards, a marriage certificate dated a month earlier, two tickets, and an Ausweis each – a travel pass. She looked at René’s photograph. He was a handsome man, and according to the date on his ID, he was thirty-one years old. She looked at her own. She was to be Madame Camille Hubert, age twenty-four, from a village outside of Tours.
‘Your ruse will be that you have just recently married, and René has volunteered to go to work in Germany on behalf of the French government. He has volunteered to work for the betterment of Vichy France and the Fatherland because the factory where he worked on the outskirts of Paris was bombed by Allied Aircraft, killing his comrades. You are both travelling to Tours because you want him to meet your parents before he goes away.’ He studied her face. ‘Any questions?’
She leafed through the IDs and several pages of notes.
‘Study the information with the IDs and then destroy it. One more thing, the name, Camille, is also your code name. It will only be used when you come in contact with one of our agents. At some time during your stay in Tours, someone will direct you to a place where you will meet one of them. The message will be carefully worded, so please be on the lookout for it. Follow the instructions carefully and the agent will meet up with you. This person will not address you as Nathalie, only Camille. If he does not address you as such, he will not be one of our own. In which case, you must consider you could be compromised and act accordingly.’
Paul finished his cigarette and glanced towards Mme Reynaud. ‘There’s one other thing. This new job of yours, I applaud you for getting it, but I am in agreement with Madeleine. De Rossier is a collaborator. However, if we take great care, we can turn that to our advantage. Think of it as another little assignment,’ he said.
‘What do you have in mind?’
‘Make a note of everyone you come in contact with – a mental note, you understand. Under no circumstances are you to write anything down. I want to know who his clients are, and anyone else – including the mysterious man from Café Voltaire who helped you to get the job.’
Nathalie looked at the Reynauds.
Mme Reynaud shrugged. ‘I’m sorry, Nathalie. We have to be careful. We have a responsibility to your father to take care of you. I know the proprietor of Café Voltaire well and I checked with him. He’d never seen the man before so he couldn’t possibly live around here.’
‘The café was packed,’ Nathalie replied, with a tinge of annoyance. ‘Surely you can’t expect him to remember everyone who goes there? He probably doesn’t even remember me?’
‘His café is in this street. We all know each other. He knew who you were from the moment you moved in. The street has eyes. Every street has eyes.  It will pay you to remember that.’
Nathalie felt her cheeks redden. Mme Reynaud was an enigma. On the one hand she could be the motherly, gentle type, and on the other – like now – as tough as any man, chastising her for letting her guard down.
‘That’s it then,’ Paul said. ‘Now, no more talk about work. Let’s enjoy our dinner.’
Pick up your copy ofCode Name Camille
Kathryn Gauci

Kathryn Gauci was born in Leicestershire, England, and studied textile design at Loughborough College of Art and later at Kidderminster College of Art and Design where she specialised in carpet design and technology. After graduating, Kathryn spent a year in Vienna, Austria before moving to Greece where she worked as a carpet designer in Athens for six years. There followed another brief period in New Zealand before eventually settling in Melbourne, Australia.

Before turning to writing full-time, Kathryn ran her own textile design studio in Melbourne for over fifteen years, work which she enjoyed tremendously as it allowed her the luxury of travelling worldwide, often taking her off the beaten track and exploring other cultures. The Embroiderer is her first novel; a culmination of those wonderful years of design and travel, and especially of those glorious years in her youth living and working in Greece – a place that she is proud to call her spiritual home. It has also been translated into Greek.

Seraphina’s Song and The Carpet Weaver of Usak , both novellas, complete The Asia Minor Trilogy.



A word from Kathryn Gauci
The seeds of  The Embroiderer, Seraphina’s Song,  and The Carpet Weaver of Usak, were sown during my years working as a carpet designer in Greece, 1972-78. The company was situated in a suburb of Athens populated by refugees from The Asia Minor Catastrophe, 1922-23. Working amongst these people, many of the older generation of whom still conversed in Turkish, I grew to understand the impact of the disaster and the intense yearning these people still held for Turkey, the land of their forefathers and a land in which they are still unable to reside. Significantly they shared a separate sense of identity, so much so that fifty years after the Catastrophe, many of them still referred to themselves as Mikrasiates (Asia Minor people) and still chose to intermarry.The Asia Minor Catastrophe was a pivotal turning point in Greek/ Turkish relations which began a century earlier with the Greek War of Independence. The Ottoman Empire was at a turning point and for both Greeks and Turks, ultimately resulting in a war of attrition on both sides. Millions lost their lives and out of the ashes emerged two new nations – the Turkish Republic under the soldier statesman, Ataturk, and the Hellenic Republic – modern Greece.

Today, most of the white-washed prefabricated homes in the refugee neighborhoods in Athens have been replaced by apartment blocks but the street names still bear testament to their origins: Byzantium Street, Pergamum St, Anatolia St, Bouboulina St, and Misolonghi St. to name just a few. And whilst women no longer spill out of their doorways sitting on rush-bottomed chairs chatting to their neighbours whilst embroidering cloth for their daughter’s dowry, and basement shops selling bric-a-brac and musical instruments from the ‘old world’ are few and far between, if we look closer, the history and the spirit of these people still resonates in their everyday lives; in their music, their food, the plethora of Turkish words and phrases that punctuate the Greek language, and the ancient belief in the evil eye. Most important of all, it is through the time-honoured tradition of storytelling that their memories are kept alive.
WWII Novels

Conspiracy of Lies , is set in France during WWII. It is based on the stories of real life agents in the service of the Special Operations Executive and The Resistance under Nazi occupied Europe. To put one’s life on the line for your country in the pursuit of freedom took immense courage and many never survived. Kathryn’s interest in WWII started when she lived in Vienna and has continued ever since. She is a regular visitor to France and has spent time in several of the areas in which this novel is set. Code Name Camille, Originally published as part of The Darkest Hour Anthology: WWII Tales ofResistance with nine other WWII authors.

When I wrote

Celebrating 35 years of Robin of Sherwood: Special Guest Interview — Jeremy Bulloch #RobinOfSherwood @Carole_E_B @FriarTuck_PhilR

Nothing’s forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten. 
Celebrating 35 years of Robin of Sherwood.
Exclusive Guest InterviewJeremy Bulloch 

The story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men has been retold countless times through the centuries, but Richard Carpenter wrote one of the most memorable retellings. I am, of course, talking about the fabulous Robin of Sherwood. Robin of Sherwood ran on ITV from 1984 to 1986 and instantly won over the hearts of many. With its cleverly crafted mix of realism and fantasy, Robin of Sherwood was destined to last the test of time. Now, 35 years later, we are heading back to Sherwood in celebration of this wonderfully endearing series. One of my favourite characters was the village elder, Edward of Wickham, and it is with the greatest of pleasures that I welcome Jeremy Bulloch onto the blog today.

Hi Jeremy, it is such an honour to have you on Myth’s, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots today. I am so excited because you really were one of my favourite characters in the series. I would love for us to travel back to Sherwood and talk about that extraordinary time.
How did the role of Edward of Wickham come to your attention?
My agent sent me along to HTV for the interview.  At the back of my mind I was hoping that I was auditioning for the part of Robin! But the casting director gently pointed out that I was perhaps a little too old!!! (I think I was around 40 at the time J.)  I was offered the part of Edward of Wickham.
I adored your characterisation of Edward. Edward  came across as a very wise fatherly figure, how much influence did you have on how you portrayed him?
I imagined Edward to be quite religious, also my youngest son Robbie was playing my son Matthew in the series.  This fostered my paternal feelings in the show.
It must have been wonderful working along side your son. In Hern’s Son — Part 1 there is a very memorable scene in Wickham when you try to convince Sir Guy of Gisborne that you found Robert’s horse and had sent men out looking for its rider. When Guy turns his horse’s head, the animal catches your face. I have often wondered — was this part of the script or was it what looked like a very painful mistake?
Yes, it was a painful mistake.  I also got kicked by a goat I was milking in one of the episodes.
Oh, no! I cannot imagine how much that hurt. I want to come away from Robin of Sherwood just for a moment and talk about another character whom I think any fan of science fiction will be very familiar with and that is Boba Fet. How did you come upon the part of Boba Fet and what was it like working with George Lucas in those early days of the Star Wars franchise?


My half-brother Robert Watts was co-producer on the original Star Wars film and called me one day as they were auditioning for a small part in The Empire Strikes Back.  I explained that it would be difficult as I was appearing in a play in the West End at the time.
I did go along for the audition and the suit fitted perfectly, so I got the part.  It was quite difficult working all day in the studio and then rushing to the theatre in the evening for a performance.  George Lucas was brilliant although quite a shy man.
Back to Sherwood! Did you ever imagine that Robin of Sherwood would become quite as popular as it did? And are you surprised at how it has stood the test of time?
I think it was a brilliant show and captured the imagination of many – the proof being that is still very much popular viewing with a huge following.
Jeremy Bulloch (Edward of Whickham) Phil Rose ( Friar Tuck). 
Thank you so much, Jeremy, for talking to us today!


Special Thanks
Special thanks to Carole Elizabeth Ballard for her generous help with the Robin of Sherwood celebrations!
All images are copyright protected. Carole Elizabeth Ballard has kindly granted permission to use the said images for the purpose of this blog post only.

Celebrating 35 years of Robin of Sherwood: Exclusive Guest Interview — Barnaby Eaton-Jones from Spiteful Puppet #RobinOfSherwood #audiobooks @BarnabyEJ

Nothing’s forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten. 
Celebrating 35 years of Robin of Sherwood.
Exclusive Guest InterviewBarnaby Eaton-Jones from Spiteful Puppet



It was 28th June 1986 when we saw the credits roll for the last time. And like many other dedicated fans, I remember thinking, that can’t be the end? There are too many unanswered questions. But little did we all know that it was not the end. Time waits, they say, and so must we. I am glad to say the wait was worth it!

We are continuing with our celebrations of all things Robin of Sherwood today, and it is my very great pleasure to welcome Barnaby Eaton-Jones from Spiteful Puppet onto the blog today!

Robert Of Huntingdon aims his bow...!
Hi Barnaby, welcome to Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots. It is so fabulous that you could join us today and talk about your Robin of Sherwood journey.
Your audio production company, Spiteful Puppet, could have chosen any television show to resurrect — why Robin of Sherwood?
Well, nothing’s forgotten. Nothing’s ever forgotten. Ahem. But, it wasn’t their idea (although I found out later that they’d looked into doing it and then decided to do their own version of the Robin Hood legend called ‘Hood’, by Iain Meadows; which won a fair few awards). Spiteful Puppet actually didn’t come on board the project until quite late into production but the actual start of the whole journey began, for me, when a lovely fan called Rowena Sayer passed on the only copy of Richard ‘Kip’ Carpenter’s unproduced ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’ script to me – which she’d won in an auction a few years before – that even had Kip’s annotations in biro on it.
It was like being handed the Dead Sea Scrolls. I felt like Herne the Hunter. And the script was a hefty 2-hour movie size. So, I soon felt like Hernia the Hunter as I didn’t want to put it down.



Anyway, Rowena wanted it to go back to Kip’s estate, as he’d not long passed away, and handed it over to me at the 30th anniversary event I was running. Harriet, Kip’s daughter, graciously agreed to it being adapted for audio, the cast agreed to come on board (and Jason Connery and Mark Ryan magnificently backed me up when it all nearly fell apart, which I’ll always be humbled and grateful to them for doing that), and Spiteful Puppet then kindly press-ganged me into their company.

As for why ‘Robin of Sherwood’ (you may have noticed I’ve waffled on without answering the question), it’s because it’s so powerful and evocative and mystical and mysterious as a series – with such symbolism and adult themes – and it’s all wrapped up in storytelling that is so engaging and exciting that you can’t help taking yourself back to it and watching it all over again. Many people said it was too ‘visual’ a series to put on audio but it’s the words and the music and the sounds and the feel of it that pulls you in. With those original television pictures playing in your head, it’s so easy to allow the audios to seep into your ears and create new episodes for you to re-play that you can see happening in your mind’s eye.

Judi Trott (Marion) and Jason Connery (Robin).
I cannot even begin to imagine how exciting that must have been to be handed Richard Carpenter’s script for ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’s.’ How easy was it to get ITV and the original cast onside?
To get the one-off licence for ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’ was a journey worthy of Phileas Fogg from ‘Eighty Days Around The World’ – if he’d been stopped at every country he entered and told to turn back and start again but by going a different route. Ha. There were a lot of ‘no’ emails from ITV, to begin with. One of the original producers of the television show, Esta Charkham, fired off a very firm email to them on our behalf and – with the added bonus of a script from the original creator/writer of the series – ITV slowly thawed.

Clive Mantle (Little John).
Then, when KOTA was a success, I think it took about two years of negotiations to get a licence to continue. These things are never quick! The great thing about building a relationship with a licence holder is that you can prove yourself and ITV have been really supportive of all that’s come since KOTA.
As for the original cast, they were marvellous for ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’. You couldn’t have asked for a more positive bunch, partly because they knew the first one was a Kip script (so it had his essence running through it) and partly because – I hope – they felt they could trust me because I’d organised some events for the show that they’d attended and seemed to have a fun time doing so. I also had the naked photos of them all at an orgy in Nickolas Grace’s hot tub too. That helped the most. Ahem.

Nickolas Grace (The Sheriff of Nottingham).
I am sure the photo was the deal breaker!! The original writer, Richard Carpenter, sadly passed away some years ago. How did you go about finding new ones?
I feel absolutely gutted, to this day, that the whole process of getting ‘Robin of Sherwood’ on audio arrived just too late for him to contribute properly too. I’d sent him an email about it all very shortly before he unexpectedly passed away. I don’t know if he read it. I like to hope that he did and that he was excited about the possibility of a new version on audio. It’s been a genuine joy to get to know his daughter, Harriet, and her positivity and knowledge has played a big role in not straying too far away from her father’s template for the show.
Finding new writers was a real challenge. I asked a lot of writers I knew (and a lot I didn’t) to provide pitches for an episode that they might conceivably write. All of them provided something unique and fascinating but not every pitch felt like a Kip script idea. That was the barometer, really. Whether it felt like something Kip would come up with. He had a way of writing that I managed to ape (as I was one of the three writers who adapted ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’) and I found I could capture his dialogue well. I needed writers who could do the same. Everything had to be approved by Kip’s Estate, ITV and Spiteful Puppet – so, there were a lot of hoops to jump through before anything got commissioned. Then, of course, there was the cast’s opinions and thoughts (some of whom had always talked about how collaborative Kip was in his writing, discussing things with them). It really was a process of trial and error and elimination.
My original pie-in-the-sky idea was to get in Anthony Horowitz (who wrote a few episodes of Series 3, when Kip’s workload on the television show became too much). Sadly, he’s a very busy man but he’s always acknowledged that Kip was his mentor and gave him his start in the business. One day, perhaps, he and I will find a way to make it work. But, for now, I think we’ve had some amazing writers follow in Kip’s footsteps. Big thanks to Iain Meadows, Jennifer Ash, Paul Birch, Paul Kane and Tony Lee (all fans of the television show) for just getting it so right.
Hats off to all the writers who have made this possible. Stepping into Richard Carpenters shoes must have been incredibly humbling to them all, but I think they have done a marvellous job. Do you have a favourite original episode? New audio episode?
I do, yes. And I’m not telling. Tee hee.
No, it’s always difficult picking a favourite ‘thing’ because it often depends what mood you’re in that day. It’s why I fail spectacularly at the ‘Top Ten Films’ or ‘Top Ten Books’ type of lists.

Michael Praed (Robin: Season 1 & 2) Jason Connery (Robin: Season 3)
If you buttonholed me today (which is apparently quite painful depending where you buttonhole), I’d have to say ‘Herne’s Son’ for the television series. That’s simply because, like ‘Doctor Who’ before it, changing the lead actor for the lead role in a highly successful television series - and giving such a brilliant reason and backstory for doing so - makes it such a risky and clever adventure. Plus, I quite fancy Jason Connery. Don’t tell him. It’s why my wife looks so like him. Ha.

As for the audio, I’ve got to go with ‘What Was Lost’. That’s because it was the first episode(s) of an imagined Series 4 that never got to be on television. Following on directly from the end of Series 3, myself and Iain Meadows (the writer) had a few conversations with Jason Connery about where the series should go and where he’d like to see his character be after the harrowing events of the conclusion of ‘Time of the Wolf’. The excitement of the ‘anything can happen’ storyline, where we’re not bound by the continuity of the television stories, was intoxicating.

Peter Llewellyn Williams (Much) Producer/Director Barnaby Eaton-Jones.
It wasn’t a full-cast audio, as there was a mutual decision from us and Jason for him to deliver it as a narration because it was such a big deal and it really needed to be his voice telling the story of his Robin. He put in such a good performance over what is essentially a movie-length story (or a two-parter, if we’re talking television terms) that I don’t think it loses anything by not being performed by the rest of the cast on this occasion. I remember checking the final recording for levels, by listening to the first five minutes – and then finding myself at the end of Part One, having been drawn into the story totally. It also helps that our sound designer, Joseph Fox, is a canny devil and can perfectly create a soundscape that feels like you’re there living out the story in your head with the narrator (or full cast).  



Tell me about the Hooded Man events?
There’s been a long history of events celebrating the television series (as there often is with popular or cult shows) and I basically am following in the forest trails of other well-loved versions. However, I think I’ve managed to provide something a little different to previous UK conventions that, like my taste in shirts (which fans seem to take delight in commenting on!), are just bigger, funnier and more colourful.



That’s really all down to the cast being willing and happy to come along and join in the fun (the comical ‘cut’ scene from KOTA, performed by them at the 2016 convention, was a highlight for me!) and also because the fans themselves are a happy and supportive bunch. I run a bi-annual weekend event and am just experimenting with a one-day event in-between, celebrating one episode rather than the series as a whole (which the weekend ones do). I’ve been able to donate a lot of money to The Sherwood Forest Trust because of this and also I’m really very proud of the newly-forged friendships (and relationships and marriages!) that have come out of the events since I started them in 2014. My happiness always comes from seeing others happy.
They’re a lot of hard work in the planning, which is just me trying not to melt my brain too much, but - of course - none of it would run smoothly without my willing bunch of interviewers and stewards and the fact my wife basically is a clockwork machine at the actual event and allows me to float about whilst she marshals the troops.
Lastly, anything new in the Robin of Sherwood pipeline?


Yes.
Oh, you want to know? Sorry.
It’s something quite big, actually. It’s been difficult to keep it a secret but I’m hoping, in a week or so, I can announce it. Keep your eyes peeled by liking my Facebook page – HERE!.

Jason Connery
I don’t want to end on a blatant plug so can I just say a quick thank you for interviewing me. I always feel a little bit of a fraud being interviewed about ‘Robin of Sherwood’, because I’m just holding the hood at the moment until someone else comes to wear it, and I know I’m in a very privileged position to be running events and providing new stories for this amazing show. I don’t ever take that for granted.
I’d also like to just take a moment to thank the ever-lovely fans, who are a very groovy bunch of diverse people from all over the world (waves manically around the globe), and also the amazing cast/crew from the television series who – without question – have been so welcoming to me and encouraging but rightly protective of the legacy of the series that means so much to them.

Michael Praed.
I’ll always try my best to get it right for Kip, for the original cast/crew, and for the fans.
Thank you so much, Barnaby, for taking the time out to talk to us about Robin of Sherwood today!

Robin of SherwoodThe Knights of the Apocalypse

England in the reign of King John and a dark force is intent on conquest. Only the hooded man can stand against it… The church lies impotent at the mercy of the Pope and the interdict against the kingdom. With the people living in fear and a series of disappearances that threaten the very fabric of noble society, Robin ‘i’ the hood and his band of outlaws must race to rescue the past so that the future may be protected. A journey to Huntingdon and beyond Sherwood will see them battle their most dangerous enemy yet as Herne’s son faces The Knights of the Apocalypse…
Pick up your copy ofThe Knights of the ApocalypseSpiteFul Puppet
To find out more about Spiteful Puppet or to purchase other audio CDs in the Robin of Sherwood Series, visit their website HERE! 

Catch up with the Robin of Sherwood celebration posts HERE! 




References:
All images are copyright protected.  SpiteFul Puppet and Robin of Sherwood Knights of the Apocalypse have kindly granted permission to use the said images for the purpose of this blog post only.

Angela Rigley's fabulous book, The Peacock Bottle, is now available on #NetGalley #HistoricalFiction @angierigley

Have you heard…?
Angela Rigley's fabulous book, The Peacock Bottle, is available on NetGalley for your reading pleasure. If you love great historical romance then this is the book for you. 

The Peacock BottleBy Angela Rigley

‘In this Victorian dual timeline set in The Lake District Amelia Wise inherits a derelict house from her father, and finds a beautiful perfume bottle in the overgrown garden. Who had it belonged to and how did it come to be buried there? Investigations lead to the discovery of a family tragedy linked to the mysterious bottle.
A sweetly written historical novel populated with a host of charming characters.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards.
To grab your copy ofThe Peacock Bottle ClickHERE!
What is NetGalley?
How It Works (in their own words…)NetGalley connects publishers and authors to an enthusiastic community of early influencers who will help their book succeed: librarians and booksellers who order and recommend books to their patrons, media professionals who interview authors, reviewers and bloggers who write about books online and leave reviews on retail sites, and more. Publishers and authors list their titles on NetGalley for members to request, read, and review, and members gain free access to a vast catalog of digital review copies.
NETGALLEY FOR MEMBERS   
NetGalley is a service to help readers of influence discover and recommend new books to their audiences. If you are a reviewer, blogger, librarian, bookseller, educator, journalist or other member of the media, you can use NetGalley for free to request, read, and recommend books before they are published.Your reviews and feedback are essential to publishers and other readers!
Become a NetGalley member today! NetGalley
 NetGalley for Authors
Are you an author? Would you like to see your book on NetGalley. The Coffee Pot Book Club offers affordable NetGalley promotion. Click HERE to find out more.

#HistoricalRomance author, Catherine Tinley, is giving away one eBook copy of her fabulous book — The Earl’s Runaway Governess #Giveaway @CatherineTinley

Torn between the surprising temptation to sit down somewhere safe and wait for an unknown rescuer, and the (even stronger) temptation to run, to get as far away as she could from the danger inherent in being alone in a carriage with a man, Marianne recognised that instead, her best option was simply to get into the carriage and hope she would be safe with him.


Giveaway

Catherine Tinley is giving away one eBook copy of “The Earl’s Runaway Governess”


All you need to do answer this question
If you were suddenly expected to be a governess, or schoolteacher, how would you manage and what subject would you be good at teaching?
Leave your answer in the comments at the bottom of this post.

Giveaway Rules
• Leave your answer in the comments at the bottom of this post.
• Giveaway ends at 11:59pm BST on May 16th.
You must be 18 or older to enter.

• Giveaway is only open Internationally.
•Only one entry per household.

• All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
•Winners will be announced in the comments.
• Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.



Pick up your copy of
The Earl’s Runaway Governess
Amazon • 
Book Depository • 
Kobo • iBooks•  HarperCollins




Catherine Tinley

Catherine Tinley is an award winning author who writes witty, heartwarming, Regency love stories. Her first book, Waltzing with the Earl, won the prestigious Rita® Award for Best Historical Romance. 
She has loved reading and writing since childhood, and has a particular fondness for love, romance, and happy endings. After a career encompassing speech & language therapy, NHS management, maternity campaigning and being President of a charity, she now works in Sure Start.
She lives in Ireland with her husband, children, cats, and dog and can be reached at www.catherinetinley.com as well as Facebook and twitter
Other books by Catherine Tinley:The Chadcombe Marriages:Waltzing with the EarlThe Captain’s Disgraced LadyThe Makings of a Lady
Coming soon: A Lady of Courage – part of the Second Chance Love Regency set.

Check out the cover for Mary Morgan's fabulous new book — Destiny of a Warrior: Legends of the Fenian Warriors, Book 4 #Fantasy #Romance @m_morganauthor

Check out the cover for Mary Morgan's fabulous new book — Destiny of a Warrior: Legends of the Fenian Warriors, Book 3 #Fantasy #Romance @m_morganauthor

Have you heard? Historical Fiction author, J.R. Rogers, is giving away one ebook copy of his fabulous book — The Italian Couple #HistoricalFiction #ColdWar @authorjrrogers

Pick up your copy of The Italian Couple
Amazon• iTunes• Smashwords



J.R.Rogers

Born in Paris of American parents, J.R. Rogers is a writer who has lived and worked in southern California since the 1980s. He holds a degree in French literature and later studied short story writing at the University of California, Irvine. Fluent in French he has worked principally in quality management and as a writer for a number of firms in both Canada and the United States. His writing focus over the course of his last two books—and that of his forthcoming novel—has been pre-World War II historical novels of espionage and intrigue set in Africa, where he lived for three years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He began writing and publishing short stories in 1996 and since 2008 has written seven historical fiction novels.

Check out #HistoricalFiction author, Ellie Midwood's, fabulous new novella — Killing the Hangman #WW2

Killing the HangmanBy Ellie Midwood

The most feared man of the Nazi elite. Two Czechoslovakian patriots who are ready to risk their own lives to stop him. The most daring assassination of WW2.
“You are tasked with a mission of the utmost importance. As you know, Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich is one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany as of now. He’s efficient in his methods, ruthless, extremely intelligent, and can’t be underestimated. A man like him will give you only one chance to kill him; if you don’t use it, he’ll kill you and it won’t be a fast and merciful death.”
The Gestapo chief and the man, whom Hitler himself calls The Man with the Iron Heart, arrives in Prague and soon earns himself the name of The Hangman among its population. When the order comes from London calling the Czech resistance to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, they have to decide fast, what is stronger - self-preservation or heroic death in the name of freedom.
“We can’t die tonight. Fate wouldn’t allow us to die before we complete our mission. Heydrich’s appointment as the Protector has perverted the very sense of the word. He’s not the Protector; we are. We are coming to restore the correct order of things, how they should be. When the strong protect the weak, not when the strong bully everyone who goes against them into blind submission, or hangs them regardless of age, sex, class or origin. No, we can’t die. Otherwise, this whole world won’t make sense to me anymore.”
Based on true events, “Killing the Hangman” follows Josef Gabčík’s and Jan Kubiš’s training in Britain, their parachute drop into Czechoslovakia, and the eventual planning and carrying out of the assassination itself. It also provides an intimate glimpse into the life of Heydrich himself, his recent appointment, the infamous Wannsee Conference, and his eventual death.
Excerpt
It felt like yesterday that Jan saw him for the first time, his intended target. He saw it all again, playing in front of his eyes. Heydrich – tall, even sitting next to his driver, his face shielded with the shadow of his cap’s visor; only the mouth moved into a polite smile when he motions the driver to stop completely to allow an elderly couple to cross the street in front of the Mercedes. They bow their gratitude; the Protector nods with a languid grace and turns away. Jan clenches a gun, concealed in his pocket – Heydrich is hardly four steps away from him; it’s impossible to miss from such a short distance. And then, as though sensing Jan’s intense stare, Heydrich turns his head and looks him squarely in the eyes, his smile slowly transforming into an arrogant smirk as he shifts his gaze from Jan’s hand in his pocket back to his eyes, wide with fear. ‘Go ahead, boy. Shoot.’ Paralyzed with unthinkable terror, Jan swallows hard, moves his lips into a wary smile and, despising himself and his weakness, raises his arm in the Nazi salute. Heydrich doesn’t move, only looks down with a barely perceptible air of disappointment and soon turns away entirely as the driver picks up speed. Jan never told Jozef about having a gun on him that day. He never told him that he didn’t have the guts to pull the trigger. And now, sitting alone in his room, he wondered if he would be able to pull himself together and carry out the mission or hide behind Jozef’s back like a coward – again.
Pick up your copy ofKilling the Hangman.Amazon UK • Amazon US
Ellie Midwood
Ellie Midwood is an award-winning, best-selling historical fiction writer. She's a health-obsessed yoga enthusiast, a neat freak, an adventurer, Nazi Germany history expert, polyglot, philosopher, a proud Jew, and a doggie mama.
Ellie lives in New York with her fiancé and their Chihuahua named Shark Bait.

Awards:
Readers' Favorite - winner in the Historical fiction category (2016) - "The Girl from Berlin: Standartenführer's Wife"
Readers' Favorite - winner in the Historical fiction category (2016) - "The Austrian"(honorable mention)
New Apple - 2016 Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing - "The Austrian"(official selection)
Readers' Favorite - winner in the Historical fiction category (2017) - "Emilia"
Readers' Favorite - winner in the Historical fiction category (2018) - "A Motherland's Daughter, A Fatherland's Son"
Connect with Ellie: 

Website • Amazon • Goodreads  • BookBub • Facebook.

Celebrating 35 years of Robin of Sherwood: Exclusive Guest Interview — Barnaby Eaton-Jones from Spiteful Puppet #RobinOfSherwood #audiobooks @BarnabyEJ

Nothing’s forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten. 
Celebrating 35 years of Robin of Sherwood.
Exclusive Guest Interview Barnaby Eaton-Jones from Spiteful Puppet




It was 28th June 1986 when we saw the credits roll for the last time. And like many other dedicated fans, I remember thinking, that can’t be the end? There are too many unanswered questions. But little did we all know that it was not the end. Time waits, they say, and so must we. I am glad to say the wait was worth it!

We are continuing with our celebrations of all things Robin of Sherwood today, and it is my very great pleasure to welcome Barnaby Eaton-Jones from Spiteful Puppet onto the blog today!


Robert Of Huntingdon aims his bow...!
Hi Barnaby, welcome to Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots. It is so fabulous that you could join us today and talk about your Robin of Sherwood journey.
Your audio production company, Spiteful Puppet, could have chosen any television show to resurrect — why Robin of Sherwood?
Well, nothing’s forgotten. Nothing’s ever forgotten. Ahem. But, it wasn’t their idea (although I found out later that they’d looked into doing it and then decided to do their own version of the Robin Hood legend called ‘Hood’, by Iain Meadows; which won a fair few awards). Spiteful Puppet actually didn’t come on board the project until quite late into production but the actual start of the whole journey began, for me, when a lovely fan called Rowena Sayer passed on the only copy of Richard ‘Kip’ Carpenter’s unproduced ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’ script to me – which she’d won in an auction a few years before – that even had Kip’s annotations in biro on it.
It was like being handed the Dead Sea Scrolls. I felt like Herne the Hunter. And the script was a hefty 2-hour movie size. So, I soon felt like Hernia the Hunter as I didn’t want to put it down.




Anyway, Rowena wanted it to go back to Kip’s estate, as he’d not long passed away, and handed it over to me at the 30th anniversary event I was running. Harriet, Kip’s daughter, graciously agreed to it being adapted for audio, the cast agreed to come on board (and Jason Connery and Mark Ryan magnificently backed me up when it all nearly fell apart, which I’ll always be humbled and grateful to them for doing that), and Spiteful Puppet then kindly press-ganged me into their company.

As for why ‘Robin of Sherwood’ (you may have noticed I’ve waffled on without answering the question), it’s because it’s so powerful and evocative and mystical and mysterious as a series – with such symbolism and adult themes – and it’s all wrapped up in storytelling that is so engaging and exciting that you can’t help taking yourself back to it and watching it all over again. Many people said it was too ‘visual’ a series to put on audio but it’s the words and the music and the sounds and the feel of it that pulls you in. With those original television pictures playing in your head, it’s so easy to allow the audios to seep into your ears and create new episodes for you to re-play that you can see happening in your mind’s eye.


Judi Trott (Marion) and Jason Connery (Robin).
I cannot even begin to imagine how exciting that must have been to be handed Richard Carpenter’s script for ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’s.’ How easy was it to get ITV and the original cast onside?
To get the one-off licence for ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’ was a journey worthy of Phileas Fogg from ‘Eighty Days Around The World’ – if he’d been stopped at every country he entered and told to turn back and start again but by going a different route. Ha. There were a lot of ‘no’ emails from ITV, to begin with. One of the original producers of the television show, Esta Charkham, fired off a very firm email to them on our behalf and – with the added bonus of a script from the original creator/writer of the series – ITV slowly thawed.


Clive Mantle (Little John).
Then, when KOTA was a success, I think it took about two years of negotiations to get a licence to continue. These things are never quick! The great thing about building a relationship with a licence holder is that you can prove yourself and ITV have been really supportive of all that’s come since KOTA.
As for the original cast, they were marvellous for ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’. You couldn’t have asked for a more positive bunch, partly because they knew the first one was a Kip script (so it had his essence running through it) and partly because – I hope – they felt they could trust me because I’d organised some events for the show that they’d attended and seemed to have a fun time doing so. I also had the naked photos of them all at an orgy in Nickolas Grace’s hot tub too. That helped the most. Ahem.


Nickolas Grace (The Sheriff of Nottingham).
I am sure the photo was the deal breaker!! The original writer, Richard Carpenter, sadly passed away some years ago. How did you go about finding new ones?
I feel absolutely gutted, to this day, that the whole process of getting ‘Robin of Sherwood’ on audio arrived just too late for him to contribute properly too. I’d sent him an email about it all very shortly before he unexpectedly passed away. I don’t know if he read it. I like to hope that he did and that he was excited about the possibility of a new version on audio. It’s been a genuine joy to get to know his daughter, Harriet, and her positivity and knowledge has played a big role in not straying too far away from her father’s template for the show.
Finding new writers was a real challenge. I asked a lot of writers I knew (and a lot I didn’t) to provide pitches for an episode that they might conceivably write. All of them provided something unique and fascinating but not every pitch felt like a Kip script idea. That was the barometer, really. Whether it felt like something Kip would come up with. He had a way of writing that I managed to ape (as I was one of the three writers who adapted ‘The Knights of the Apocalypse’) and I found I could capture his dialogue well. I needed writers who could do the same. Everything had to be approved by Kip’s Estate, ITV and Spiteful Puppet – so, there were a lot of hoops to jump through before anything got commissioned. Then, of course, there was the cast’s opinions and thoughts (some of whom had always talked about how collaborative Kip was in his writing, discussing things with them). It really was a process of trial and error and elimination.
My original pie-in-the-sky idea was to get in Anthony Horowitz (who wrote a few episodes of Series 3, when Kip’s workload on the television show became too much). Sadly, he’s a very busy man but he’s always acknowledged that Kip was his mentor and gave him his start in the business. One day, perhaps, he and I will find a way to make it work. But, for now, I think we’ve had some amazing writers follow in Kip’s footsteps. Big thanks to Iain Meadows, Jennifer Ash, Paul Birch, Paul Kane and Tony Lee (all fans of the television show) for just getting it so right.
Hats off to all the writers who have made this possible. Stepping into Richard Carpenters shoes must have been incredibly humbling to them all, but I think they have done a marvellous job. Do you have a favourite original episode? New audio episode?
I do, yes. And I’m not telling. Tee hee.
No, it’s always difficult picking a favourite ‘thing’ because it often depends what mood you’re in that day. It’s why I fail spectacularly at the ‘Top Ten Films’ or ‘Top Ten Books’ type of lists.


Michael Praed (Robin: Season 1 & 2) Jason Connery (Robin: Season 3)
If you buttonholed me today (which is apparently quite painful depending where you buttonhole), I’d have to say ‘Herne’s Son’ for the television series. That’s simply because, like ‘Doctor Who’ before it, changing the lead actor for the lead role in a highly successful television series - and giving such a brilliant reason and backstory for doing so - makes it such a risky and clever adventure. Plus, I quite fancy Jason Connery. Don’t tell him. It’s why my wife looks so like him. Ha.

As for the audio, I’ve got to go with ‘What Was Lost’. That’s because it was the first episode(s) of an imagined Series 4 that never got to be on television. Following on directly from the end of Series 3, myself and Iain Meadows (the writer) had a few conversations with Jason Connery about where the series should go and where he’d like to see his character be after the harrowing events of the conclusion of ‘Time of the Wolf’. The excitement of the ‘anything can happen’ storyline, where we’re not bound by the continuity of the television stories, was intoxicating.


Peter Llewellyn Williams (Much) Producer/Director Barnaby Eaton-Jones.
It wasn’t a full-cast audio, as there was a mutual decision from us and Jason for him to deliver it as a narration because it was such a big deal and it really needed to be his voice telling the story of his Robin. He put in such a good performance over what is essentially a movie-length story (or a two-parter, if we’re talking television terms) that I don’t think it loses anything by not being performed by the rest of the cast on this occasion. I remember checking the final recording for levels, by listening to the first five minutes – and then finding myself at the end of Part One, having been drawn into the story totally. It also helps that our sound designer, Joseph Fox, is a canny devil and can perfectly create a soundscape that feels like you’re there living out the story in your head with the narrator (or full cast).  




Tell me about the Hooded Man events?
There’s been a long history of events celebrating the television series (as there often is with popular or cult shows) and I basically am following in the forest trails of other well-loved versions. However, I think I’ve managed to provide something a little different to previous UK conventions that, like my taste in shirts (which fans seem to take delight in commenting on!), are just bigger, funnier and more colourful.




That’s really all down to the cast being willing and happy to come along and join in the fun (the comical ‘cut’ scene from KOTA, performed by them at the 2016 convention, was a highlight for me!) and also because the fans themselves are a happy and supportive bunch. I run a bi-annual weekend event and am just experimenting with a one-day event in-between, celebrating one episode rather than the series as a whole (which the weekend ones do). I’ve been able to donate a lot of money to The Sherwood Forest Trust because of this and also I’m really very proud of the newly-forged friendships (and relationships and marriages!) that have come out of the events since I started them in 2014. My happiness always comes from seeing others happy.
They’re a lot of hard work in the planning, which is just me trying not to melt my brain too much, but - of course - none of it would run smoothly without my willing bunch of interviewers and stewards and the fact my wife basically is a clockwork machine at the actual event and allows me to float about whilst she marshals the troops.
Lastly, anything new in the Robin of Sherwood pipeline?


Yes.
Oh, you want to know? Sorry.
It’s something quite big, actually. It’s been difficult to keep it a secret but I’m hoping, in a week or so, I can announce it. Keep your eyes peeled by liking my Facebook page – HERE!.


Jason Connery
I don’t want to end on a blatant plug so can I just say a quick thank you for interviewing me. I always feel a little bit of a fraud being interviewed about ‘Robin of Sherwood’, because I’m just holding the hood at the moment until someone else comes to wear it, and I know I’m in a very privileged position to be running events and providing new stories for this amazing show. I don’t ever take that for granted.
I’d also like to just take a moment to thank the ever-lovely fans, who are a very groovy bunch of diverse people from all over the world (waves manically around the globe), and also the amazing cast/crew from the television series who – without question – have been so welcoming to me and encouraging but rightly protective of the legacy of the series that means so much to them.


Michael Praed.
I’ll always try my best to get it right for Kip, for the original cast/crew, and for the fans.
Thank you so much, Barnaby, for taking the time out to talk to us about Robin of Sherwood today!

Robin of SherwoodThe Knights of the Apocalypse

England in the reign of King John and a dark force is intent on conquest. Only the hooded man can stand against it… The church lies impotent at the mercy of the Pope and the interdict against the kingdom. With the people living in fear and a series of disappearances that threaten the very fabric of noble society, Robin ‘i’ the hood and his band of outlaws must race to rescue the past so that the future may be protected. A journey to Huntingdon and beyond Sherwood will see them battle their most dangerous enemy yet as Herne’s son faces The Knights of the Apocalypse…
Pick up your copy ofThe Knights of the ApocalypseSpiteFul Puppet
To find out more about Spiteful Puppet or to purchase other audio CDs in the Robin of Sherwood Series, visit their website HERE! 

Catch up with the Robin of Sherwood celebration posts HERE! 


References:

All images are copyright protected.  SpiteFul Puppet and Robin of Sherwood Knights of the Apocalypse have kindly granted permission to use the said images for the purpose of this blog post only.