Morton S. Gray's Blog, page 11
September 4, 2023
A Celebration by Morton S. Gray
It’s my birthday this week, so I’ve allowed myself to post on my own blog lol! Look at the amazing cake my friend made for me 
.
When Joffe Books took over my publisher Choc Lit, I had no idea what this would mean for me or my novels. Well, I’m pleasantly surprised to say that they have recently revamped and modernised the covers of my six published novels to allow them to be presented on Amazon as a lovely set – The Secrets of Borteen Bay.
It will take me a little while to update all of my social media and especially my website, but this new development has been very exciting and encouraging.
And for those of you who haven’t yet read any of my books yet, the good news is that all of the six published titles are currently only 99p or available free on Kindle Unlimited.
I also hope to have news of a new addition to The Secrets of Borteen Bay series shortly.
Last week I was featured on the Choc Lit / Joffe Books blog. You can read my question and answer session here.
Forgive me for indulging myself by giving you further details of my six novels and a better look at those gorgeous new covers below:-
About The Secrets of Borteen Bay Series
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
August 28, 2023
An Extract From The Secret Sister by Jan Baynham
This week, I am pleased to be able to share an extract from fellow Choc Lit / Joffe Books author Jan Baynham’s new novel – The Secret Sister …
Thank you for inviting me onto your lovely blog, Morton. I’d like to share an extract from my new novel, The Secret Sister, which will be published by Joffe Books/Choc Lit Publishing on Thursday 31st August 2023. Nervous and excited at the same time, I’m hoping that readers will enjoy Sara and Claudia’s stories as much as I enjoyed writing them. Because my novels are always set in rural mid-Wales and a contrasting location, creating a sense of place is very important to me. I like to think that my readers are transported to the places in the novel through my words.
In The Secret Sister, Claudia visits Sicily for the first time…
Porto Montebello, Sicily
White heat reflected up from the flagged walkway and Claudia stopped to mop her brow. She was used to summers being much cooler and often wet. Uncle Sisto had warned her of the intense August heat in Sicily, and she’d taken his advice regarding clothing. Now, she was very glad of the wide-brimmed straw hat and long-sleeved, cotton tunic keeping her cool.
She took out the street map of the city and found the pensione that was to be her base for the duration of the art course. Selected from a long list of lodging houses sent to her by the university, she’d chosen it both for its low cost and its proximity to the university building.
Picking up her suitcase again, she walked along the road on the shady side and turned into a straight, narrow street called Via Nova. Either side were tall town houses with floor-to-ceiling shuttered windows edged with metal balconies housing troughs and terracotta pots of trailing pelargoniums.
Halfway along the street was a busy trattoria with delicious smells of freshly ground coffee wafting in Claudia’s direction. She smiled when she remembered her father turning his nose up at the Camp coffee her mam made him with hot milk. Real coffee comes from roasted beans, not a bottle with a funny blue label, Sara, he used to tease her. Spaghetti didn’t come in tins either, according to him.
A few empty tables with raffia-seated bentwood chairs were laid with red-and-white-checked seersucker tablecloths. Each table was separated from the next by a wide trough of clipped laurel bushes.
Up along the wall and over the doorway, a magenta bougainvillea tumbled with its papery blooms. Miniature olive trees in large hand-thrown terracotta pots stood like sentries either side of the covered entrance into the seating area where menus were displayed. Most tables were occupied with people enjoying food and chatting noisily. A lump formed in Claudia’s throat when she remembered her papà telling her how much he missed eating al fresco, as he called it, when they were sat in Smoky Joe’s coffee bar in Pen Craig as rain lashed down the windows outside. She wondered how he’d been able to leave all this sunshine behind.
Claudia soon arrived at 239 Via Nova. She studied the façade of Pensione Piccione with its pale-ochre-coloured render. Metal shutters were positioned at an angle to let in fresh air and keep the sun out, and the large, dark blue bifold doors were folded back to reveal an inner glass door leading to an octagonal vestibule. A high domed ceiling was painted with ornate foliage, flowers and fruit — mostly lemons — and edged with ornate plasterwork that reminded Claudia of the Italian chapel back home. The large wooden reception desk also held bowls of lemons.
Nearby, she noticed a table with drinking tumblers lined up alongside a glass urn filled with water and slices of lemon, clearly inviting guests to take a drink. She loved the citrus aroma that made the place feel fresh and clean and immediately decided she’d made a good choice.
The young man, dressed smartly in a navy-blue uniform and crisp white linen shirt, looked up. His name badge informed her he was Signor Antonio Marchesi.
‘Buongiorno. May I help you?’
About Jan Baynham
Originally from mid-Wales, I live in Cardiff with my husband. We have three grown up children and five grandchildren. I started writing when I retired after a career in education and enjoy meeting up with other writers especially members of our local Cariad RNA Chapter as well as when attending talks and workshops. When not writing, I enjoy reading, family history, Pilates and looking after my grandchildren.
Social media links:
Twitter – @JanBaynham
Facebook – Jan Baynham Writer
Instagram – @janbaynham
Blog – Jan’s Journey into Writing
Amazon Page – Jan Baynham
About The Secret Sister
The novel, set in 1943 and 1968, in rural Wales and the island of Sicily, is a dual timeline dealing with secrets, forbidden love, sibling relationships and forgiveness. Two sisters work together to prove their father’s innocence of a crime he did not commit and clear his name. I had a wonderful time researching this story – a trip to Sicily last August walking in my characters’ footsteps and another to the Italian POW chapel in Henllan, in West Wales.
The Story:
TRAVEL FROM WARTIME WALES TO SIXTIES SICILY IN THIS BREATHTAKING CROSS-GENERATIONAL SAGA ABOUT A DAUGHTER ROCKED BY HER FAMILY’S SECRET PAST.
Wales, 1943.
Sara Lewis should be heartbroken when her husband doesn’t return from war. But he was never the kind husband she hoped for. And now she’s stuck with her cruel mother-in-law on the family farm. Sara must do what is best for her young son. So she leaves the farm for the safety of her sister’s home. Despite herself, she begins to notice Carlo, an Italian prisoner of war. Longing looks soon turn into love letters and a connection neither of them can sever. But fraternization between the prisoners and local women are forbidden. As their love grows, so does the danger all around them . . .
Twenty-five years later, their daughter holds her father’s hand as he takes his last breath and whispers a name: Giulietta. But who is Giulietta, and who are the young woman and baby in an old photograph? The secrets of the past collide as the family are shaken to their very core, forced to revisit memories they’d rather forget to uncover the truth.
Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Barbara Davis, Karen Swan, Amanda Weinburg or Anita Chapman.
Buying Link for : The Secret Sister
ALSO BY JAN BAYNHAM
HER MOTHER’S SECRET
HER SISTER’S SECRET
HER NANNY’S SECRET
THE SECRET SISTER
Thank you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Morton’s News – My six novels The Girl on the Beach, The Truth Lies Buried, Christmas at Borteen Bay, Sunny Days at the Beach, Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe and Summer at Lucerne Lodge published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books have been treated to new covers and are all currently only 99p/99c!!!!
All six Borteen Novels are now available on Kindle Unlimited! Details here
The Girl on the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Truth Lies Buried – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at Borteen Bay – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Sunny Days at the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Summer at Lucerne Lodge – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
August 21, 2023
Why I Wrote The Lost Heir by Jane Cable
I’m happy to welcome Jane Cable back to my blog this week to talk about why she wrote her latest novel, The Lost Heir published by Sapere Books on 11 August 2023. Over to Jane …
My Cornish Echoes romantic dual timeline romantic adventures are based around the great houses of Cornwall during the Poldark era so there are no shortage of candidates, each one with their own particular cast of historical characters. So why did I choose Tehidy, where there has been no actual house for more than a hundred years?
Tehidy as a great house, and the Bassets as a great family, have almost been forgotten. The scant remains of the property are included within a private estate and so out of bounds to the public, but what does remain is the great park, now the property of Cornwall Council, and open to everyone.
It lies just south west of the fishing village of Portreath and about a mile or so back from the dramatic cliffs that characterise this part of the north Cornish coast. But when the wind is blowing in from the sea its tree-lined paths provide a sheltered place to walk, and it is one of our favourites.
But in order for it to work as a Cornish Echoes story I needed to delve into the history of what was there before the house, by that time an infirmary, was destroyed by fire in 1919. I knew little about the Bassets, although perhaps I should have. Frances, Baron de Dunstanville, was not only one of the richest, but one of the most influential, men of his time. Member of parliament, mine-owner, gentleman farmer, supporter of both sciences and arts, and philanthropist. His life would have been perfect and the family’s status would surely have been maintained if he’d had a male heir.
But Frances had only a daughter, Francis, and not a marriageable one at that, it seems. She would have been one of the most eligible young women in Georgian England and yet she remained single. Contemporary accounts describe her as not especially fair of face, and lacking in social graces. But for all that she devoted her life to good works, particularly those relating to the education of children.
It seemed to me I had my historical heroine, so I began to ponder the possible reasons she may not have married. I delved deep into any reputable source I could find, but there was little in the way of an answer; especially as her father had a special baronetcy created to pass through the female line. No mean feat in those days.
When I could not solve the conundrum, my imagination went into overdrive, creating reasons and stories around her. Why, who and what? And equally important, how did it link to my contemporary characters, Carla and Mani? What reason could they, an unhappy teacher desperate to be a glass artist, and an American geologist, have to need to find out?
In common with most authors will tell you about most of their books, the reason I wrote their story was because it had to be written. It absolutely intrigued me and I wanted to bring it to life.
Thank you, Jane. It sounds fascinating and The Lost Heir is on my Kindle and I will be reading and reviewing it soon! Mx
About Jane Cable
Jane Cable writes romance with a twist and its roots firmly in the past, more often than not inspired by a tiny slice of history and a beautiful British setting.
After independently publishing her award-winning debut, The Cheesemaker’s House, Jane was signed by Sapere Books. Her first two novels for them are contemporary romances looking back to World War 2; Another You inspired by a tragic D-Day exercise at Studland Bay in Dorset and Endless Skies by the brave Polish bomber crews who flew from a Lincolnshire airbase.
Jane lives in Cornwall and her current series, Cornish Echoes, are dual timeline adventure romances set in the great houses of the Poldark era and today. She also writes as Eva Glyn.
To keep in touch with Jane you can use the following social media links:
Twitter @JaneCable
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JaneCableAuthor
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jane-cable
About The Lost Heir
Cornwall, 2020
At the beginning of lockdown, teacher Carla Burgess needs to make some changes to her life. She no longer loves her job, and it’s certainly time to kick her on-off boyfriend into touch. But then, while walking on the cliffs, she meets Mani Dolcoath, a gorgeous American with the darkest of auras.
Mani is researching his family history, and slowly their lives and their heritage begin to entwine. The discovery of a locked Georgian tea caddy in the barn on her parents’ farm intrigues Carla, but then she starts to see orbs, something that hasn’t happened since her grandmother died. They terrify her and she’ll do anything to outrun them, but will she lose Mani’s friendship in the process?
Cornwall, 1810
Harriet Lemon’s position as companion to Lady Frances Basset (Franny) perfectly conceals the fact they are lovers. But when Franny is raped and falls pregnant their lives are destined to change forever.
The one person who may be able to help them is Franny’s childhood friend, William Burgess, a notorious smuggler. But he has secrets of his own he needs to protect. Will his loyalties be divided, or will he come through?
Buy The Lost Heir here – https://getbook.at/LostHeir
Thank you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Morton’s News – my first two novels The Girl on the Beach and The Truth Lies Buried published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books have been treated to new covers and are currently only 99p/99c!!!!
All six Borteen Novels are now available on Kindle Unlimited!
Details here
The Girl on the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Truth Lies Buried – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at Borteen Bay – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Sunny Days at the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Summer at Lucerne Lodge – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
August 14, 2023
The Inspiration for The Sea Sisters Swimming Club by Sue McDonagh
One of my favourite people to chat to is fellow Choc Lit/Joffe author Sue McDonagh. We both share a love of writing books and crochet. Today, Sue is going to tell readers about the inspiration behind her latest novel – The Sea Sisters Swimming Club and, as I’ve been fortunate enough to read an advance copy of the book, I will include my own review at the bottom of the post. Over to Sue …
Hi, I’m Sue McDonagh, writing this in South Wales – the rainy one in the UK, not the New one on the other side of the world (both are lovely!)
In my ‘real’ life, I’m an artist, and these days, both forms of creativity have blended so that one informs the other.
Although I’ve always appreciated how the written word entertains and used it over the years to write letters and articles, my first novel only sprang into life when I learned to ride a motorbike at fifty.
Since then, five novels have been published and every one of them has borrowed from my life – The Sea Sisters is no exception. I’m very grateful that Morton S Gray has invited me onto her blog to talk about it.
I’d planned that my Book Five heroine, Fran, a police sergeant, would have been stabbed while on duty, forcing her retirement. I’d already begun the plotting process when I suffered a surprise heart attack. With complications, it required a six week stay in hospital before surgery could be attempted, and as it was during Covid, I was not allowed visitors the whole time.
I decided that this prolonged stay – referred to by my family as my ‘spa retreat’, waited on hand and finger as I was by the fabulous staff at the University of Hospital of Wales – might as well be my book five research, so I gave my poor heroine a heart attack instead. It’s fair to say that the entire scary experience has engraved itself on my memory so it was easy to recall, which came in very useful when correcting my occasionally faulty timelines during the editing process.
I’d been sea swimming regularly with a local group for eight months following a traumatic incident in my life. The sea and the company of the ladies in the group went a long way towards healing my spirit and I wanted to write something to celebrate that.
I decided to write The Sea Sisters focussing on Fran’s recovery, how much it had changed the focus of her life, and showing the friendship and encouragement of the local swimmers.
In a way, writing it became my own therapy and I was quite sad to get to the end of the story and leave Fran and Wyn and the rest of the characters I’d grown to love. I’m delighted that my new publishers also love them and that they form the first of a new series. I hope you enjoy reading about their stories as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.
I can’t end this blog without mentioning that The Sea Sisters Swimming Club bears one of my own paintings on the cover! With a new and bigger publisher, I was prepared for the news that they would want to re-brand me using their own in house designers, and I was absolutely thrilled that they liked my work enough to use it. Mind you, I painted it half a dozen times and never gave up hope!
About Sue McDonagh
When I’m not writing or painting, I’m motorbiking, eBiking, crocheting, reading or looking after my grandchildren. I recently started needle-felting too – it’s fast becoming another obsession. There aren’t enough hours in the day!
To keep in touch with Sue you can use the following links:
Facebook Author Page Twitter Amazon Author Page
About The Sea Sisters Swimming Club
A BRAND-NEW ROMANCE ABOUT SISTERHOOD AND SECOND CHANCES IN TRANQUIL WALES TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS SUMMER.
Fifty-year-old police officer Fran Doherty thought she had a good few years left in her. But if a heart attack while dancing the night away at a disco in a sequin dress isn’t a sign to slow down, then she doesn’t know what is . . .
Fran’s waved goodbye to the force and hello to her pension. But who is she without her job?
She decides to get away from it all in Llanbryn, an idyllic seaside village in Wales. It beats feeling sorry for herself and watching Homes Under the Hammer all day.
Fran’s soon taken under the wing of the Sea Sisters, a group of inspirational women of all ages and sizes who swim in the ocean. They challenge her to move on from the past and face her life-long fear of the sea.
And the strapping Wyn catches her eye. He appears to be the local troublemaker, but perhaps Fran’s got the wrong end of the stick . . .
The closer she gets to Wyn, the more she’s unable to deny the feelings he brings out in her. And Llanbryn feels more like home with every passing day.
Fran feels more alive than she has in years, but Wyn has his own emotional scars. Maybe they can help each other?
Readers will be captivated by this story full of humour and heart. Perfect for fans of Caroline James, Jessica Redland, Sue Moorcroft, Sarah Bennett, Jo Thomas, Sarah Morgan or Beth O’Leary.
Buying Link : The Sea Sisters Swimming Club
Other Books by Sue McDonagh:
Buying Link : Summer at the Art Cafe
Buying Link : Meet Me at the Art Cafe
Buying Link : Escape to the Art Cafe
Buying Link : Hopes and Dreams at the Art Cafe
Morton’s Review of The Sea Sisters Swimming Club by Sue McDonagh publication date 29 August 2023
Definitely a treat of a book and five stars without reservation:
Fran is a survivor and a woman cast adrift by a heart attack which cut short her police career. She is finding the adjustment to life outside of the force difficult and unsettling. She really doesn’t know who she is at the beginning of the novel. An opportunity to house sit by the sea in Wales offers her the chance to explore options for her future and rediscover her spirit.
Wyn is also wounded by life after an accident changed him forever both mentally and physically. He agrees to teach Fran to swim and they get ever closer, but he is hiding secrets of his own and has a needy ex-wife.
I can swim but have never achieved the easy confidence of some of my friends and would be too scared to swim in the sea or the deep end of a swimming pool. Fran sounds very similar to me at the beginning of the novel and so I instantly related to her.
Enjoyed the references to the Art Hotel encountered in other Sue McDonagh books and the comradery of the sea sisters. I loved some of the secondary characters too – Elin, Gavin, Caitlin. And the novel made me want to enjoy coffee and cake by the sea, even if I don’t venture into the waves beyond paddling, but who knows I may get braver like Fran after being shown a glimpse of possibilities by this book.
A feel good, inspiring read which made me want to read more of Sue McDonagh’s novels.
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Morton S. Gray news – all of my six Borteen Novels are now available on Kindle Unlimited! Details here
Summer at Lucerne Lodge – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Sunny Days at the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at Borteen Bay – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Truth Lies Buried – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Girl on the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
August 7, 2023
Why I Wrote The Cornish Rebel by Nicola Pryce
I always enjoy featuring writers on my blog when I have met them in person and found lots to talk about. Nicola Pryce, my guest today, falls into that category. I hope we get to meet again one day, but for now, Nicola is going to tell us about why she wrote her latest novel The Cornish Rebel …
My books start with a trigger that jumps into my mind and doesn’t leave me: a view, a tall ship, a name, a place. In my latest book, The Cornish Rebel, it was a coincidence. I knew where I wanted to set the book – I’d long wanted to set a book in one of my favorite places, Restronguet Creek in Falmouth – but I wasn’t sure who would be at the center, and what jeopardy they would face. I had plenty of interesting research I wanted to incorporate but no characters. Then, came the coincidence that Esse quam videri: To be, rather than seem to be, was the school motto of Truro Grammar School at the time of my books, 1793-1801 as well as being my old school motto.
I liked it being our school motto. It means you’re honorable and trustworthy: who you say you are and what you say you are. No pretense. It’s the what you see is what you get, or walk the talk of today. Just the ticket for the perfect hero or heroine and just the ticket for the theme of a book where being who you seem to be is open to question.
Discovering the coincidence of the motto plunged me into setting my book in a school – not Truro Grammar School but a school for young ladies. I knew they existed. When she was ten, Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra spent time in a boarding school in Oxford and Southampton in 1783, and for a slightly longer period in Abbey House, Reading, in a boarding school for daughters of the clergy and minor gentry in 1785-6.
I love her depiction of the girls’ school in Emma and particularly love the image of the girls in their Sunday best going to church in the film directed by Autumn de Wilde. I went to boarding school at the age of eight and wore a straw boater and white gloves to church. Not the red cape, but a stiff blue suit so I suppose it’s not really surprising that a girls’ boarding school has crept into my books!
But did one exist in Truro? Imagine my delight when I read in Viv Acton’s book A History of Truro, Volume 1, that at the time of my books a lady called Miss Mitchell was the headmistress of a girls’ boarding school in Truro. The daughter of the Vicar of Veryan, Miss Mitchell, was a ‘sensible and well-informed lady’ who started her boarding school for girls in the middle of the eighteenth century in the Great House, moved it to the large red brick house, which is now City Hall, and then to Tregolls on the outskirts of Truro.
I took the liberty of moving her school to the shores of Restronguet Creek and re-imagined it as St Feoca School for Young Ladies. I’d just finished describing the school with its chapel and tall tower when I encountered one of those spine-tingling moments. I thought to double check local schools and a photograph of a school called Polwhele House almost exactly matched how I had described St Feoca. It was uncanny, and very exciting. This photo is taken from the school’s website.
My story was beginning to take shape. I had the setting, the characters, and the theme. All I needed now was to put the school and its inhabitants in jeopardy.
Painted by Sally AtkinsThank you so much for inviting me onto your blog Morton. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to introduce The Cornish Rebel to your readers. xx
Well I’m hooked already! Your book sounds very intriguing. Mx
About Nicola Pryce
Nicola Pryce is published by Atlantic Books and is represented by Teresa Chris. She trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, loves literature and history, and has an Open University degree in Humanities. She is a qualified adult literacy support volunteer and lives with her husband in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. She and her husband love sailing and together they sail the south coast of Cornwall in search of adventure. It is there where she sets her books.
Nicola is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Historical Writers’ Association.
To keep in touch with Nicola, you can use the following links:
About The Cornish Rebel
Cornwall, 1801
In the wake of her mother’s death, Pandora Woodville has finally escaped her domineering father and returned to Falmouth. Bright with the dream of working at her Aunt Harriet’s school for young women, Pandora is shocked to learn the school is facing imminent closure after a series of sinister events has threatened its reputation.
Acclaimed chemist Benedict Aubyn has also recently returned to Cornwall, to take up a new role as Turnpike Trust Surveyor. Pandora’s arrival has been a strange one, so she is grateful when he shows her kindness. As news of the school’s ruin spreads around town, everyone seems to be after her aunt’s estate. Now, Pandora and Aunt Harriet must do everything in their power to save the school, or risk losing everything.
However, Pandora has another problem. She’s falling for Benedict. But can she trust him, or is he simply looking after his own interests?
Buying Links:
There are seven books in this series.
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Morton S. Gray news – all of my six Borteen Novels are now available on Kindle Unlimited! Details here
Summer at Lucerne Lodge – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Sunny Days at the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at Borteen Bay – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Truth Lies Buried – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Girl on the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
July 31, 2023
The Inspiration for Healing Hearts in the Little Village by Ella Cook
This week I have the pleasure of hosting Ella Cook, who also writes for Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books. Ella’s latest novel Healing Hearts in the Little Village was published on 25 July 2023 and I asked Ella to tell readers about the inspiration for the book …
Hey Morton, thanks so much for inviting me back to chat. I can’t believe it’s been 18 months since we last caught up!
Book Inspiration
So, it’s that question every author loves – and probably dreads a little bit: why did I write my latest book? What was it that inspired Healing Hearts?
Well, we’ll have to go back a little bit for that one, because this isn’t the first visit to my little made-up village of Broclington – although you don’t need to have read the first book to understand this one. The first book was called Summer’s Christmas, and quite simply I started writing that one because I love the magic of Christmas, and really wanted to see if that magic could last outside of the usual December season. So, I created a story, and a place, where it could.
Healing Hearts was a chance to go back to that little village that I loved creating so much, and to visit the characters there too, and check in and see how they’re doing – which was apparently a popular decision with some reviewers who are already asking for more! (Don’t worry, I’ve already started another, and have plans for at least a couple more after that! And yes, there will be sparkles, maybe a bit of magic, and definitely some four-legged (and maybe winged) friends in the future.
Oops, I’ve gone off on a bit of a teasing tangent there, haven’t I? Sorry! Back to the question: Why did I write Healing Hearts? Well, this story is very much one about hope and healing – about moving on from situations, and sometimes people, that weren’t good for our characters.
It’s an unfortunate truth that in this life bad things often happen to good people – so many of us have been in situations that just haven’t worked out the way we planned, and so many of us have been hurt and left feeling battered and scarred. Sometimes those scars are ones we can see: physical manifestations of pain – like Liv’s. Other times the scars people carry are emotional, and instead of moving more carefully to protect a broken wrist, they hold back from relationships to protect a battered heart like Callum does. So, what I wanted to do with Healing Hearts was write a story that could explore that journey of healing, of learning to trust again, and learning how to give yourself – and others – second chances.
And, because it’s me – there had to be some romance, love and a little sparkle of magic too. So obviously there’s at least one fairy.
But Healing Hearts isn’t just about Liv, and Callum – or even the families around them. It’s also about the community that makes up the village of Broclington. Like so many villages in the UK, unfortunately money from the local authority is being stretched, and some of the services are at risk of being lost. But this being Broclington, and the Macpearson family… well, there’s probably a plan up someone’s sleeve. And because it is me – and because I believe in love and hope above all else – there’s probably going to be a happy ending.
About Ella Cook
Ella’s been obsessed with books since the moment she could reach to pull them off the shelf by herself, and has wanted to write for as long as she can remember.
She grew up in London where fairies lived at the bottom of her Grandma’s garden, and she still looks for magic – and often finds it – in everyday life.
She won the SWWJ Floella Benjamin Award in 2019, and published her debut, BEYOND GREY with Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction in 2021. Her books are now published by Joffe Books, who won the IPG Trade Publisher of the Year in 2023. She doesn’t plan to stop writing any time soon.
When she emerges from her fictional worlds, she writes bids for children’s services and lives in Warwickshire (where there are probably more fairies) with her ever-loving husband who reads all her stories first and makes gallons of tea in magical cups that keep drinks warm for whole chapters.
You can find links to keep in touch with Ella on the following link https://linktr.ee/ellacookwrites
About Healing Hearts in the Little Village
One broken-hearted city doctor. A countryside surgery in need of a new GP. The perfect love story bound to get your pulse racing . . .
Dr Liv Emery is at her wits end. Her perfect life was within her grasp. Instead, she’s dealing with the fallout of being dumped by her long-term boyfriend in the cruellest way possible.
Then on top of everything else, a patient goes berserk on her. It’s the final straw, and there’s only one thing for it . . . A new start.
So she jumps at the chance to cover her former professor’s GP surgery in the Cotswolds and waves goodbye to the city. And good-for-nothing men.
Life in the village of Broclington is a far cry from London — and her cottage is a welcome change from her old shoebox flat. But her relief is short-lived after meeting her prickly boss Callum.
But perhaps he has his reasons . . . It’s not easy juggling being a single parent to a fairy-obsessed six-year-old while staving off bosses breathing down his neck about funding cuts.
The more Liv gets to know Callum and his daughter, the more she realizes she may be able to help them — and the village practice — more than she could have imagined.
But will her time in Broclington be the healing experience she so desperately needs, or could she end up heartbroken once again?
Fans of Beth Moran, Alison Sherlock, Cathy Bramley, Heidi Swain, Marie Laval or Lisa Hobman will fall head over heels for this cozy romance full of heart.
READERS ADORE ELLA COOK’S FEEL-GOOD ROMANCE:
‘A lovely feel-good book.’ Rosamond C. ‘Brilliant characters and a great insight into village life.’ Gill K. ‘A sweet story.’ Evangelia M.
Buying Links
Healing Hearts in the Little Village (Broclington Book 2 – don’t worry, it reads well as a standalone novel, although obviously I’d recommend starting with Summer!) Buy here
Summer’s Christmas (Broclington Book 1 – in case you missed it) Buy here
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Morton S. Gray news – all of my six Borteen Novels are now available on Kindle Unlimited! Details here
Summer at Lucerne Lodge – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Sunny Days at the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at Borteen Bay – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Truth Lies Buried – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Girl on the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
July 24, 2023
My Writing by Ellie Henderson
I am delighted to welcome Ellie Henderson to my blog this week to talk about her writing. Ellie’s first novel for Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books A Summer Wedding on Arran was published on 18 July 2023. Over to Ellie …
Thank you so much for offering me the chance to be on your blog to talk about my new book!
A Summer Wedding on Arran is my first book with Choc Lit and Joffe Books and I am thrilled to see it out there!
The idea for writing a book set on the Isle of Arran, which is off the west coast of Scotland, actually started as a project during lockdown. I love it there and was frustrated I couldn’t visit. So I sat down and started to write. The result is A Summer Wedding on Arran, a Christmas book which is set on Arran which is currently going through edits and a third book in progress!
This isn’t my first book, though it is a complete switch of genre for me hence the pen name, Ellie Henderson. I have written three crime/psychological drama books under my other writing name “L.E. Hill” after spending several years researching the role of women in crime fiction for my PhD. So writing romance books has been something completely different and unexpected! However I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
I’ve always written and loved hearing people’s stories which is why I probably began my career as a journalist many years ago. My route to publication has certainly been eventful, however I have learned so much along the way and perseverance and patience has been key. Working with Choc Lit and Joffe Books has actually restored my faith in publishing. The best bit has been the tasting panel and the feedback. (Note: Manuscript submissions to Choc Lit are sent to a panel of readers and their opinions are used to decide which books to publish). After all, writing books is for the readers and it’s great they are very much part of the publishing process. I have also learned so much from the editing process from Sarah Pursey. She has been a joy to work with and I am very grateful to her for all her input and advice.
I was born in Glasgow but have lived all over and spent eight years in London before moving to Dunbar, on the east coast of Scotland, where I live with my family. I do of course try and visit Arran whenever I can, keeping my fingers crossed that the ferries won’t be cancelled. When I’m not writing, my day jobs include running a social enterprise, Sharing A Story CIC, where we deliver creative workshops in the community for people at risk of social isolation and on a research project at Edinburgh University for people living with dementia.
To keep in touch with Ellie and hear about her latest books, or Lorna’s other work as L.E. Hill as you can use the following links:
Twitter: @elliehbooks and @lornaehill
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllieHendersonBooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliehbooks and https://www.instagram.com/lehillbooks
A Summer Wedding on Arran by Ellie Henderson
TRAVEL TO SCOTLAND FOR THE WEDDING OF THE SUMMER IN THIS TALE OF UNBREAKABLE BONDS AND UNFORGETTABLE ROMANCE.
Three sisters. One wedding. Infinite possibilities . . .
On the enchanting Isle of Arran, three sisters find themselves at Meadowbank Cottage, their childhood home. But it’s the first time they’ve been together since their mum died.
And now they’re back in Arran for the wedding of middle sister Emma.
Eldest Kirsty is juggling the responsibility for Meadowbank Cottage with an earth-shattering secret she discovers in the attic. She fears she’s beginning to lose herself . . .
Bride-to-be Emma is an ambitious lawyer living and working in Edinburgh. Far from turning into Bridezilla, she’s looking forward to a simple ceremony in a beautiful and meaningful place.
Meanwhile baby sister and wild one Amy lives in Vancouver. But the pull of home is becoming too enticing to ignore. She wonders if she should extend her trip to Arran, maybe even for good . . . And could her old flame James, who works at the whisky distillery on the island, be the person to convince her?
One thing is for sure: there’s going to be lots of laughter and buckets of tears along the way.
But how will the sisters come together when Emma receives some unexpected news?
Buying link here: https://geni.us/summer-arran-fbt
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Morton S. Gray news – all of my six Borteen Novels are now available on Kindle Unlimited! Details here
Summer at Lucerne Lodge – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Sunny Days at the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at Borteen Bay – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Truth Lies Buried – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Girl on the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
July 17, 2023
The Joy Of A New Start By Morton S. Gray
I absolutely love starting new stories. I just get a buzz from that feeling of having an unfolding kernel of an idea and characters forming in my head. This point where even I don’t know the story is just so exciting. I can’t wait for the lives of my characters to unfold beneath my pen or keyboard.
Some of you know that I have six published novels with Choc Lit Publishing, now an imprint of Joffe Books. I won’t tell you how many more unpublished novels in many different genres I have “under the bed” as they say.
I have always written in some form or other, be it poems, diaries or stories of varying lengths. I recently came across some poems I wrote when I was about twelve and my first attempt at a novel when I was fourteen. But life gets in the way sometimes and my writing was sporadic until I decided to take it more seriously in 2008. Even then, it took until 2017 for my first novel, The Girl on the Beach, to be out in the world.
In some ways those early days were the most enjoyable when I had no idea if I could actually write, when I was making new friends in the writing world, attending courses, being part of The Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers Scheme and was full of a seemingly endless need to put words onto paper. Having just been through a period of time with family issues that made concentration on writing difficult, I am now looking forward to a new chapter (excuse the pun).
So, today I sit at my desk with new ideas bubbling to the surface. Where will Mark Halladay and Bonnie Gilbert take me on my journey to get to know them and their story?
“Bonnie put her battered suitcase and overfilled backpack on the floor in the unfamiliar hallway …”
Wish me luck.
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Morton S. Gray news – all of my six Borteen Novels are now available on Kindle Unlimited! Details here
Summer at Lucerne Lodge – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Sunny Days at the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at Borteen Bay – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Truth Lies Buried – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Girl on the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
July 10, 2023
An Extract From The Girls Of Heatherly Hall by Julie Houston
Julie Houston returns to my blog today to share an extract of The Girls of Heatherly Hall published by Aria on 6 July 2023. Over to Julie …
I never for one minute imagined that a one-off conversation I had with the lovely lady who – literally – works to keep my own village’s houses clean and tidy would lead to not just one, but a trilogy of novels centred in my mythical village of Westenbury. There I was, facing a blank computer with very little inspiration for my next novel when, over a duster and a cup of coffee she shared with me the story of her trips. I assumed she meant holidays to begin with, but was amazed to learn she’d adopted and brought up three little triplet girls – born to her sister – from their birth.
This, then, was the catalyst for creating my own triplets – Rosa, Eva and Hannah Quinn – and the first novel: THE VILLAGE VICAR was published in January this year. I found I couldn’t let these girls go, and a visit to the Stonehenge Exhibition at the British Library, and an exhibit labelled The Jet Set, had me racing back north, my head full of the idea for the second novel in the trilogy. The Jet Set, (an ancient necklace and earrings made from the famous Whitby jet) and its disappearance, was to be central to this second novel but, with so many other things going on in the lives of my girls, the jet set story ended up being made, instead, central to the third novel: A WEDDING AT HEATHERLY HALL out in February next year.
So, what on earth were my triplets up to in this second novel, THE GIRLS OF HEATHERLY HALL (published 6 July 2023) that I had to move the Jet Set story to book three? In a nutshell, all three are settling in to managing Heatherly Hall – the stately home left to their care and management on the death of their birth father, Bill Astley – and juggling old, as well as fabulously new, love lives with rather gorgeous men. The following extract from this second novel still makes me laugh whenever I read it. Rosa, the vicar, is now in a relationship with Sam Burrows, the new village dentist and, still missing and yearning for her first love, Joe Rosavina, Rosa is finding Sam’s insistence on putting a ring on her finger, frankly too much to cope with. Rosa and Sam, together with Hannah and her lover, Ben are at a dinner party when late arrivals to the table turn out to be Joe Rosavina together with a new woman.
Extract from The Girls of Heatherly Hall …
‘Marry me!’ It appeared a command rather than a proposal.
Without waiting for an answer (she could neither get a word in or out, but instead uttered a bizarre little mewling sound, which he obviously took as consent) Sam took her left hand and, with some difficulty, slid the ring onto her third finger.
‘Sam, I…’ Rosa looked down at the huge emerald. She hated emeralds.
‘I know, I know, Rosa, I’ve probably rushed this, but I also know that, like me, you’ve been terribly hurt and don’t feel you can trust anyone again. I just feel that, together, we can…’
‘Righto, everyone.’ Daisy was obviously dying to be the one to break the news that the new village dentist had just become engaged to the new village vicar. ‘We appear to have some celebration to hand…’ She trailed off as Rosa shook her head furiously at their host, glaring and elbowing Daisy in a most unvicarly manner. Rosa shook her head once more. This was ridiculous; surreal even. She had a church service to take in the morning and the last thing she wanted was any rumour going round the village before matins was even off the ground, together with the accompanying shower of congratulations.
‘So,’ Daisy went on gamely, obviously unsure where to go next. ‘So, erm, let’s raise our glasses and celebrate the fact that Rosa and Sam have erm actually… erm… made it over the garden fence.’
‘They’ve come through the gate, not over the fence.’ Hannah laughed. ‘Come on, you two, you’re wasting valuable drinking time.’ She shifted herself and Ben down the long wooden bench attached to the garden table at which they were seated and proffered the bottle of wine in the ice bucket in front of them. ‘You’re not driving, are you, Rosa? Get your Holyhead – no, hang on, that’s the place you get the ferry across to Ireland – holy head off for once, and get stuck in.’
Holy head? Oh, hell, Rosa thought, Hannah was obviously well stuck into the alcohol herself.
‘Hannah, go and sit down before you fall down.’
‘Rosa, you’re not my mother. Off for a pee… Oh… for heaven’s sake…’ Hannah trailed off as Daisy leapt forward to welcome the two newcomers who were in the throes of apologising for their lateness.
Rosa placed her half-drunk glass of wine on the garden table and turned to where Hannah was staring across at the garden gate. She felt her heart pound, the blood drain from her face and her hands – the left, with its unwanted appendage, still firmly ensconced in her jacket pocket – grow sticky with sweat.
‘Sorry we’re late, Daisy.’ The woman drew a tanned, manicured hand through her short blonde hair, moved her sunglasses to the top of her head and pulled the man she was with to her side, before placing her arm through his. ‘This is Joe, Daisy. Joe Rosavina.’
Now that the latecomers had finally arrived, the guests were almost immediately ushered inside.
‘Come on, food’s ready,’ Daisy called. ‘Bring your drinks and sit where you want.’
Oh, where to sit? Rosa felt sick, thought she might be in the throes of a panic attack and, instead of sitting at the table where a basket of warm home-baked bread was already in the process of being handed round, headed for the upstairs bathroom. Once in there, she laid her burning forehead against the cold mirror and splashed water over her wrists. She tried to wrench off the damned emerald, which had now taken on the mantle of some sort of claustrophobic chastity belt, but it was mulishly going absolutely nowhere. Great stuff. Rosa reached for a bar of soap, ferociously rubbing and twisting until, miraculously, it was off, shooting like some sort of latter-day Apollo 11 into orbit through the bathroom and disappearing somewhere behind the soil pipe of the lavatory cistern.
‘Jesus… Sorry, Jesus, for the profanity. So sorry. But you know how it is. And don’t pretend you never got to swore – don’t forget how you turned over those tables in the temple on Palm Sunday.’ Rosa heard herself muttering and wondered if she was going mad. She got down on her knees, scrabbling round on the wooden floor, searching with her hands for the ring. ‘Come on, God, please, give us a hand…’
‘Rosa?’ Rosa froze and sat up as a loud knocking came at the bathroom door. ‘Are you OK? Who are you talking to?’
Rosa stood up, and unlocked the door.
‘What are you doing?’ Hannah slid through the narrow gap Rosa had allowed, before closing and locking the door once more. ‘Who are you talking to?’
‘God.’ Rosa closed her eyes briefly and got back down on her knees.
‘Rosa, I know you take this calling of yours very seriously – and that’s good – but for heaven’s sake, the food’s on the table: you don’t need to be praying to your boss, especially in the lavatory, for what we’re about to eat. Mind you, I’m not convinced Daisy would be wanting you to take grace back in the dining room; always a bit awkward when a couple of people have already dived in to the starter and then they have to put down their forks, bow their heads and look repentant…’ When Rosa didn’t say anything, but continued to scrabble about desperately behind the pipes, Hannah went on, ‘Joe, I suppose? Praying for the courage to face him? Come on, you’re going to have to come out and face him with this new girlfriend of his. She’s very attractive, isn’t she?’
‘Got it!’ Rosa’s fingers met something round and metallic and she pulled it in triumph towards her together with a ball of hair, fluff and a used tissue; it was pretty obvious Daisy Maddison didn’t rank alongside Sam in the high echelons of toilet cleaning. ‘Hell, that’s not it.’ Rosa fished out a large clip-on earring from the detritus in her palm.
‘What’s not it?’
‘Hannah, I’ve lost the ring.’
‘Which ring? Not your engaged-for-just-five-minutes ring? Not your I’m-not-really-engaged-sodding-great-emeraldring? Bloody hell, Rosa. Bit careless that, isn’t it? Looked to be worth a few bob too. Here, let me have a look. Shift over.’
Thirty seconds later, Hannah surfaced. ‘It must have gone down that hole.’
‘What hole?’
‘There’s a sort of huge mousehole in the floorboard right next to the pipe.’
‘You are joking!’
‘No, I’m not. Unbelievable you actually got it down the hole: you were always rubbish at Crazy Golf when Mum and Dad used to take us to that place in Filey.’
‘Rosa?’ Sam’s voice was at the other side of the bathroom door. ‘You OK?’
‘Just helping Hannah. She’s had a bit too much to drink.’
‘No, I haven’t,’ Hannah hissed crossly. ‘Don’t make out I can’t hold my drink. You’re supposed to be a vicar and not tell lies.’
‘I am a vicar,’ Rosa hissed back. ‘Won’t be a minute, Sam. Honest.’
‘Your ex is obviously wondering where you are.’ Rosa could almost see the pleasant, questioning smile Sam always adopted whenever Joe Rosavina was mentioned and she and Hannah pulled scary faces at each other from the safety of their position on the wooden bathroom floor, behind the locked door. ‘And actually, Rosa, I wanted to say you appear to be hiding the ring I gave you. Look, if it’s a problem, if you don’t want to wear it, just hand it back and I’ll put it somewhere safe. Really, not a problem, darling. It’s just that it was actually my grandmother’s and probably worth quite a bit…’
‘Shit!’ Hannah mouthed.
‘Holy shit,’ Rosa mouthed back.
‘Passive-aggressive,’ Hannah mouthed sagely.
‘What?’ Rosa mouthed back.
‘I said, “he’s obviously a passive-aggressive.”’ This time Hannah said the words out loud and she clamped a hand over her mouth.
‘Sam, I’m just helping Hannah. Won’t be a minute.’
‘Do you want me to get Ben?’
‘No, Sam, I’m fine, really. All tickety-boo,’ Hannah sang gaily. There was silence. ‘Has he gone?’ Hannah mouthed.
‘Dunno. Right, I’m going to have to confess what’s happened.’ Rosa rubbed tiredly at her face. ‘We’ll have to get a plumber in or something.’
‘Or a joiner? It’s not the pipes, it’s down the floorboards…’
About the author – Julie Houston
Julie Houston’s first three novels GOODNESS, GRACE AND ME, THE ONE SAVING GRACE and LOOKING FOR LUCY were all Amazon Humour #1 best sellers both here in the UK and Australia. LOOKING FOR LUCY hit the #1 best seller overall in Australia. A VILLAGE AFFAIR was the seventh most downloaded book of 2019 and has sold over 300 000 copies in ebook and paperback. She is published by Aria/Head of Zeus and book number eleven, THE VILLAGE VICAR was published in January 2023. Her twelfth novel, THE GIRLS OF HEATHERLY HALL, from which the above extract is taken, was published on Thursday, July 6th and the final book of the trilogy A WEDDING AT HEATHERLY HALL in February 2024.
Her seventh novel, SING ME A SECRET won the Sapere Books Popular Romantic Fiction Award in 2021.
Julie lives in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire where her novels are set, and her only claims to fame are that she teaches part-time at ‘Bridget Jones’ author Helen Fielding’s old junior school and her neighbour is ‘Chocolat’ author, Joanne Harris. After University, where she studied Education and English Literature, she taught for many years as a junior school teacher. As a newly qualified teacher, broke and paying off her first mortgage, she would spend every long summer holiday working on different Kibbutzim in Israel. After teaching for a few years, she decided to go to New Zealand to work and taught in Auckland for a year before coming back to this country. She now just teaches when the phone rings to cover an absent colleague, and still loves the buzz of teaching junior-aged children. She has been a magistrate for the past twenty-three years. Julie is married, has a twenty-eight-year-old son and twenty-five-year-old daughter. She runs and swims because she’s been told it’s good for her, but would really prefer a glass of wine, a sun lounger and a jolly good book.
She hates skiing, gets sick on boats and wouldn’t go pot-holing or paddy diving if her life depended on it.
She is published by HeadOfZeus/Aria and represented by Anne Williams at KHLA Literary agency.
You can contact Julie on Twitter @juliehouston2, on Facebook Julie Houston author, Instagram Juliehoustonauthor.
About THE GIRLS OF HEATHERLY HALL
Fans of Katie Fforde, Phillipa Ashley and The Vicar of Dibley will love this heartwarming and witty audiobook from Julie Houston.
Three devoted sisters… One complicated family.
After the untimely death of their biological father, triplets Eva, Rosa and Hannah find themselves the unlikely owners of Heatherly Hall, the vast manor house overlooking their home village of Westenbury. But the beautiful house comes with almost as much baggage as it does land, not least high running costs and expectations. It’s up to the sisters to find a way to keep Heatherly Hall going and, most importantly, in the family.
But with drama in their private lives and secrets about to emerge, can the sisters stick together to focus on the task at hand?
Published Thursday July 6th 2023 by HeadOfZeus/Aria
Buying Link : https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Girls-of-Heatherly-Hall/dp/B0C62KXR5Q/ref=s
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Morton S. Gray news – all of my six Borteen Novels are now available on Kindle Unlimited! Details here
Summer at Lucerne Lodge – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Sunny Days at the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at Borteen Bay – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Truth Lies Buried – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Girl on the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
July 3, 2023
Note of Thanks from Morton Gray
No guest post this week and so I wanted to take the opportunity of posting a note of thanks. Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the death of my mother. I never imagined how her passing would affect me.
There has, of course, been loads for my sister and I to do, paperwork, more paperwork and clearing her bungalow and sorting her possessions.
We finally handed over the keys to the new owners a fortnight ago. The probate process took ages. We had a horrible water leak at the property in December and I ended up visiting the bungalow more often than when mom was alive. That part of the process is now complete, but there are still many loose ends to tie, but it feels as if we are finally getting there.
I found myself getting annoyed with myself that I wasn’t writing during the year. Well that’s not true, I have been writing, but have seemed unable to settle on a project and flitted from thing to thing, starting loads and finishing none.
The support of family, friends and particularly writing friends had been fantastic during the last year. I’m not going to name names as I’m sure to forget someone and many of you will be unaware that you helped me anyway. It could have been as simple as a messenger message about something totally unrelated when I was feeling particularly low.
So a huge thank you to all of my friends and family.
I’m reading an advance copy of a soon to be published novel by Kate Ryder and a line jumped out at me this morning – Perhaps the time to heal has truly arrived.
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Morton S. Gray news – all of my six Borteen Novels are now available on Kindle Unlimited! Details here
Summer at Lucerne Lodge – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Sunny Days at the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Christmas at Borteen Bay – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Truth Lies Buried – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
The Girl on the Beach – Now available on Kindle Unlimited
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
