Morton S. Gray's Blog, page 14
February 6, 2023
Inspiration Plus An Extract From The Village Vicar by Julie Houston
I always find it fascinating to find out where fellow authors get their inspiration. Julie Houston’s story of where the seed for The Village Vicar came from is superb and after reading the extract, I’m heading straight over to Amazon to buy the book. Over to Julie Houston now to talk about inspiration and to share an extract …
As a writer, one of the big questions I’m often asked is “Where do you get your inspiration for the next book? How do you know what to write?” To be honest, at times, when I’m gazing blankly at an equally blank computer screen, and am off to make yet another coffee and find inspiration in the custard creams in the hope that something will stir in my brain and get me going once again, I’d be fully justified in answering: “I really don’t have a clue.” But then someone, quite out of the blue will say something, someone might tell me a funny story, something that’s happened to a distant cousin of theirs perhaps and the rusty cogs that is imagination begin to stir. A light bulb has gone on and I reach for that notebook.
This happened two years ago and, from one throw away comment, the first two books in my village vicar trilogy were written, and the third now well underway. So, I was chatting to someone in my own village and she started talking about the trips. The conversation went something like this:
‘Oh,’ I asked, ‘what trips are those? Where are you going?’
‘No,’ she said, ‘the trips!’
‘What trips?’
‘The triplets!’
‘Whose triplets?’
‘Well sort of mine.’
‘What do you mean, sort of mine?’
‘So, my sister had a – you know- a sort of one night stand and she ended up pregnant.’
‘Oh?’
‘And she had triplets – three baby girls. And she knew she was unable to care for them, so I took them.’
‘Took them where?’
‘Home with me.’
And she did. And brought up these three little girls who are now in their thirties. And on the strength of that one conversation, the idea for the Quinn triplets – Rosa, Eva and Hannah – began to stir. The following extract is from The Village Vicar (published January 19th 2023 by Head of Zeus) when Susan, Alice’s sister, and Susan’s husband, Richard find a very pregnant Alice in Paris, determined to give up the triplet babies she is expecting, for adoption at their birth.
An Extract From The Village Vicar
‘I’ll ask if they can stay together.’ Alice said almost crossly.
‘Like starting at high school?’ Richard murmured. ‘You know, can the best friends from junior school be put in the same class?’
‘I’m sorry.’ Alice was resolute. ‘I can’t just demand they be kept together. Who would want to take on three brand-new babies?’
‘Me,’ Susan shouted. There were pinpricks of red in her otherwise white face. ‘Me. I’ll take them. I’ll adopt them. I’llhave them. Richard and I will have them.’
‘Hang on a minute, Susan…’ Richard’s head had shot up and he was shaking it in confusion. ‘How are we going to cope with four children all of a sudden? You’d have to give up work. We’ve only got three bedrooms.’
‘I’m happy to give up work,’ Susan shouted. ‘I want these babies. They’re my family. And, Richard, we’re thinking of moving. You know we are.’
‘Only if you were carrying on working. A bigger mortgage and three extra kids to bring up? Jesus, think of the nappy bill, the shoe bill, the university bill…’
Richard rubbed a hand over his eyes before reaching for the pack of Gauloises, shaking a cigarette from its depths and lighting it, drawing smoke long and hard into his lungs.
‘I didn’t know you smoked, Richard.’ Alice eyed her brother-in-law through the plume of smoke ascending towards the nicotine-painted low ceiling where it joined the by-product of a thousand other cigarettes smoked at the table.
‘I don’t,’ Richard said, glaring at Alice, before reaching for Susan’s cold hand and squeezing it tightly.
I absolutely loved writing The Village Vicar and knew, once my girls had gone off to Rachel, my editor at Head of Zeus, that I just couldn’t let them go. There were unanswered questions, unfinished affairs and, as this first book had concentrated on Rosa, the vicar’s, story, I wanted both Eva and Hannah to have a book of their own as well. The Girls of Heatherly Hall – out July 6th 2023 – continues Rosa’s story but also concentrates on Eva as well.
The third novel in the trilogy, The Jet Set of Heatherly Hall – out early 2024 – was again inspired by a totally random one liner that I happened to come across at the exhibition of Stonehenge at The British Library last year: The Jet Set. The Jet Set at Stonehenge?? Was there an upmarket group of neolithic ravers wearing gold bling and crossing the channel to holiday in St Tropez? I was mesmerised. Turns out the Jet set was a set of jewellery made from the famous Whitby jet (right up my street writing about Yorkshire) and the idea for book three of the trilogy was born.
About Julie Houston
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-two years. Julie is married, has a twenty-eight-year-old son and twenty-five-year-old daughter and a ridiculous Cockerpoo called Lincoln. 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.
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 her eleventh novel THE VILLAGE VICAR published in January 2023. The follow up to The Village Vicar – The Girls of Heatherly Hall is out July 2023. Her seventh novel, SING ME A SECRET won the Sapere Books Popular Romantic Fiction Award in 2021.
You can contact Julie on Twitter @juliehouston2 and on Facebook Julie Houston author.
About The Village Vicar
Three devoted sisters… One complicated family.
When Rosa Quinn left her childhood home in Westenbury, she never expected to return over a decade later as the village vicar. But after a health scare and catching her boyfriend cheating, Rosa jumps at the chance to start over and live closer to her triplet sisters Eva and Hannah.
But Rosa’s isn’t the only old face in the village, and when her role in the parish throws her into the path of her ex, she begins to wonder if she’s made a terrible mistake. Meanwhile, Eva and Hannah face their own troubles, as secrets about their family threaten to emerge.
Can Rosa make a life for herself in Westenbury? Or will the sisters discover you can’t run away from the past?
THE VILLAGE VICAR, out just two weeks ago, has already reached over 100 reviews on Amazon. It can be bought in ebook, paperback and eventually audio on Amazon, Kobo, Apple and through Waterstones.
Thank you for your story and the extract, Julie. You certainly have me hooked and I’m off to buy the book. Mx
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.
Summer at Lucerne Lodge published as an eBook, paperback and audio download too – Amazon Check on my Choc Lit author page for other purchasing options here
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio, paperback and large print – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.
Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.
Christmas at Borteen Bay is available as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.
The Truth Lies Buried is available from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also a s a paperback and audiobook.
The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.
January 30, 2023
An Extract From Waiting For Our Rainbow by Victoria Cornwall
It is always lovely to feature friends on my blog and this week it is the turn of Victoria Cornwall. We talk online almost every day and have done for years, so I can’t wait to read her new book, Waiting For Our Rainbow. Today Victoria is going to share an extract from the book which is released on 31 January 2023 by Choc Lit Publishing.
I am delighted to return to Morton’s blog and share an extract of my latest release Waiting For Our Rainbow. It’s been almost three years since my last release, but I have not been idle. I spent some of that time researching and writing about WW2, which I find both fascinating and humbling. Waiting For Our Rainbow is set in Cornwall and tells the story of Anne and Joe, an American soldier who has been sent to England to train for the largest amphibious military assault in history, more commonly known as D Day. Inspired by recalled memories, newsreels, photographs and advice from historians, their romance has to navigate cultural differences, fears, prejudice and war at a time when society is learning that they are stronger working together than holding on to what drives them apart. I do hope you enjoy the extract below, where Joe, an American soldier, is resting on his makeshift bed remembering his arrival in Cornwall and the moment he first saw Anne.
Extract from Waiting For Our Rainbow
Joe rested the back of his head in the crook of his arm and stared at the ceiling above his head. The roof joist creaked in the rising wind, giving the impression it had a life of its own as if it was a resting animal waiting to take flight on a stronger current. For now, it was biding its time, thought Joe, just like all the soldiers who’d made the town hall their home.
His battalion had been stationed in the southwest of England for two weeks now, each company efficiently billeted to a variety of scattered buildings located in the villages and towns throughout Cornwall. Vacant village and town halls, hotels and church halls, their previous use didn’t really matter – if it had the capacity, they were accepted and quickly transformed into temporary homes.
They’d arrived in crowded trucks to a surreal international welcoming party of free doughnuts, hot drinks and jelly sandwiches. He’d jumped down from the truck and followed the crowd, which appeared to be gathering around two focal points. As he’d waited for his fellow soldiers to take turns in collecting their refreshments, his gaze had wandered over the organised chaos of overdressed, travel-weary men, corralled into a small square of a quaint English town. Eventually it had been his turn and he’d found himself reaching for a chipped mug while staring at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Primal lust had been the last thing he expected to experience as he waited to taste the bitter tannin of lukewarm English tea. Up to that moment he’d thought the idea of falling head over heels in love with someone at first sight was ridiculously corny, but love and lust weren’t too far apart and he’d felt something akin to the latter if not the former. Suddenly it didn’t seem quite so crazy after all. He’d always believed that one would need something more before that allusive emotion of love raised its head. Yet, after seeing her, he knew it could be possible to feel something without even a single word exchanged. It wasn’t love, of course. He wasn’t even sure if he was capable of feeling any type of love, having not experienced much since his mother’s early death.
The woman had been preoccupied, attending to another soldier, when he’d taken his mug of tea and jelly sandwich from her. He didn’t mind; it gave him the opportunity to watch her face at close quarters. She reminded him of Ingrid Bergman, with her honey-brown hair, soft curls and arched eyebrows. Her lips were full and curved in a shy smile, while her sweeping lashes framed soft, blue eyes. For those few short moments, he was oblivious to everyone else around him.
He had retreated away from the crowd to eat his sandwich and sup his tea. He continued to watch her, hoping she would eventually see him. She didn’t. He realised that unless he spoke to her, he would remain just one of many, as her pretty smile, rather than the food she was serving, drew a horde of men around her. Her friend called out to her by name. Anne. The name suited her. Very British. Very feminine. Very classy. On any other day he would have asked her out on a date, but it was hardly the right time. She also didn’t look the type of woman that would flirt with a stranger and he kind of liked that too. He would need to speak to her first and gain her trust. Now, during a short, crowded refreshment stop, before being transported to their new home, wasn’t the right time to do it.
Eventually Frank had nudged him out of his thoughts to tell him it was time to leave. They’d climbed back into the truck and Joe had ensured he sat near the tailgate so he could still see her. He hoped she would look over in his direction and, finally, as if she’d heard him silently calling her, she’d lifted her gaze and their eyes met. It felt like he’d just hit a home run. The moment had been fleeting. The truck was already on the move and soon he’d be out of there. What could he do? They were too far apart to speak and from the enquiring look on her face she’d caught him staring. All he could do was say goodbye and hope that should they meet again, she would remember him favourably. So he had casually saluted as a soldier was drilled to do.
Now, looking back on it, he could kick himself for being so corny…
About Victoria Cornwall
Victoria Cornwall is a traditionally published author of seven historical novels, one poem and several short stories. She was twice nominated for the RONE BEST INDIE OR SMALL PUBLISHED BOOK AWARD by InD’tale magazine. She also reached the finals for the NEW TALENT AWARD at the Festival of Romantic Fiction and the RNA’s JOAN HESSAYON AWARD. In 2021 she was a finalist in the R.N.A.’s 2021 GOLDSBORO BOOKS HISTORICAL ROMANTIC NOVEL AWARD.
Victoria grew up on a farm in Cornwall and still lives in the county today. She is married, with two grown up children and three adorable grandchildren. She likes to read and write historical romance with a strong background story, but at its heart is the unmistakable emotion, even pain, of loving someone.
Social media and website links
Website: www.victoriacornwall.com
Twitter: @VickieCornwall
Facebook: www.facebook.com/victoriacornwall.author
Instagram: www.instagram.com/victoria_cornwallx
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3hTR1yuAwJUbFyj0k9P4eQ
Pinterest: uk.pinterest.com/vickiecornwall/
Newsletter:- http://eepurl.com/cFrw0D
About Waiting For Our Rainbow
Waiting for our Rainbow is a WW2 romance set in Cornwall. It is released initially as an eBook on 31st January, 2023 and will be available on all digital platforms. It will be available in print and audio format by the following month. For updates regarding future releases, please subscribe to Victoria’s newsletter (see above) so she can let you know.
Would you give your heart away if you knew it could only end in goodbye?
It should have been a time of romance and excitement for Anne – but it’s 1941 and the war is raging. So instead, she spends her days repairing spitfire wings and reminding herself that the real sacrifice is going on far away from her Cornish village.
When the news breaks that America has entered the war, it brings cautious hope to Anne and her family. And eventually, as the Jeeps filled with GIs roll in, it seems their little community is to play a pivotal role in the next stage of the fight.
But the Americans don’t just bring Hollywood glamour and optimism, they also bring something more tantalising – so when Anne meets handsome Joe Mallory, she has to remind herself of exactly why he’s there; that any relationship between them could only end in goodbye.
But is the inevitability of ‘goodbye’ powerful enough to stop what has already begun to blossom?
Book buying links
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BPDC858B/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i6
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BPDC858B/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i6
IBooks https://books.apple.com/gb/book/waiting-for-our-rainbow/id6445001570
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/waiting-for-our-rainbow
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Victoria_Cornwall_Waiting_for_Our_Rainbow?id=p5igEAAAQBAJ
Wishing you every success with Waiting For Our Rainbow, Victoria 
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.
Summer at Lucerne Lodge published as an eBook, paperback and audio download too – Amazon Check on my Choc Lit author page for other purchasing options here
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio, paperback and large print – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.
Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.
Christmas at Borteen Bay is available as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.
The Truth Lies Buried is available from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also a s a paperback and audiobook.
The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.
January 23, 2023
Where I Write by Ally Sinclair
This week I’m joined by author and friend, Ally Sinclair. Ally has just released a new novel, A Season For Love published by Hera and she is going to tell us about where she writes. Over to Ally …
Where I Write…
I have written in various places over the years. Public libraries, coffee shops, with a laptop balanced on my knee in bed, but I always end up, rather boringly, back at my desk in my office.
There’s just something about sitting at a desk that tells my brain that it’s time to get on with some work now, more effectively than any other set up.
Which is still only marginally effective. I am cursed, or blessed, with a thoroughly scattergun brain, so even sitting at my desk with a strong intention to work my attention can wander a million miles from the task in hand. My current favoured distractions and looking at houses in Edinburgh – where I do not live -, on Rightmove, and playing online poker, very badly indeed.
The room itself though is one of my favourite places in the house. It’s the box room real. You know the deal – the estate agent lists the house as having three bedrooms but the third bedroom is more a generous cupboard than a useful living space. It was the first room we decorated when we moved in, nearly twenty years ago, partly because it’s so tiny that it seemed the most easily achievable and partly because the decor we inherited was a piece of carpet that didn’t fit and a wet patch where the previous owner had kept a broken washing machine.
Initially my husband and I were going to share the office. I was still working full time out in the world, so we were going to have a shared study. On that basis I did have to allow him to veto my plan for a bright pink feature wall, but I won the argument for purple. And within about a year any pretence that we shared the space had been abandoned and my tiny purple writing room was born. And I’ve written here ever since. I’ve completed a degree and a Post Grad teaching qualification in this room, and written four of my own novels, three novellas, and my sections of two co-written Juliet Bell books.
And you can tell where I’m up to in my current novel-in-progress by the state of the office. I try – sometimes unsuccessfully – to tidy when I finish a book, and then the room descends into greater and greater disarray as I get closer and closer to the deadline. Sometimes to the point where part way through the edits, I abandon the office altogether and occupy the dining table.
Asides from intermittent failures in tidiness, I’ve pretty much got my writing space to the point where it’s perfectly adapted to my needs. Its dainty size means that nothing is ever out of reach. I’ve got one wall all but covered in white boards for the all important ‘distractedly noodling with an idea’ bits of writing, and in front of my desk, next to the window I have three shelves which house not only my own books, but books by writing students and editing and mentoring clients.
I’m ridiculously proud of every last one of those books. My own are there to remind me that I can do this. And the others remind me that when fixing your own book is just too tricky, you can always offer to fix somebody else’s instead. Other people’s books are so much easier to sort out.
The latest book to arrive on my author shelf is A Season for Love, which you can read all about below.
And nearly twenty years on from the first time I set down to write in this room, I’m finally wondering if it’s time to redecorate. Maybe this time I can have that shocking pink wall…
About Ally Sinclair
Ally grew up on the North Yorkshire coast and now lives with her husband in Worcestershire, at least until she can persuade him to give into her yearning to live somewhere nearer the sea. No kids, no pets. She sometimes manages to keep a pot plant alive. Briefly.
She has been writing professionally since 2013, and is also published as Alison May and, in collaboration, as Juliet Bell. Ally is a former Chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and currently works as an associate lecturer for the Open University. Ally writes joyful, inclusive stories with love and romance at the heart.
Ally loves to hear from readers. You can find her on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter as @MsAllySinclair, on her YouTube channel @AlAllyAlison All Ally’s links are here: https://linktr.ee/allysinclair
Ally’s latest novel, A Season for Love is out now https://www.herabooks.com/books/a-season-for-love-ally-sinclair
About A Season For Love
Can old-fashioned courtship survive in today’s dating world?
When Emma Love’s mother retires, it is time for her to take the reins of the family dating agency and build on its success. And she has a fresh new idea: to host a Jane Austen-style Regency Season of glamourous events where potential lovers can actually take the time to get to know each other in person, with no apps in between.
As the round of glamourous social events begins, we meet some of Emma’s new clients, and see her matchmaking skills in action.
Annie, who has a romantic soul but believes she lost her chance at love a long time ago; recently divorced Jane, who is not quite ready to see what her new love life might look like, and wild child Lydia, who is more interested in hooking up than finding her Mr Darcy.
All is going swimmingly but as the Season unfolds, there is a fly in Emma’s ointment – the irritating Mr Knight, with his casual attitude and gentle cynicism. Why is she allowing him to ruffle her calm, ordered life and why can’t she stop thinking about him? She has no intention of becoming romantically involved herself, of course; she is far too sensible to take a chance on love – isn’t she?
Jane Austen meets Sophie Kinsella in this laugh-out-loud, captivating romantic comedy. If you love Julia Quinn, Lex Croucher or A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting, you’ll love this!
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/180436312X
Apple, Kobo, Waterstones, Hive: https://www.herabooks.com/books/a-season-for-love-ally-sinclair
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.
Summer at Lucerne Lodge published as an eBook, paperback and audio download too – Amazon Check on my Choc Lit author page for other purchasing options here
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio, paperback and large print – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.
Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.
Christmas at Borteen Bay is available as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.
The Truth Lies Buried is available from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also a s a paperback and audiobook.
The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.
January 16, 2023
Legacy by Morton S. Gray
I’m in a thoughtful mood this week. The impact of my mother’s death last year has led me to reflect on many things and I thought that today I would share my thoughts on the subject of legacy.
Having to sort through my mother’s belongings has made me realise what I want to concentrate on leaving behind myself. The things we have valued most from my mother’s bungalow have been precious little things, usually with little monetary value – photographs (although I wish more were labelled), dad’s love letters, artwork and crafts that mom created.
She also kept an autograph book, whose entries date from her teens to the present day in which she would ask friends and family to write sayings and poems. It is a lovely idea and leaves a lasting record. Many of those who wrote in the book have also now died. My mother wrote her memoirs before she suffered with dementia. These handwritten notes will need to be typed up but I haven’t been able to face this as yet.
So how has this experience of sorting mom’s things changed me? I too have embarked upon what I’m calling the legacy project. It will of course mean typing up mom’s memoirs, but I’m also going to write my own. I have begun sorting through things I’ve kept and weeding out the things I no longer need or value. I’m also trying to organise my precious things into a more ordered state.
I have traced our family history for many years now, but I doubt family members would make much sense of my random jottings and files, so I want to write these up too and maybe have enough copies made for family members to have.
I have stressed to my sons that they only need to keep things of mine that mean something to them, the rest can be sold or sent to the charity shop.
My novels, stories and poems and any others that I publish in the years to come will of course leave a picture of me too. When one of my sons said to me the other day, “You always say …”, I realised I will leave another sort of legacy, one of remembered thoughts and values, as indeed has my own mother.
I think it is human nature to try to learn from an experience and I have the intention this year of beginning to sort out my legacy. I have shared these thoughts today in case it prompts you to do the same.
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.
Summer at Lucerne Lodge published as an eBook, paperback and audio download too – Amazon Check on my Choc Lit author page for other purchasing options here
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio, paperback and large print – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.
Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.
Christmas at Borteen Bay is available as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.
The Truth Lies Buried is available from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also a s a paperback and audiobook.
The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.
January 9, 2023
My Pets by Sue Kittow
I have known Sue Kittow for many years online and so am delighted to welcome her back to the blog to talk about her debut novel The Rescue written as S L Rosewarne.
Thanks so much for inviting me onto your blog, Morton! Life has been really busy before, during and after publication of The Rescue, my debut novel, which now sits alongside my other books which are the Walks in the Footsteps series of literary themed Cornish walks books.
I’ve chosen to talk about pets I’ve owned, as The Rescue is written by my last terrier, Moll, and is a fictitious account of how she helped me when my husband died, and my journey through grief and a variety of second chances, which became third, fourth and fifth chances.…
My first cat arrived when I was 11 and we went to a friend’s goat farm where we met the friendliest tortoiseshell kitten. She’d been orphaned, brought up by a Labrador and loved everyone, including the goats, so she was always getting under everyone’s feet. I fell in love with her, and after a lengthy session of, “Oh please, Mum,” we ended up taking her home. We called her Minnie and despite giving birth to a litter of kittens when she was little more than a kit herself, she proved a great mouser, and a wonderful addition to the family. She lived till she was 19 and was the sweetest natured cat, always keen for a walk in the rain.
My next cat belonged to Sandra, a friend who became a pilot and got a job for 6 months flying in Papua New Guinea. Obviously, she couldn’t take Cyd (named after Cyd Charisse, because she had stunning legs) so I said I’d look after her. 6 months turned into 18 months and by the time Sandra came back, Cyd had decided she was staying with me. We had an uncomfortable conversation about parental rights…
I can’t remember the amount of times we moved house, but Cyd also lived till she was 19 and I was distraught when she had to be put down due to kidney failure.
A while later, a friend found two kittens who needed rehoming at the local vet, and so Buster, a black and white thug, came to live with us. He, too, lived till he was 19 but his path crossed with the arrival of my first dog, Mollie, who came into our lives as a hopeful cure for my husband’s depression. It worked, I’m glad to say, and Moll helped us through his subsequent cancer diagnosis, though she wasn’t able to save him from his later illnesses.
Still, Moll brought a huge amount of joy to our lives, and she kept me going after Pip died. She was a feisty, stubborn, strong minded terrier with great charm, and she had no scruples about using it.
When she died, I didn’t know what to do with myself. But a week later, a friend met Lainy, a Romanian rescue looking for a home. I was told of her background- that she’d been found on the streets, taken to a kill shelter, and a charity brought her over here. But her problems began with her first home. They didn’t understand her needs, and as a result she grew very frightened and started biting, so she was removed. She found a wonderful home with a very experienced person who was able to calm her fears and train her well. But sadly this lady was diagnosed with terminal cancer, so Lainy was up for adoption once more. She went to a foster home, but chased their cat and was frightened of the husband and teenage sons, so she couldn’t stay there.
And so she came to me. Lainy’s time here has been challenging- if I’d known what she was like, I wouldn’t have taken her on, for I had no experience in rescues. But two years on, I am glad I did. She is incredibly affectionate, very clever and loves learning. Yes, she still has a long way to go, but she is very much a part of my life.
About Sue Kittow
I write contemporary women’s fiction with an underlying theme which can be overcoming grief, second chances, living with anorexia, dealing with a nervous rescue dog – everyday dilemmas that many of us face.
I hope that by sharing my experiences, wrapped up in characters that have grown from my imagination, you may laugh and cry with us, and enjoy reading how they overcome their troubles.
My other books are my series of literary Cornish walks – Walks in the Footsteps of Poldark, Daphne du Maurier, Cornish Writers and Rosamunde Pilcher, also available via my website.
To find out more use the following links:
Website – www.suekittow.com
Twitter – @floweringpot
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/suekittow2016
Instagram – @walks_cornish_author
About The Rescue
When my husband died, I desperately wanted some reassurance that I wouldn’t feel like this forever. That there was life – and love – after loss. The Rescue is that book, but written by Moll, Suki’s best friend, who tells how she helped rebuild their life, and made sure Suki was happy.
I’m writing the sequel, Lainy’s Tail, now….
When terrier Moll’s owner dies, she is determined to protect his widow, Suki. As Suki navigates grief, dating and men with baggage of their own, Moll tries gently to push her beloved owner to moving on with someone Moll has chosen, with a good sense of humour, a generous heart, and a steady supply of biscuits.
All Sue’s books can be bought from www.suekittow.com
And Amazon… The Rescue will be available via Amazon as a paperback and for Kindle from 11 January 2023.
I was so sad when Moll died, so this is a lovely way of honouring her memory. I wish you every success with the book. Mx
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.
Summer at Lucerne Lodge published as an eBook, paperback and audio download too – Amazon Check on my Choc Lit author page for other purchasing options here
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio, paperback and large print – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.
Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.
Christmas at Borteen Bay is available as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.
The Truth Lies Buried is available from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also a s a paperback and audiobook.
The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.
January 2, 2023
Happy New Year!
I hope that this message finds my blog and my novel readers well, or at least improving as I have heard of so many who have had Covid or other viruses over the Christmas period. I’m just about to take down my decorations. I will miss the sparkle.
Happy New Year to you all!
We have had a very quiet and at times contemplative Christmas. I guess it was always going to be strange to celebrate my first Christmas without my mother. We have our delightful grandson to distract us and he played that roll very well. He’s not quite walking, but it won’t be long…
Crochet continues to enthral me and I have started a new blanket after making my son a cactus for Christmas.
I haven’t set any new year resolutions this year. I can very easily go off on a guilt trip without them, lol. I am working away in the background on my own writing with two new series taking shape in my head at least.
My blogging calendar is filling up with new and returning guests. Over the next few weeks, we have Sue Kittow, Alison May, Victoria Cornwall, Julie Houston, Angela Sims and Rose Amberley to look forward to.
Lets’s hope 2023 is a kind year to us all!
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.
Summer at Lucerne Lodge published as an eBook, paperback and audio download too – Amazon Check on my Choc Lit author page for other purchasing options here
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio, paperback and large print – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.
Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.
Christmas at Borteen Bay is available as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.
The Truth Lies Buried is available from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also a s a paperback and audiobook.
The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.
December 19, 2022
A Summary of a Blogging Year 2022
My last blog of the year and I wanted to thank readers for all of the support and comments. I truly hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
For my family Christmas will be a mix of emotions, we will on the one hand be enjoying our one-year-old grandson and on the other missing my mom who passed away earlier this year. There are lots of happy and funny memories to draw upon, but I guess I will inevitably shed a few tears.
I have been a very active blogger this year with 50 blogs published and 40 of those were guest author features! These are all still available on my blog feed if you would like a read. I thought I’d list the authors featured below.
Gina Hollands, Ella Cook, Joanne Boden (x2), Helena Dixon, Angela Barton, Kirsty Ferry, Marie Laval, Georgia Hill, Luisa A Jones, Jenni Keer (x2), Vicki Beeby (x2), Julie Houston, Liz Harris, Caroline James, Berni Stevens, Ella Gyland, Claire Sheldon, Shelley Wilson, Eva Glyn, Helen Yendall, Carol Thomas, Helga Jensen, Chris Penhall, Nicola Pryce, Bella Osborne, Anni Rose, Lynn Forth, The Apricot Plots Authors, Angela Barton, Celia Anderson, Kate Ryder, Suzanne Snow, Hannah Pearl, Victoria Walker, Kirsty Ferry, Angela Britnell and Juliet Archer.
Gina Hollands
Ella Cook
Joanne Boden
Helena Dixon
Angela Barton
Kirsty Ferry
Marie Laval
Georgia Hill
Luisa A Jones
Jenni Keer
Vicki Beeby
Julie Houston
Liz Harris
Caroline James
Berni Stevens
Ella Gyland
Claire Sheldon
Shelley Wilson
Eva Glyn
Helen Kendall
Carol Thomas
Helga Jensen
Chris Penhall
Nicola Pryce
Bella Osborne
Anni Rose
Lynn Forth
Celia Anderson
Kate Ryder
Suzanne Snow
Hannah Pearl
Victoria Walker
Angela Britnell
Juliet Archer
Morton S GrayI’m looking forward to blogging in 2023 and I’m already sorting out my schedule. If you are an author and would like a slot then please get in touch.
I haven’t published a new book in 2022, but Christmas at the Little Beach Café was issued in large print and is actually currently available for Kindle at 99p – link here. Let’s see what 2023 brings…
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.
Summer at Lucerne Lodge published as an eBook, paperback and audio download too – Amazon Check on my Choc Lit author page for other purchasing options here
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio, paperback and large print – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.
Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.
Christmas at Borteen Bay is available as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.
The Truth Lies Buried is available from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also a s a paperback and audiobook.
The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.
December 12, 2022
An Extract from Hope, Mistletoe and a Christmas Promise by Juliet Archer
My guest this week is Juliet Archer, author of Hope, Mistletoe and a Christmas Promise for Choc Lit. Juliet is going to tell us a little bit about herself and share an extract from her latest book. Over to Juliet …
Thank you for inviting me onto your lovely blog, Morton – and a Happy Christmas to you and all of your readers!
I’m Juliet Archer, and I write contemporary romance for Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction. I’d like to tell you a little about myself and my latest novel, Hope, Mistletoe and a Christmas Promise –where two people discover the real meaning of Christmas, aided and abetted by a six year-old.
As with many authors, my writing has to fit around other priorities such as family, friends and work. So why, with such a busy life, do I put myself under pressure to write stories and share them with the big wide world? I think there’s both a ‘push’ and a ‘pull’ going on here. The ‘push’ is that words have always fascinated me. As a child, I spent a lot of time scribbling stories and doing word puzzles. Even today I can rarely resist a crossword or Wordle challenge! Also, for years I studied languages, where the focus is often on finding the ‘right’ word or phrase to translate the original text. The ‘pull’ is getting positive feedback from readers and reviewers – it makes me want to write the next book!
I tend to write when and where I can, rather than in a set place. My day job is full on and doesn’t lend itself to a writing routine – although I do get up early and that’s often when I fit in some writing.
In the summer, I enjoy escaping to our garden room (think ‘large shed’) for some peace and quiet and birdsong. Except it’s not very conducive to writing scenes of conflict!
Extract from Hope, Mistletoe and a Christmas Promise
Here’s an extract from Hope, Mistletoe and a Christmas Promise, showing the heroine, Pip, having a bit of a ‘wobble’ moment. She’s just arrived in Hong Kong and she’s had an early dinner at her hotel with her old friend Tara – and Shelby, the six-year-old that Tara’s nannying.
However, once they’ve gone home, Pip can’t help dwelling on her loneliness ever since her fiancé Darren dumped her. And a phone call from her brother Jack makes her long to be back in England. But only briefly – because, deep down, our heroine is determined to put her holiday in Hong Kong to good use and move on with her life.
“When Tara and Shelby had gone, she had the bill added to her account and got into one of the lifts. Her finger hovered over the button for the fifteenth floor, then pressed the one with “20” on it. She would explore the gym, and the rooftop pool; she didn’t feel like going to sleep just yet.
The gym was empty – it was a Saturday night, after all – but there were about twenty people in the pool area, including a family with three young children splashing vigorously. Pip stretched out on a lone sun lounger well away from everyone else, and drank in the view of Hong Kong Island. The coloured lights were spectacular, even if the most prominent ones were company logos marking their territory. Hardly surprising. “Made in Hong Kong” had always been the stamp of a shrewd business community exporting cheap manufactured goods across the world. Shrewd – and, judging by the logos, adaptable. With “Made in China” taking over on the manufacturing front, Hong Kong seemed to have become a flourishing financial centre.
Her curious gaze travelled over the people around the pool. Mainly couples on pairs of sun loungers and wearing white hotel bathrobes, as if flaunting their intimacy and highlighting her single-ness. And then the family of five, dominating the small pool and marginalising the elderly swimmer striving to complete her lengths target. It seemed to Pip that she was watching some of her life goals pass her by: a partner, children, being someone who mattered to a handful of other lives beyond her mother and brother. The sense of loss cut deep – not just of Darren himself, but of the children they’d never have together; and of herself, the person who could never be the same again … She was thirty-three and back to square one. Huh, more like square minus one, because of the additional baggage.Thanks for that, Darren.
Back in her room, all these thoughts gnawed at her as she got ready for bed. It was like standing on the edge of an enormous void. Even her vague notions of how she would spend the next two weeks had evaporated. She rummaged in her case for the pristine guidebook, and prised it open at a random page. Maybe she would let chance be her itinerary every day.
On the bedside table, her mobile shrilled; it was Jack, and she answered it instantly. ‘Everything okay?’
‘I was going to ask you the same question.’
At the sound of his voice, a longing for home gripped her. Not so much the place as the people: the family she’d been born into, a cradle of love and trust where unseen beliefs and bonds were forged, a stronghold built to be tested later in life. If only she’d called Jack and Mum when Tara was with her, let them know she’d arrived safely and used Tara as an excuse to keep it short and sweet. Now her defences were down and her sense of self-worth at its most fragile.
She adopted a bantering tone, fending off the urge to burst into tears. ‘I landed bang on time, several hours ago. If you’re only phoning now, you can’t have been too worried.’
‘True.’ A deep, rich chuckle. ‘Actually, I’ve only just got up – otherwise I’d have tried you earlier. And I’ve got three missed calls from Mum, probably because she wants to ring you but she’s worried she gets the time difference wrong.’
Pip glanced at the clock: back in England it would be almost midday. Jack’s girlfriend Alicia normally came to stay with him for the weekend from Hampshire, where her high-flying job was based. When Pip had moved into Jack’s cottage on the fringes of Ramsbottom, she’d discovered exactly how he and Alicia spent their Saturday and Sunday mornings: the bedroom door stayed firmly shut until lunchtime. Even worse, whatever happened behind that door turned Jack into a besotted idiot. Oh, it was great to see him in such a good place in his life; but somehow it rubbed salt into the very raw wounds of her break-up. After the first weekend she’d made a point of going out early, as if it was a school day …
Jack was saying, ‘How’s your holiday so far?’
‘Well, I’ve an amazing view, and the hotel’s rather luxurious. But other than that it’s a bit of a let-down.’ She let out a pained sigh. ‘I was hoping to see Tara on her own, do some catching-up, except we had Shelby tagging along – that’s the dysfunctional six-year-old she’s looking after. Although, to be fair, the poor kid’s an orphan and being raised by her guardian, who sounds like a monster.’
‘We were dysfunctional children once, remember? After Dad died.’
She copied some of Tara’s briskness. ‘You were fifteen and I was twelve, hardly children. And we were probably dysfunctional anyway at that age.’
He laughed. ‘Speak for yourself, I was always perfectly behaved.’
‘Yeah, right.’ Her smile faded as she recalled her brother’s – and her own – angry incomprehension at their father’s suicide. But she couldn’t afford to be reminded of that time; not here, among strangers, with her one friend seemingly unavailable. Especially as she was meant to be dealing with a more recent trauma.
Deep breath. ‘Say hi to Alicia and tell Mum I’ll ring her tomorrow.’
‘Will do.’
‘And Jack––’
‘Yes?’
A pause; then, ‘Being on my own … well, it’s worse than I thought it was going to be.’
‘Want to come home? You can just hop on the next plane, you know.’
Something wedged in her throat; she swallowed, hard, and felt it shift slightly. ‘It’s – thanks, but I have to stay … I will get through this.’
After the call, she lingered over the view from her window in all its night-time brilliance, unsettled by this alien land so far from home. There must be other people out there, just like herself – trapped in their twinkling towers (real or imaginary), feeling lost and lonely.
But nothing was for ever, as she was well aware. The new day would dawn, for her and all the others, promising respite from the darkness and the hope of a better life.”
About Juliet Archer
Juliet Archer writes award-winning romantic comedy for Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction. She has been known to spend many happy hours matching irresistible heroes with their equally irresistible chocolate counterparts – watch out for the dark nutty ones!
Her debut novel, The Importance of Being Emma, won the Big Red Read Book of the Year 2011 Fiction Award and was shortlisted for the 2009 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance. Her second novel, Persuade Me, was shortlisted for the 2011 Festival of Romance Best Romantic Read Award.
Juliet was born and bred in North-East England, and now lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and temperamental cat. She has two grown-up children, one in London and one in the USA, and has recently discovered the joys of grandchildren. Her non-writing career has spanned IT, company acquisitions, marketing and project management.
Find out more about Juliet here
Website: www.julietarcher.com
Twitter: @julietarcher
Facebook: @julietarcher77
About Hope, Mistletoe and a Christmas Promise
When a Christmas promise becomes hard to keep …
Pip Smith knows she owes it to her family to hold on to the festive traditions that have been a comfort since the year everything changed – but this Christmas she’s going to need a miracle to keep everyone in her life happy.
After she’s dumped by her fiancé, an invitation to visit a friend in Hong Kong in the run-up to the festive season seems to offer Pip the perfect escape – and she’ll be home for Christmas, of course. Except her escape ends up becoming far more complex than she intended, when she becomes involved with arrogant American Ryan Hawke and his niece, Shelby – a little girl whose most heartfelt Christmas wish is for a proper family.
Will Pip keep her Christmas promise – or will it be more of a compromise, with the help of a little hope and mistletoe?
To buy the book use the following links:
https://www.choc-lit.com/dd-product/hope-mistletoe-and-a-christmas-promise/ (all formats) or https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BL3W4NYV (Amazon only).
Other Books by Juliet Archer all available on Amazon.
One Summer Weekend (Book 1 about the Smith Family) The Importance of Being Emma Persuade Me
Thank you, Juliet. I love the cover of your new book. Mx
If you are very quick, you might just catch my Christmas book, Christmas at the Little Beach Café at the bargain price of 99p – link 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.
Summer at Lucerne Lodge published as an eBook, paperback and audio download too – Amazon Check on my Choc Lit author page for other purchasing options here
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio, paperback and large print – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.
Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.
Christmas at Borteen Bay is available as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.
The Truth Lies Buried is available from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also a s a paperback and audiobook.
The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.
December 5, 2022
Catch-Up With Morton S. Gray
A catch-up blog from me this week. I told readers on 31 October 2022 that I would be taking part in the annual NaNoWriMo writing challenge to write 50,000 words in the month of November. What I didn’t tell you was what a big deal this was for me, because after losing my mom at the beginning of July I’d found it very hard to write anything. I won’t say it was easy this time, but I did it – I wrote over 50,000 words in the thirty days of November! Yipee!
This was my ninth time of achieving this challenge, which has led to several of my published novels. To be honest, it was just good to be writing again and I’ve carried on since, not at such an intense pace, but writing every day which makes me very happy.
Christmas is fast approaching and I put up my outside tree yesterday. The inside ones will have to wait until I can find a gap to put them up, but all the things I need are down from the loft. Our grandson, eldest son’s son, is one on 13 December (where did that year go?) and youngest son returns from university on 17 December, so I can tell already that things are going to get hectic.
If you are very quick, you might just catch my Christmas book, Christmas at the Little Beach Café at the bargain price of 99p – link here. That book is also now available in large print – link here, which is very exciting as it’s my first large print title. I’ll include the blurb below.
Look out for Juliet Archer, author of Hope, Mistletoe and a Christmas Promise published by Choc Lit on my blog next week.
I hope that your arrangements for the festive season are progressing well. Mx
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.
Summer at Lucerne Lodge published as an eBook, paperback and audio download too – Amazon Check on my Choc Lit author page for other purchasing options here
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio, paperback and large print – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.
Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.
Christmas at Borteen Bay is available as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.
The Truth Lies Buried is available from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also a s a paperback and audiobook.
The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.
November 28, 2022
Where I Write by Angela Britnell
My guest this week is Angela Britnell, who is going to tell us about her fantastic writing room and about her new book release, delightfully titled, A Little Christmas Panto. Over to Angela …
It’s always a pleasure to be invited to chat on your blog, Morton and isn’t it hard to believe we’re less than a month away from Christmas? This year we should even have a white one as we’re going to visit our middle son and his family in Colorado – our other two sons and their families will also be there so for the first time in almost four years we’ll be together again – it’s truly the best Christmas present I could have.
I hope your readers are as inquisitive as me and might like to join me for a peek into my writing space. We only moved into our house three years ago, and the day we came to view it I stepped into the entrance hall, glanced over to the left of the front door and said – ‘That’s mine.’ I loved the shape of the room, especially the unusual window and knew it would make the perfect office. I was determined to snatch it up before my husband thought of a better use for the room! I love that it looks out onto the street so there’s always something going on if I want to be distracted.
As I started to pull the room together, I focused first on practical things like the desk, computer, printer etc but then began to fill it with objects that bring back special memories to me, others that are an inspiration to my writing and some that simply make it a more attractive space to spend a lot of time in. So, on my desk you’ll find these beautiful wood carvings brought back from Kenya by my son who was a missionary there for a while.
On one of the two bookcases you’ll see several old books that belonged to my mother, along with a picture of her as a young girl, taken by a professional photographer in her Sunday best coat. Alongside that is one of my late father with a group of his army colleagues, during the Second World War.
The other bookcase has what started off as one shelf of my books and magazines I’ve had short stories published in, but has now quite wonderfully spread onto a second shelf.
Another shelf shows off all of my Poldark books (I’m a huge fan and old enough to remember the first television series – several of the books are from that vintage), along with other books connected to Cornwall – some bought simply for pleasure and others for research.
On the walls I’ve got family pictures, along with one of my first ever book signing all the way back in 2006 and some Cornish prints. Two of my favourites are these of my three sons in their school uniform from when we lived in London for three years back in the 1990s – one is an official school picture but the other was amazingly created out of clay and then painted by a friend at the school and given to us when we left.
I think the best way of ending up is with showing you something I found in a gift shop in Mousehole, Cornwall. As soon as I saw it, I couldn’t possibly leave it there because it reminds me every time I start a new story what my readers expect!
Thank you again for indulging me, and I wish all of your readers a happy and peaceful holiday season and all the best for the New Year.
I now have writing room envy! Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas too! I do hope you are going to see a pantomime! Mx
About Angela Britnell
Angela grew up in Cornwall, England and returns frequently from her home outside of Nashville, Tennessee to visit family and friends, drink tea and eat far too many Cornish pasties!
A lifelong love of reading turned into a passion for writing contemporary romance and her novels are usually set in the many places she’s visited or lived on her extensive travels. Thanks to almost four decades of marriage to her wonderful American husband she’s a huge fan of transatlantic romance and always makes sure her characters get their own happy-ever-after.
She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Her first novel ‘Truth and Consequence’ was published in 2006 and she’s now had over 40 novels published internationally and multiple short stories in women’s magazines.
To follow Angela and her writing you can use the following links:
Facebook : www.facebook.com/angelabritnell
Twitter : www.twitter.com/angelabritnell
Instagram : @AngelaGolleyBritnell
About A Little Christmas Panto
My latest book, A Little Christmas Panto, was released at the end of October and is centred around a Cornish pantomime.
Can a little Cornish village panto convince a troubled Hollywood heart throb to act again?
Oh no it won’t! At least that’s what Zach Broussard initially thinks when the eccentric Anna Teague tries to railroad him into helping out with her community pantomime production in the run-up to Christmas. Zach has his reasons for leaving Hollywood behind, and his retreat to the remote village of Polcarne in Cornwall signals the start of a new acting free life for him.
But when Zach meets Anna’s daughter, Rosey – an ex concert pianist who has swapped Mozart for panto tunes – he starts to wonder whether he could change his mind, and not just about acting.
If nothing else, will the residents of Polcarne ensure Zach has a Christmas he never forgets?
Oh yes they will!
Buying link for A Little Christmas Panto https://mybook.to/alittlechristmaspanto
About A Cornish Christmas at Pear Tree Farm
I also have another Christmas book, A Cornish Christmas at Pear Tree Farm, it was published last year but is now recently available in paperback, as well as the original digital and audio versions.
Pairing up at Pear Tree Farm in time for Christmas …
Pear Tree Farm in Cornwall, owned by the kind-hearted Nessa Vivian, is known for taking in lost souls, and ex-soldier Crispin Davies is certainly one of those. But the once sleepy caravan park is now a thriving business, and far from the peace and quiet Crispin was craving, he soon finds himself roped into helping out with a short-notice Christmas festival, organised by Nessa’s force-of-nature sister, Lowena.
But despite Crispin’s initial reluctance, his involvement in the festival serves to throw him together with Ashley Spencer, an American woman and fellow lost soul, who works at the nearby Tregereth House. Could Lowena’s ambitious scheme result in a more hopeful Christmas and New Year for them both – with a few surprises along the way?
Buying link for A Cornish Christmas at Pear Tree Farm https://tinyurl.com/3nubjuvh
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.
Summer at Lucerne Lodge published as an eBook, paperback and audio download too – Amazon Check on my Choc Lit author page for other purchasing options here
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio, paperback and large print – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.
Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.
Christmas at Borteen Bay is available as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.
The Truth Lies Buried is available from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also a s a paperback and audiobook.
The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.
