Morton S. Gray's Blog, page 24

Three Lesser Known Facts About Me – Helena Dixon

Helena Dixon joins me on my blog this week to reveal three lesser known facts about herself! Helena is currently writing a series of cozy crime novels, the latest is Murder in the Belltower. She is part of a group of writers who have kept me sane during the last year with weekly Zooms, so she will always have a special place in my heart. Her sage advice about writing and life is invaluable and it’s great to get to know even more about her with this post. Over to Helena …

Lesser Known Fact One

I have severe dyscalculia. I cannot remember or retain numbers. I see them jumbled up or back to front. I don’t know my own phone number or car registration. I struggle to read a digital clock or use a calculator. I have poor spatial recognition and have difficulty following directions. I cannot visualize distances and don’t know my left from my right without making the L with my thumb to decide. Dates and times are difficult and as for remembering birthdays etc, well, let’s just say I am not your woman.

I rely heavily on my calendar and diary. I have only ever used an ATM twice in my life and only acquired a mobile phone last year. I rarely make or receive calls on it, I use it for messaging and as a camera. Dyscalculia is part of a group of disorders carried genetically, dyslexia and dyspraxia are also carried on the same gene. I don’t have dyslexia, but I am quite dyspraxic.

Lesser Known Fact Two

One of my passions is architecture. I love buildings and the impact the built environment has on people. I love church and cathedral architecture and studied it at A level. I’m fortunate to live in the UK where there are buildings that go back thousands of years.

The human story of the people who made those buildings and lived, died and worshipped in them is absolutely fascinating. I use a lot of this passion in my writing. My favourite period is the Georgian era when they seem to have really understood the dimensions of space. I highly recommend the Avoncroft museum which has a fascinating selection of buildings and a brilliant collection of telephone boxes and exchanges.

Lesser Known Fact Three

My faith is very important to me and is central to the way I live my life. I don’t believe that going to church every Sunday makes you a Christian anymore than standing in a garage once a week would make you a mechanic. For me, faith is a living thing. It’s about your service to others and your care and regard for those around you and your own personal spiritual journey.

Faith is a deeply personal thing and has to be discovered by the individual. Not religion, but faith. Everyone has their own beliefs. It’s what makes us all human after all. What it should never do is divide us. Instead, it should bring us together. The central tenet of all the worlds faiths commands us to Love one another. That to me means love in accepting our differences, finding the positives and doing our best to forgive, accept and support our fellow humans. I rarely speak about my faith, I don’t feel that I should need to. I hope I can live it instead.

Thank you for sharing the above with us, Helena. Absolutely fascinating. I also love buildings, especially ecclesiastical ones. My belief systems, even though I don’t give them a particular label these days, are also important to me and I applaud yours. Mx

About Helena Dixon

Helena Dixon

Helena Dixon splits her time between the Black Country and Devon. Married to the same man for over thirty-five years she has three daughters, a cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and housework. Her addictions of choice are coffee and reality TV.

She was winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 and Love Story of the Year 2010 as Nell Dixon. She now writes historical 1930’s set cozy crime.

Nell enjoys hearing from readers and you can read her news and contact her via her website at https://www.nelldixon.com, visit her blog at http://www.nelldixonrw.blogspot.com, find her on Twitter @NellDixon and friend her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nell-Dixon/228642037151856

About Murder in the Belltower

Kitty Underhay’s hymn book is open… at murder.

Winter, 1933. Kitty Underhay is enjoying a restorative break from sleuthing on a visit to her family at Enderley Hall. The only thing marring her peace – aside from the uncomfortable sensation she has of being watched – is the obvious history between her beau, ex-army captain Matthew Bryant and another guest, the beautiful Juliet Vanderstafen. So, when the parish clerk is found dead on her front doorstep, Kitty leaps at the chance of distraction.

The police are happy to conclude that Miss Plenderleith met her unfortunate end on a patch of ice, but Kitty isn’t convinced this was a case of bad weather and worse luck. And when the Reverend Crabtree fails to show for tea the next day, she heads to the church to speak to him. But she arrives to find the clergyman hanging from the bell rope, dead.

With Matt seemingly wrapped up with his alluring Austrian, Kitty must solve the case on her own. But as she snoops into parish affairs, she makes some less-than-saintly discoveries. Just who has broken the sixth commandment? Meanwhile the killer is preparing a churchyard grave for Kitty, and she’ll have to use all her wits to avoid falling in…

Buying Link https://t.co/qivg75A3qj

To learn about the other books in the series check out Helena’s website at https://www.nelldixon.com

Thank 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.

International Bestseller Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.

Bestseller 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.

Memories of Childhood Holidays by Janice Preston

This week I’m joined on my blog by good friend and author, Janice Preston. Janice has just published The Rags to Riches Governess for Mills and Boon. I will include my own review of the book at the end of the post.

Over to Janice to tell us about her childhood holiday memories …

Thank you for inviting me onto your blog to talk about my memories of childhood holidays, Morton.

My mind has been in the past a great deal of late, as I lost my Dad at the end of November. We made a start on sorting out his home and that, of course, included a number of photo albums as well as boxfuls of loose photographs, which triggered so many happy memories. Knowing I was to write this post, my plan was to return to Dad’s bungalow after the New Year and pick out a few photos to illustrate this post (and, if I’m honest, to trigger even more memories).  But the best laid plans… of course, lockdown 3 came along and so now I am limited to using the few photos I already have at home. Please excuse the quality – no digital photos in those days!

As a family, we went on holiday every summer without fail, usually a beach holiday in Devon or Cornwall until, as time went on, my older sister (Pat) and I grew out of building sandcastles and we graduated to places like the Lake District (where I remember our Windermere hotel had a magnificent Pyrenean Mountain dog – I had never seen one before) and the Isle of Wight, often accompanied by our yellow labrador, Jason.

We never did go abroad as a family – Jersey was the furthest afield, and I remember my great excitement as we set sail on the ferry! I was probably 5 or 6 at the time. We went with another family, and my abiding memory of that particular holiday was of my Dad driving us four kids to the beach in a Morris minor convertible with the sun shining and the roof down while we sang The Quartermaster’s Stores at the top of our voices. Our family were never renowned for our singing abilities, so heaven knows what the locals thought! 

Many of those holidays have merged into one in my memory – flashbacks to beaches, sun, sand, picnics, windbreaks and deckchairs, candyfloss and vinegar-drenched fish’n’chips in newspaper, swallowing salt water and getting sand in unmentionable places, playing in the waves, hunting for crabs in rock pools, getting stung, buckets and spades – Dad always built us fantastic sand cars, and we loved to sit inside and pretend to drive.

But one early holiday does stand out in my memory, although not for the best of reasons! We’d booked a holiday on a farm near Perranporth and, as an animal nut, I was sooo excited. Pat and I made friends with the farmer’s kids, and they showed us the hay loft where there was a litter of kittens, we collected eggs, and played on a rope swing that hung from a tree. Strangely, I can’t recall cows or sheep, although there were clearly cows there as, one morning, breakfast was very late and, when it came, consisted of tea and toast rather than the full English we’d become used to. And this breakfast was served by the farmer himself – his wife had run off overnight with the cowman! We found ourselves packing our bags that day and searching for somewhere else to stay.

One of my favourite holidays as I grew older was Butlins at Pwllheli, in North Wales. Mum and Dad loathed it, but Pat and I loved it and spent most of our time at the roller-skating rink, and the disco in the evening. I remember being most put out the day our parents decided we should walk up Snowdon rather than stay in camp! I have no doubt I sulked, although I do recall the sense of achievement when we reached the top. 

Mum and Dad were both Geordies, having grown up in South Shields and we loved to spend some time during the holidays there, travelling up by train from London where we lived. We used to take the lift down the cliffs to Marsden beach, where Marsden rock squatted like a huge fortress in the bay. You can see the rock in the postcard – the sea had eroded tunnels beneath it that you could swim through, but going into the sea was more of an endurance test than fun – the sea was always perishingly cold, even in the summer! Sadly, the rock itself has now collapsed. 

It was at South Shields where I rode a horse for the very first time (apart from rides on the beach). Although it was over 50 years ago, I still remember Coffee (see photo), and clinging on for dear life as we jumped up a bank to get to the hills next to the riding school. I’ve had a lifelong love of horses, and even a kick from a Dartmoor pony on one Devon holiday didn’t put me off!

When I finally get the chance to look through those family photos, I am hopeful they’ll trigger many more happy memories. Thank you, Morton, for giving me the excuse to revisit my childhood and to remember my parents as they used to be before the years took their toll.

About Janice Preston

Janice Preston writes emotional and sensual historical romance. Although all her novels are standalone reads, she loves to write stories set in the same Regency world, and many of her books include book-hopping characters.

When Janice isn’t writing she enjoys reading, swimming, pottering about the garden when the sun is shining, and travelling whenever she can. She fuels her imagination with endless cups of coffee, is far too keen on unhealthy food, and is an expert procrastinator.

Social media links

Website – www.janicepreston.co.uk

Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/janice.preston.author

Twitter – @JaniceGPreston

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/janicegpreston

About The Rags to Riches Governess

From impoverished governess…

…to wealthy heiress

Governess Leah Thame learns she’s inherited a fortune the day her employer, the enigmatic Earl of Dolphinstone, returns from abroad. They share an instant connection, but in order to claim her inheritance, Leah must resign and find a husband. The guarded widower offers a convenient marriage to stop her leaving, but Leah refuses. She won’t marry the man who’s captured her heart, unless there’s a chance of her love being returned…

Buy Link – https://books2read.com/R2RGoverness

Morton‘s Review of The Rags to Riches Governess

5 Star – Janice Preston’s writing is polished and rather than just reading a story, you are transported back to the Regency era. As a shy person, I can so easily put myself in the position of the heroine of this story, Leah. I could see myself being unmarried in my early twenties and having to earn a living as a governess! The author is also good at depicting attraction between the hero and heroine, and the sex scene – ooo la, la! Lord Dolphinstone is attractive and fanciable, but his past makes the story more interesting and believable. I also love the dog, Wolf and the children. Can’t wait for the next book in this series!

Thank you for sharing your childhood holidays, Jan. What lovely photographs. So sorry about your dad, but it sounds as if you have a wealth of lovely memories … Hugs. Mx

Thank 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.

International Bestseller Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.

Bestseller 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.

Flowers Heal the Soul – Georgia Hill

I’m joined by good friend and author Georgia Hill this week as she talks about gardens and her new book Janey Trelawney’s Year of Surprising Triumphs. Over to Georgia …

I’m delighted to be back on Morton’s blog and, as my next book is based in a garden centre, I’m equally delighted to accept her suggestion to talk all things gardening.

Flipping through my Chambers’ Dictionary of Quotations in desperate inspiration for title ideas, I came across the quote, ‘Flowers heal the soul.’ At least I think I did. Trying to find it again to see who said it, I failed. It’s quite possible I dreamed it! Whatever the case, it’s true. 2020 saw a lot of us all turn to our gardens as a source of solace, that’s if we were lucky enough to have one.

The first hard lockdown was made slightly easier by the gorgeous warm weather we enjoyed. The skies overhead bloomed an unpolluted blue, clear and hopeful. Just as well as the news was most definitely not.

Gardens have always been important places for me. Somewhere to unwind, de-stress, to re-connect with the natural world. I’ve moved house many times, so much so, friends complain I’ve filled up the ‘H’ page in their address books! Each house came with a garden of some description.

A rented flat in Upton-on-Severn came with a walled garden and a decaying Victorian orangery – magical. I seem to have bought houses which, for various reasons, didn’t have established gardens. A new-build had an unassuming triangular patch which I cheered up with a white lavender and clematis on the fence which faced the sun. I’m fond of white flowers; I like their purity and freshness against the green. I was inspired by the tranquillity of Vita Sackville-West’s White Garden at Sissinghurst when I visited some years ago. Someone once told me that to leave your mark on this world, you must have a son, write a book or plant a tree. So, in the shady part I planted a Japanese acer and filled in with ferns. Having written several books, I’ve now achieved two of these goals but the horse has bolted on the first!

I planted the other bed with cuttings donated by a work colleague including some geraniums which flowered endlessly. I’ve forgotten the name of them and have been looking for some ever since! This was my first garden and, although tiny, I loved it. I’d parade around examining for new growth. One of the things I love about gardens is searching for the changes each season brings. The waxy green of snowdrop shoots pushing through the frozen earth of January, the hopeful spring bulbs, the scent of summer bedding plants, the frost hoar making leaf shapes magical. I had a stressful job when I lived at that house and the garden was my sanctuary.

The house we moved to next was a hop kiln and barn conversion in the middle of rural Herefordshire. An agricultural building, it had never been a home and so had a patch of bumpy turf for a garden. I had to create a garden from scratch – again! We inherited an unlovely laurel hedge which I dug up to create more planting space. However, planting anything was challenging. Most of our garden had once been the farm’s central yard. Digging a hole meant going through layers in time, like in an episode of the Time Team. A layer of dodgy topsoil, tarmac, builder’s rubble,  finally uncovering the original farmyard of stout Victorian cobbles.

It was hard work, not helped by the natural soil being heavy clay. I gave up in the end and contented myself with pots! Again, I planted lots of white flowers including an evergreen clematis, a beautifully scented lilac and a white rose which trailed through some honeysuckle over an arch. The rose rejoiced in the name Wedding Day and filled spring evenings with a sweet aroma. Unfortunately, for such a romantically-named plant, it had thorns of the very devil so pruning meant taking your life into your hands!

I created a tranquil space with some running water, a clematis Montana (white of course) and potted up hostas. I’m very fond of hostas. I love the sculptural quality of their leaves. Sadly, so do slugs, against which I waged war. 

Again, after spending a long day cooped up in an over-heated classroom or an even more heated meeting, the garden became my refuge. I spent many happy hours watching the wildlife – dragonflies, butterflies, once a swarm of bees. The garden was popular with birds and I had a much-visited bird table. We also had the fattest squirrel in Herefordshire, recognisable by the flash of white on its head and a round tummy. Swallows and house martins swooped overhead, swifts would scream past and I once watched a pair of buzzards teach its youngster how to fly. The skies were big and clear and, as the garden faced south, it enjoyed sunrises and spectacular sunsets. The night, due to the lack of light pollution, was heavy with stars. We used the garden a lot. We ate outside, I worked there when it was too hot to be inside and it was the perfect reading spot. I still miss that garden. It was a very special place.

When we moved south, it was to a little cottage with a sliver of decking-covered back garden. The even tinier front garden, however, delighted us with a flowering cherry tree, several camellias and an unknown white flowering plant which may or may not have been a philadelphus. The cottage was in a pretty Devon village and taking the dog for a stroll in the summer evenings was a sensory delight. Even though I didn’t have much of a garden myself, I could enjoy the hard work of others. 

Moving, yet again, found us in another new-build. I never committed myself to the house and could never think of how to plant up the garden. Maybe the two were connected? It was a boring square of turf which sloped slightly downwards. Its only redeeming feature the stupendous sunsets and the butterflies which swarmed.

The next move found us here, in an arts and crafts house in a town and on a busy corner, with a weirdly-shaped wraparound garden and a magnificent wisteria.

This time I inherited a garden and for the first time, I had a year of watching as its delights unfolded. It’s clear this house and its garden has been much-loved. A previous occupant must have been a skilled planner as we have something in flower each season. Even now (I’m writing this at the beginning of January) the low winter sun spears the narrowest part and illuminates a dog wood planted in the perfect spot to catch its rays. My favourite flowers, snowdrops, are poking up snouts and unbelievably, thanks to Devon’s mild climate, I already have a solitary daffodil in flower. 

The only downside – there’s no planting space left! I aim to stamp my own presence by painting a wall white and potting up something colourful to create a Mediterranean feel to the patio. We have a resident robin and a blackbird family and some plump woodpigeons but most birdlife is scared off by the gulls which roost noisily on the roof. I’ll introduce some running water, some pots of hostas and, once again, it will be a haven – for me and whatever wildlife chooses to visit.

Thank you for the lovely post, Georgia. Having visited the hop kiln, I know it was a lovely place. Wish I could visit your latest garden – maybe one day fingers crossed. Mx

About Georgia Hill

I write short stories for women’s magazines, novellas, epic historical romances – and some really bad poetry! I love writing romcoms but my passion is for historical romance with a contemporary twist – to read and to write. I’ve written for Harper Collins since 2013. They have published Millie Vanilla’s Cupcake Café, The Little Book Café, While I Was Waiting – a WW1 historical romance and On a Falling Tide, a historical romance set in Lyme Regis. I have a nasty habit of moving house. It’s disrupting to a writing career but being the outsider can be a rich vein for inspiration. I love local history, myth and folklore and these often find their way into my writing. I have now settled in Devon with my two beloved dogs, a husband (also beloved) and a ghost called Zoe. For someone born in the midlands, living by the sea is bliss.

To keep in touch with Georgia Hill you can use the following links:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/georgiahillauthor?ref=bookmarks

Twitter https://twitter.com/georgiawrites

Website www.georgiahill.co.uk

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/georgiawrites/

About Janey Trelawney’s Year of Surprising Triumphs.

The book is, very loosely, based on the Doris Day film Calamity Jane. Janey is the eccentric heroine who is forced to rethink her lifestyle when Graham, the work colleague she loves, falls for the uber-groomed Becky.

I needed a profession for Janey, one that she could excel at because, even though she doesn’t think twice about what she looks like, I needed her to be a confident expert in something. As gun slingers are few and far between in romantic fiction, I made her into head gardener at Cheney House Garden Centre instead. It seemed the perfect occupation. I also needed her to be passionate about something. Snowdrops have fascinated me for years; they command a devoted following called galanthophiles.

A dear friend, who is no longer with us, pointed me in the direction of some websites and articles about snowdrops and the book was born. I wrote a blog about the flowers which formed the basis of one of Janey’s blogs but writing the actual book was delayed by other things. By that time, the idea of a sexy but unshowy accountant hero had come along, as had making Janey a film buff. There’s a lot of me in Janey, perhaps too much! I’m a Doris Day fan and, although not exactly a galanthophile, snowdrops are my favourite flowers. I’ve also been known to do the odd dance under a tree (Janey loves dancing under the chestnut trees). And, like Janey, I can’t fathom the modern concept of painted on caterpillar eyebrows but removing body hair from everywhere else! 

For Janey, Cheney House and its gardens becomes her refuge from a difficult adolescence. For her, flowers really do heal the soul. Her ultimate sanctuary is her garden shed where her snowdrop project is based. When the conniving Becky takes over as manager, it’s much-needed. By the way, if your interest in snowdrops has been piqued, you can read the fascinating history of their cultivation in the book, Galanthophiles:160 Years of Snowdrop Devotees. It’s well worth a look.

For those who love my Berecombe novels, this one is set in Bereford, the Devon village further up the River Bere and features some beloved Bercombe characters. It should be out sometime in the early spring, to hopefully coincide with the first of the snowdrops.

Buying and contact links:

Amazon

UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Georgia-Hill/e/B003VMVXN2/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1429883769&sr=1-1

US – http://www.amazon.com/Georgia-Hill/e/B003VMVXN2/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Cant wait to read this one! Mx

Thank 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.

International Bestseller Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.

Bestseller 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.

What I love about my Garden – Ella Cook

I’m joined this week by Ella Cook – her first novel for Ruby Fiction, Beyond Grey is published this week. Over to Ella to tell us what she loves about her garden …

First off, the thing I love most is… that I actually have one now! I moved to the Midlands for university and at best what we had in the student housing could be described as a shared yard – that was mostly concrete. Our first home was a 70’s maisonette. That was a little better as we had our own outdoor space – but it was entirely paved with slabs, though we did lift a few and plant in the gaps.

We bought our house a couple of years ago – along with a mini-jungle out in the front, and back garden that had sadly been ignored for too long. It’s taken a lot of time, and we’ve still work and a lot of learning to do – but we’re getting there! Like the house, it’s an ongoing project, but I love what we’ve achieved so far.

We’ve installed an all-weather pagoda and purple slate patio – which gives me somewhere to sit and write in all but the coldest of weather, which I adore, and we’ve replaced the leaky pond (after carefully rehoming all the residents!) with a raised rockery.

I’m really lucky to have a garden room, which is one of my favourite places to write. It’s sunny and warm in summer, and we’ve recently had it insulated, so should be good in winter too. It’s got a comfy old couch, and a gorgeous desk made by my husband and Dad.

Our semi-rural location means we get lots of amazing wildlife, and good views of the sky – perfect for bird and star watching! We get a huge variety of wildlife including couple of dozen different bird species – some of which are sadly endangered now. I even have my own personal flock of starlings who nest under the eaves, a fearless robin who will cheerfully kick the starlings off ‘his’ feeder whenever he feels like it, and a very cheeky blackbird who has nested in our shed AND our bathroom vent. We also have wrens, sparrows, pigeons, doves, blue, willow, great and coal tits, goldfinches, warblers that we hear but don’t see, and I’ve even caught a woodpecker out there. And yes, a lot of our regular visitors have names!

We’ve also had baby field mice, who were so little their eyes weren’t open. So, we gave them a drink, fed them, and took them to a local wildlife rescue where they were ‘nested’ with similar aged babies and released later.

It’s a wonderful little garden that’s partly ours, and partly being made into a safe space for wildlife – complete with wildflowers (they’re not weeds if they’re where I want them!) running down the back of the rockery, and a few old gifts from relatives who sadly never got to see it. There’s a lot of things in the garden which mean a lot to me, like the rose that was named for my Mum, the pure white calla lilies that took me back to my Grandmother’s garden the moment I saw them, and the purple campanula that grew all along the walls of Nan’s house. We were planning to have the lawn lifted, levelled and re-laid – but with Covid, we decided to put it on hold, and try sowing the lawn ourselves. For two novice gardeners, there’s been some real learned curves – but we think we’re getting there. Slowly. But that’s half the fun of gardening, isn’t it?

Next year, we’re hoping to see apples from the little saplings we’ve put in, and I might even try my hand at some beetroot and butternut squash… but for now, I’m waiting for those first tiny specks of green that will herald the arrival of my daffodils!

It sounds wonderful Ella and I’ve definitely got garden room envy. Mx

About Ella Cook

Ella’s been obsessed with books since she was a toddler and never had any real-life plan other than writing! She grew up in West London, where fairies visited the wishing well in Grandma’s garden (the same one the robin is perched on in my garden). She still looks for magic in everyday life, and is surprised at how often she still finds it.

When she’s not living in a fantasy world of her own creation, she writes bids and develops programmes for children’s services. She lives in rural Warwickshire (where there are probably more fairies) with her husband who is ever loving and understanding, and makes her gallons of tea in magical cups that can keep drinks warm for whole chapters. She often writes in her garden while being serenaded by robins and blackbirds.

You can contact Ella at ella.cook@outlook.com or find her on Twitter @Ellacookwrites

About Beyond Grey

The back of the book says:

What if you became an outsider in your own life?

Jennifer Hughes doesn’t have an extraordinary life, but that doesn’t matter – she loves her family and enjoys her job as a teacher. In her eyes, her unextraordinary life is utterly perfect.

But then, in the blink of an eye, Jennifer finds herself cut off from everything she knew and loved, confined to a strange new world and forced to watch from a distance as her family and friends pick up the pieces.

Can Jennifer hold her perfect life together, even though she’s not living it herself?

To buy the book use the following links –

Amazon – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyond-Grey-Ella-Cook-ebook/dp/B08N6X9J98/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=beyond+grey&qid=1610404673&sr=8-3

Ruby Fiction – https://www.rubyfiction.com/?post_type=dd-product&s=ella+cook

Thank 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.

International Bestseller Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.

Bestseller 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.

Happy New Year – Let’s Get Positive!

Happy New Year to all of my blog readers. What a weird year 2020 turned out to be! We are still mid these challenging times at the beginning of 2021 and I will admit to struggling with January blues, hence no blog last week, but I am determined to find a way forward and look at the positives.

2020 has made all of us examine our lives and relationships closely. I have loved having my husband around much more, as he’s working from home. We celebrated eighteen years of happy marriage last week! We’ve walked at least 10,000 steps daily since last March and I have lost weight as a result. I’ve loved seeing the changes through the seasons in the local hedgerows on our walks.

I’m a member of two regular small groups of writers and these have been invaluable for online support over the past year. We’ve managed to keep in regular contact and helped each other through some difficult times, so a shout out to my writer’s coffee group and the Apricot Plots authors. The Choc Lit and Romantic Novelists’ Association authors have also provided important friendship.

I’ve been loving the frosty mornings and the way the frost coating makes everything look different and new. I’m particularly impressed with the beauty of the cobwebs or spider art!

My latest book CHRISTMAS AT THE LITTLE BEACH CAFE was on offer over the Christmas period and managed to get bestseller tags in several countries, which made me smile. Ryan the seagull, who features in this book was very proud. I laugh when I hear a seagull cawing as it feels as if Ryan is making a comment. Goodness, I’ve started to talk to the seagulls like my solicitor hero, Justin!

So, what have we to look forward to in 2021? On my blog, I’m already inviting guests to write posts on some new subjects.

What I love about my garden.



My real life hero or heroine.



Memories of childhood holidays.



What I envy about my fictional heroines.



Three lesser known facts about me.

I will have posts from authors Helen Cook, Georgia Hill, Jan Preston, Nell Dixon, Marie Laval, Kirsty Ferry, Claire Sheldon, Angela Petch and Sharon Ibbotson to kick off the year. If you are a writer and would like to send me a post on one of the themes above please get in touch.

I do hope that you find positives in your own lives. Please post some of these in the comments below to lift all of our spirits.

Thank 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.

International Bestseller Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.

Bestseller 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.

Happy Christmas, News and an Offer!

My sincere wishes to you all for a happy and healthy Christmas. I have just commented to my husband that we need to be grateful for the small things this year.

Our own Christmas has been derailed by a Track and Trace call to our seventeen year old son. He has to isolate until Boxing Day! However, as long as he stays healthy and so far so good, I am happy!

I have short story in an anthology with many Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction authors. Cosy Christmas Treats has been described as a chocolate box of treat stories and at only 77p it is affordable too and perfect for dipping in and out of at this busy time. The proceeds of this book are being donated to the homeless charity Shelter UK. You can buy it here.

If you would like a bargain, my new release Christmas at the Little Beach Café is on offer internationally as an ebook until 28 December at 99p/c. All of my books are stand alone, so you can read them in any order.

About Christmas at the Little Beach Café

Run away to the little beach café this Christmas …

Five years ago at Christmas, solicitor Justin Sadler made the decision to leave his comfortable existence behind and move to the coast. Since then, he’s tried his best to ignore the festive season and, as he sits in the little beach café and reflects on that fateful night when his life was turned upside down, he expects his fifth Christmas alone to be no different to any of the others since he made his escape.

But when he encounters a mystery woman on the beach, he soon realises he may have found a fellow runaway and kindred spirit. Could Justin finally be ready to move on and let Christmas into his life again?

I do hope you will buy and enjoy the book and maybe try some of my other titles

Liz Harris – When I Decided I Wanted to Write

This week I’m joined by Liz Harris, who I’ve known for quite a few years now. Her latest novel is The Flame Within and you can find details about this book further down the post.

Today, Liz is going to tell us about when she made the decision to be a writer and why. Over to Liz …

I frequently read articles and blogs where authors talk about having known since day one that they were going to be authors, and having written their first novels at primary school. That wasn’t me. I didn’t know for a long time that I was going to be an author. 

I did, however, always know that I wanted to write. I’ve known that since day one, and from the age of five, I haven’t stopped writing. It was a number of years, though, before my writing was to take the shape of a novel.

I can best describe my writing in terms of three phases.

Phase One was at school and university. I always enjoyed writing essays, from ‘Imagine you’re a donkey in the Sahara’ to university essays. When I did my English finals, I was laughing so much as I wrote an essay about Chaucer, who had humour down to a fine art, that the invigilator had to come over and ask me to stop!

Phase Two was in California and then back in England, in the first years of marriage and parenthood. During those years, I wrote countless letters. When in California, I kept in touch with all my friends, writing in miniature on the blue one-sheet airletters that I sent home, and when back in England after six years away, and was married with two small sons, I continued writing to my friends. Without the constraints of airmail, however, each letter was like a mini book. Looking back, I feel sorry for my friends, who had to plough through the minutiae of my life on a regular basis.

It was one of those long-suffering friends who, in palpable desperation one day, suggested I write a novel. 

Phase Three, the years of being an author, started at that moment. I began to write a novel, and then I wrote another. Seven and a half writing-years later, The Road Back was accepted for publication.

Given that I loved writing, it was probably inevitable that at some stage I’d turn to writing books myself because, from the minute I learnt to read, I’ve never stopped reading. By the end of my teens, I’d read all of Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Mickey Spillane, Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, Earl Stanley Gardner, Elizabeth Gaskell, the major Russian authors, etc. You can’t beat a good book.

There is no greater preparation for being an author than to read as widely as possible – it stimulates the imagination, takes the reader to places they’d never have thought of going, develops an understanding of people and how they act and think, and builds up a vocabulary. So while I was writing essays and letters, and reading voraciously, I was getting closer to the path I think I was always destined to take, but didn’t know it for a long time.

Many thanks for inviting me to be your guest, Morton. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed talking to you.

Thank you for joining me Liz and your book covers are lovely! Mx

About Liz Harris

Liz is the author of the historical novels The Road Back (US Coffee Time and Romance Book of the Year), A Bargain Struck (RoNA shortlisted for the Best Historical Novel), The Lost Girl and the novella, A Western Heart. Her almost-contemporary novels are Evie Undercover and The Art of Deception.

Liz’s latest two novels, The Dark Horizon and The Flame Within, are the first two books in the Linford Saga, which is set between the wars. The third in the series, The Lengthening Shadow, will be published in March 2021.

A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and Historical Novel Society, Liz gives talks and workshops at conferences and literary festivals, and speaks regularly to WI and book groups.

You can find out more about her using the following links:-

Find her books http://www.lizharrisauthor.com

Website: www.lizharrisauthor.com

Twitter: @lizharrisauthor

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lizharrisauthor

Instagram:  liz.harris.52206

About The Flame Within

London, 1923.

Alice Linford stands on the pavement and stares up at the large Victorian house set back from the road—the house that is to be her new home.

But it isn’t her house. It belongs to someone else—to a Mrs Violet Osborne. A woman who was no more than a name at the end of an advertisement for a companion that had caught her eye three weeks earlier.

More precisely, it wasn’t Mrs Osborne’s name that had caught her eye—it was seeing that Mrs Osborne lived in Belsize Park, a short distance only from Kentish Town. Kentish Town, the place where Alice had lived when she’d been Mrs Thomas Linford.

Thomas Linford—the man she still loves, but through her own stupidity, has lost. The man for whom she’s left the small Lancashire town in which she was born to come down to London again. The man she’s determined to fight for.

The Flame Within is perfect for readers of The Thorn Birds and the Cazalet Chronicles, and the novels of Fiona Valpy and Santa Montefiore.

Thank 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.

New Book for Christmas 2020 – Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.

Bestseller 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.

Thanks and Exciting News About Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe

Thank you to everyone who has shared the news of my Christmas book – Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe on blog posts, reviews, Facebook and Twitter – the support has been amazing!

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Well the big news is that Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe is available as a paperback now and audio from 8 December! There is nothing like having a paperback of my work to add to those already on my bookshelves. I will admit to getting slightly embarrassed when I get carried away listening to the audio version of my own book! It’s a lovely adaptation of Justin’s story narrated by Karen Cass.

I won’t hide the fact that publication time for a new book is always an anxious time for me. You are never quite sure how the work will be received by readers. This was my fifth time of doing this, but it was no different to the other times. Publication day passed by in a complete blur of trying to say thank you every time someone mentioned Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe. After a while it becomes impossible to thank everyone individually, but I want you to know that I appreciate every single mention.

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Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe is dedicated to a friend who died just as I was completing the outline of the novella and as I had already written a legal secretary into the story, I changed the name of this character to my late friend’s name, Sandra, in tribute to her, as she worked as a legal secretary for a while. We hadn’t seen each other for many years, but we always wrote at Christmas and on our birthdays.

Here is what the Dedication and Acknowledgements of Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe say:

Dedication

In memory of Sandra Hadley (neé Hanson) 1958 – 2019
RIP

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements and thanks are often more difficult to write than the actual book, as I am always worried about forgetting someone who has helped me with the story.

This Christmas novella is dedicated to one of my earliest friends, Sandra, who sadly lost her battle with cancer just as I was finishing the first draft of this book. We parted after junior school as we went to different secondary schools, but we always kept in touch for birthdays and Christmas. I still have some of her long letters on my bookshelves. As she worked as a legal secretary for some of her working life, it seemed fitting to change the legal secretary’s name in the book to Sandra in tribute.

Kate Field, author of one of my favourite books, The Magic of Ramblings, helped me to understand the training and characteristics of a solicitor, even right down to the type of books my hero, Justin, would have on his bookshelves, what legal information is now referenced online and the typical cases a small town solicitor would handle.

Champions for moral support are my Apricot Plots and local coffee group authors, together with many more from the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Thanks as always to my long-suffering family, who have to put up with the ups and downs of me being a writer! I’m happy when the words and ideas are flowing, grumpy when my plot won’t behave and I should be made to live in the shed when my publisher’s edits arrive.

Thanks to my editor for helping to mould this book, the Choc Lit team and the members of their Tasting Panel, without whom this book would not have been published: Alma Hough, Mel Appleyard, Melanie Russell, Jenny Mitchell, Julie Lilly, Cordy Swinton, Janice Butler, Deborah Warren, Luise Pirie, Gill Leivers and Sharon Walsh.

I do hope that many more of you will read and enjoy Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe. I’ve included the description of the story below in case it might tempt you to give the book a try. I’ve just finished writing the first draft of my 2021 Christmas book, again set in my fictional seaside town of Borteen, so I’ve been enjoying the Christmas traditions of the town all over again. I hope to share that story with you next year. Meanwhile, here is what Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe is all about…

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Thank 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.

New Book for Christmas 2020 – Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.

Bestseller 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.

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Victoria Cornwall – An Ornament I Love

This week I’m joined by friend and fellow Choc Lit author Victoria Cornwall. Vickie is going to tell us about an ornament she loves…

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I don’t have a lot of ornaments, but the ones I do have hold some meaning or history behind them. The one I have chosen to share is one of my favourites, its beautiful, romantic, sentimental and has a… cheeky side to it.

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I was 17 when I first met my husband and we have been together ever since. We graduated from our teens together, learnt how to be adults together and somehow managed to successfully bring up two children without losing or killing them. We are now in our autumn years… you know that stage when you compare aches and pains, middle age spread and greying hairs as if they are side effects from some pesky curse cast on you while you weren’t looking. However, we have that inbuilt reassurance that we are tackling this phase of our lives together and, although the world doesn’t know it, inside we are still the same 17 years olds who met all those years ago.

One day, whilst visiting the Cornish town of Looe, we spied a mini statue in a shop window. We stopped to admire it and both concluded that it reminded us of… well us (when we were in our prime, of course).  It was quite expensive and not something we would usually buy, but we were feeling romantic, frivolous and daring so we did.

It was only when the shopkeeper was wrapping it for us, did I question if I was really up to the task of displaying it in all its full glory…

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You see, when the statue is displayed to its best profile the woman’s bottom is naked. Now I am not a prude, but I must admit it does feel rather strange to display a semi naked statue that looks like me. Despite this, I love it and it takes pride of place on our sideboard for all my visitors to see. However, I must confess that I am selective as to how I display it. When my parents visit, the statue’s bottom is turned to the wall to hide it, and if close friends visit the perky cheeks are facing outwards for all to admire. Now does this say more about me or more about what I believe my visitors can handle? Only me and my statue knows the answer to that question and, fortunately, the young couple are too busy kissing to tell!

About Victoria Cornwall

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Victoria Cornwall can trace her Cornish roots as far back as the 18th century. This background and heritage have given her an understanding of the Cornish way of life which is the inspiration for her Cornish Tales Series.

Victoria has twice nominated for the RONE Indie and Small Published Book Awards in the U.S.A., was short-listed for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romantic Fiction and has been a finalist in the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Joan Hessayon Award.

She is married, has two grown up children and continues to live in Cornwall, the county of her birth. 

Links to Victoria Cornwall’s social media

Website: www.victoriacornwall.com

Twitter: @VickieCornwall

Facebook: www.facebook.com/victoriacornwall.author

Instagram: www.instagram.com/victoria_cornwallx

Pinterest: uk.pinterest.com/vickiecornwall

Books written by Victoria Cornwall

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The Cornish Tales series are stand-alone novels set in Cornwall, linked by family, with a strong background story and the unmistakable emotion, passion – and even pain – of loving someone. 

You can buy the books here

Thank you for your post Vickie – it made me smile! Mx

Thank 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.

New Book for Christmas 2020 – Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook on 17 November 2020 – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo

Bestseller 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.

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.

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Hip Hip Hooray – It’s Out Today!

My fifth novel for Choc Lit Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe is out on 17 November 2020. Thank you to those who have pre-ordered the book as it means so much that you believe in me.

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What it says on the back of the book:-

Run away to the little beach café this Christmas …

Five years ago at Christmas, solicitor Justin Sadler made the decision to leave his comfortable existence behind and move to the coast. Since then, he’s tried his best to ignore the festive season and, as he sits in the little beach café and reflects on that fateful night when his life was turned upside down, he expects his fifth Christmas alone to be no different to any of the others since he made his escape.

But when he encounters a mystery woman on the beach, he soon realises he may have found a fellow runaway and kindred spirit. Could Justin finally be ready to move on and let Christmas into his life again?

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Watch out for Ryan the seagull!

To order you can use the following links or refer to the Choc Lit page for other options. Please review Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe if you read the book and like it