Morton S. Gray's Blog, page 28

Five Things You’d Never Guess About Author Kathryn Freeman

This week I’m joined by One More Chapter author Kathryn Freeman as she reveals five things that you probably would not guess about her. Over to Kathryn …

Thank you so much for inviting me on to your blog – it’s so lovely to be here.

Five things you would never guess about this author

One – I have a tennis trophy

Really I should leave it at that, and have you wondering how good I am. In truth, the trophy is for the ladies’ doubles event at my (small) village club, and the reason I won it isn’t down to my tennis skills, but my partner picking skills – my buddy happens to be the best female player in the club.

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Two – I get my best writing ideas while swimming or running.

I start every week day morning with some form of exercise – swimming, running or playing tennis (though thanks to Covid-19, recently it’s been running, running or running…!). I can’t say I enjoy the solo sport, but I do appreciate the time to turn off my brain and let it wander. It’s when plot knots are unravelled and characters created. All assuming I’ve been able to hold the ideas in my head long enough to reach for a pen and paper. Advancing age has not helped this…

Three – I was in New York when Superstorm Sandy hit

We were safely tucked away in a hotel the night the storm itself arrived, but I will never forget the chaos it left in its wake. The power cut in Lower Manhattan (all around Wall street) where people in cars offered to charge mobile phones. The fallen trees in Central Park and Greenwich village. No subway, no ferry, no Broadway. No shops open on fifth avenue (or any other avenue come to that). It was both eerie and fascinating. Thankfully two days later the sun shone. And four years later we took the boys back, to show them what New York city is really like.

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Four – I’ve spent many summers sitting in windy fields

That’s the price you pay when you have sons who play cricket. I blame the husband, who also plays, and who put a bat in their hand before they could walk. Because hubby was the colt team coach, I was given the score book (apparently ‘no thanks’ wasn’t an option). So not only did I have to sit in a field, I had to watch intently so I didn’t miss a run, a no-ball or a leg bye. Confession…my attention span isn’t that good, the matches weren’t always that interesting, and I was often so cold (why are cricket pitches the windiest places on earth?) I could barely write. Thank God for opposition team scorers, who I was often found frantically copying from…

Five – The idea for the plot in The New Guy, came from the male members of my family

My publisher was keen to have a book set in the tech industry. No problem, I told her. After all, it’s the romance that’s important, not where it’s set. Panic set in a few days later, because though I could clearly see the characters, I couldn’t for the life of me see what they were doing, in between falling in love. Then I realised I’ve two university aged sons (one doing a computer science degree) and a hubby who thinks he’s a tech wizard. Why not make them useful, for once? Despite their collective groans, I quizzed them over dinner on ideas for what my heroine’s company (yes, I wanted her to be the CEO) could be doing. And so the Privacy App was born (though if asked, they would deny helping their mum with her romantic fiction till they’re blue in the face).

About Kathryn Freeman

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A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.

I’ve two sons and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), so any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes come in many disguises.

To keep in touch with Kathryn, you can use the following links:-

Website: http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathrynFreeman1

About The New Guy

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Sam Huxton doesn’t do one-night stands, especially not with men she’s just met! But the hot guy at the bar was hard to resist and one night is all they share – no names, no numbers, just some much needed fun…

Until the same guy walks into Sam’s life the next day as her new employee.  Sam never mixes business with pleasure and makes it clear an office fling with Ryan is off-limits.  But after-hours…one thing can lead to another. Can Sam trust her heart and her business with the new guy?

Purchase links:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Guy-Kathryn-Freeman-ebook/dp/B07WQ2G7QL

US: https://www.amazon.com/New-Guy-Kathryn-Freeman-ebook/dp/B07WQ2G7QL

Thank you for joining me, Kathryn. I enjoyed your post. 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.

Christmas at Borteen Bay is available now 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 now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. This will be available as 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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Home Thoughts – Morton S Gray

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been reading some fantastic blogs about how people are coping in this current coronavirus situation and when it came to my own blog, I found myself unsure what to write. The days have taken on a different pattern, that’s if you can even remember what day it actually is. My calendar, normally my bible, has lots of crossings out where events, meetings, appointments and holidays used to be. I am luckily someone who can always find something to do, so I’m not short of activities – gardening, weaving, making soap and shampoo, decluttering, family history, reading, combing the dog …

I find myself feeling fortunate that we have enough to eat, are warm and safe and so far, have managed to occupy our time. Our household expanded at the end of last year when my eldest son and his girlfriend sold a house and the one they were buying fell through. It looks as if their stay with us will be a bit longer than originally intended. In the first week of restrictions, we had my husband working in his study, me in mine, big son and girlfriend working either side of the dining room table and little son doing online lessons from school at his bedroom desk. Big son’s girlfriend now furloughed. Who knows what the next few weeks will hold. The challenge is to produce interesting meals for five.

Hugs to anyone sick, or grieving. To be honest, I’m having to avoid reading all of the news reports and my social media feeds. I’m trying to safeguard my mother, who thankfully lives in the same town. So far, she’s managed to stay in good spirits, but it can’t be much fun on her own with only the television and telephone for company, especially with her memory fading these days. She’s never embraced the internet. I’m posting food and medication through her window, but even that feels risky and I have to stop myself getting paranoid about it because I’m doing the best I can in the circumstances.

I’m struck by several things especially the resourcefulness of people, be it those like my sister, posting an uplifting poem and picture on her Facebook page every day, another friend who has started an online club to share recipes for those items found languishing at the back of your store cupboard, or even the school design technology department, now involved in making protective masks for the NHS.

We as a species are very adaptable and as long as we can keep well, I believe we will get through this and develop a vaccine. Applause to all of the key workers be they in the NHS, delivering post and parcels, manning our supermarkets, emptying our bins, or many other unsung heroes we probably won’t ever get to know about.

If you feel like a little distraction reading, I’ve put some details of my three books published to date below. Stay safe.

The Girl on the Beach

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To buy The Girl on the Beach use this link 

The Truth Lies Buried

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To buy The Truth Lies Buried use this link

Christmas at Borteen Bay

[image error]To buy The Truth Lies Buried use this link

Watch out over the next few weeks for blog posts featuring authors Kathryn Freeman, Jan Brigden and Sue Fortin.

 

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.

Christmas at Borteen Bay is available now 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 now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. This will be available as 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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Researching a Novel by Helena Dixon

I’m pleased to welcome Helena Dixon back to my blog. She’s been busy since the last time she appeared on my blog on 16 December 2019 to introduce us to the first book in her Miss Underhay Investigates series Murder at the Dolphin Hotel  – you can read that blog post here.

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Today she’s here to tell us about the next book in her cosy mystery series Murder at Enderley Hall and to share some tips on researching a novel, which give quite a few insights into her new mystery series.

Five top tips for researching your book by Helena Dixon:-

Define your search – If your question is too wide you increase the risk of becoming side-tracked or failing to find the information you need. So be specific, for example, I wanted to know where the police station was sited in Torquay in 1933 and what the front entrance looked like. So, the research question had to cover the location, time period and image.
Set boundaries – Research can be fascinating, and you can easily lose hours reading and looking at things that you don’t need but which seem interesting. Bookmark those sites for later and look at them once you’ve acquired the material you’re searching for.
Use a variety of sources – online is great but don’t forget printed materials, audio recordings and film and photographic archives. If possible, go yourself to  interviews or to see locations – depending on what you need to know of course. For example, I recreated a trip taken by my heroine, Miss Kitty Underhay by taking a steam train from Paignton to Kingswear, crossing the Dart on a passenger ferry, taking a water taxi to Dartmouth Castle and having tea in the tearoom before walking back down into Dartmouth. This added a huge amount to the authenticity of the story.
People like to help – Don’t be frightened to ask questions or to seem nosy. By and large many people are happy to answer questions from people who are genuinely showing an interest in something. For my third novel, Murder on the Eleventh Tee, I approached Churston Golf Club who took me out in a buggy to the tee and answered all kinds of questions for me. Remember to make a note of their names so you can thank them in your acknowledgements and to let them know when your book or story is published.
You don’t need to include everything – If you’re writing a fictional story you don’t need to include everything you’ve discovered during your research – no matter how fascinating you think it might be. The research should anchor your story in reality and help enrich the picture so there are no glaring errors, but putting in everything will kill your story dead and you will lose your reader. For example, when I researched Torquay police station, in my story I simply needed to know that there were some steps leading to the front door. I didn’t need to say how many or what they were made of or how long they had been there.

 

Thank you, Helena. I found that fascinating and I hope that my readers do too. Mx

 

About Murder at Enderley Hall

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Set in 1930’s Dartmouth, the Miss Underhay Investigates series is the perfect Golden Age escape.

An escape to the country… ends in death.

Summer 1933.

Fresh from the discovery that she has family living nearby, Kitty Underhay has packed her carpet bag, commandeered a chambermaid and set off on a visit to stately Enderley Hall. She’s looking forward to getting to know her relatives, as well as the assembled group of house guests. But when elderly Nanny Thoms is found dead at the bottom of the stairs after papers of national importance are stolen, Kitty quickly learns that Muffy the dog’s muddy paws on her hemline are the least of her problems.

Calling on ex-army captain Matthew Bryant for assistance, Kitty begins to puzzle out the mystery. And when more shocking murders follow, the stakes are raised for the daring duo as never before. Which of the guests stand to gain from the theft of the documents? And which, as the week progresses, stand to lose their lives?

‘Endearing, engaging characters; and a fast-moving plot line filled with unexpected twists and turns. This is a whodunit that you will not want to put down till it’s done!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I loved this cosy mystery. There were many twists and turns and I couldn’t wait to find out the identity of the perpetrator behind the crimes. I look forward to reading more in this series.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Gripping from the very first page. It was quite difficult to put the book down… Very deserving of 5 stars and more.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0825Z6KBR/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0825Z6KBR?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_1&storeType=ebooks

Released on 19th March 2020 from Bookouture in ebook, audiobook and paperback. Murder at Enderley Hall is the second in the Miss Underhay Investigates series. The first book in the series, Murder at The Dolphin Hotel was an Amazon bestseller. Book 3 in the series, Murder at The Playhouse is available for preorder and will release in June.

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About Helena Dixon

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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, a crazy cockapoo and a tank of tropical fish. 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 http://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

 

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.

Christmas at Borteen Bay is available now 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 now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. This will be available as 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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The Day That Changed My Life by Victoria Cornwall

I’m pleased to welcome my friend and fellow Choc Lit author, Victoria Cornwall to my blog as on the eve of the publication of her sixth novel, Daniel’s Daughter. She talks about the day that changed her life …

As I look back on my life I realise that there are many incidences/days that have changed the course of my life, however, for this post I am going to stick to writing and what happened which had the biggest influence on my writing career.

It was 2014. As a result of my first manuscript receiving numerous rejections from agents, I had taken the self-published route. Despite positive feedback, I still wanted to secure a traditional publishing contract for my second book. At that point I had lost confidence in the submission process so when I was notified my second manuscript had been shortlisted for the Festival of Romance’s New Talent Award, I set out to the event in Leighton Buzzard in the hope of meeting an agent or two.

Now you have to remember that at the time I was very naïve about the publishing world. I was under the impression that writers were insular characters, represented by agents but largely out on their own. I had spent most of my adult life as a nurse at that point which was very different from the creative industry.

I travelled to the event and entered the auditorium, which was full of writers (some unknown to me, some quite famous) chatting like old friends with each other, publishers, agents and fans of romantic fiction. It felt like everyone knew everyone and although I felt welcome, I did feel like a fish out of water. Sadly, I did not win, however it was there I learnt three things.

Writers are not insular people, they have access to an amazing network of friendship and support if they choose to tap into it. I had not been aware it existed until that day and I knew I needed to be part of it to gain experience, advice and support.
I discovered the Romantic Novelists’ Association and their New Writers’ Scheme, where manuscripts are assessed, feedback given and members have access to the RNA network, events and meetings. I had not heard of the RNA before that date, and when enrolment time came around, I ensured I was one of the first in the queue.
I learnt about the award winning publisher, Choc Lit, who uses readers, rather than agents, to help decide what is published. As I was receiving positive feedback from readers who had read my self-published book, this method of submitting sounded perfect for me.

I went on to submit my third novel (The Thief’s Daughter) to the NWS. The feedback was excellent and I was encouraged to submit to a publisher. By then, thanks to the RNA, I knew who (and how) to submit successfully. On 24th March, Daniel’s Daughter, my sixth historical romance will be published. That day in 2014, was a major turning point in my writing career. I did not win the New Talent Award, but I came away from the event with so much more…

How interesting, Vicki, especially since I was shortlisted for the New Talent Award in 2013 with the novel that went on to be published by Choc Lit as The Truth Lies Buried!

About Daniel’s Daughter

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Sometimes the truth is not easy to say and even harder to hear …

Cornwall, 1895

Grace Kellow is a young woman with a strong sense of who she is and where she comes from. As the daughter of a well-respected Cornish dairy owner Daniel Kellow, her existence in the village of Trehale is comfortable and peaceful.

But then handsome Talek Danning comes striding over Hel Tor, and soon after his arrival Grace is hit with a revelation that leaves her questioning her identity and her place in the Trehale community.

In her hour of need, Talek and his sister Amelia offer Grace sanctuary – but wherever Grace runs, her secret will follow …

To buy links:-

Amazon UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daniels-Daughter-Victoria-Cornwall-ebook/dp/B084MJRB1T/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Amazon US

https://www.amazon.com/Daniels-Daughter-Victoria-Cornwall-ebook/dp/B084MJRB1T/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

ibooks

https://books.apple.com/gb/book/daniels-daughter/id1498439679

Nook

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/daniels-daughter-victoria-cornwall/1136400758?ean=2940162742005

Kobo Still waiting!

About Victoria Cornwall

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Victoria Cornwall grew up on a farm in Cornwall. She can trace her Cornish roots as far back as the 18th century and it is this background and heritage which is the inspiration for her Cornish based novels. Following a fulfilling twenty-five year career as a nurse, a change in profession finally allowed her the time to write.

Victoria’s writing has been shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romantic Fiction and twice nominated for the RONÉ “Best Indie or Small Published book” Award. In 2017, her debut novel, The Thief’s Daughter, was published by award winning independent publisher, Choc Lit, and was a finalist for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Joan Hessayon Award.

Victoria is married and has two grown up children. She likes to read and write historical fiction with a strong background story, but at its heart is the unmistakable emotion, even pain, of loving someone.

To keep in touch with Victoria, you can use the following links:-

Website: www.victoriacornwall.com

Twitter: @VickieCornwall

Facebook: www.facebook.com/victoriacornwall.author

Instagram: www.instagram.com/victoria_cornwallx

Pinterest: uk.pinterest.com/vickiecornwall

 

Thank you, Vicki! Watch out next week for Nell Dixon…

 

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.

Christmas at Borteen Bay is available now 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 now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. This will be available as 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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Spotlight on Guest Author Christina Courtenay

This week, I’m pleased to welcome Christina Courtenay to the blog spotlight. I’ve just read her fantastic new novel Echoes of the Runes and it is a real treat. See my review below.

I asked Christina some questions…

What originally made you start to write?

I had just had my first child and wanted to stay at home with her rather than go back to work so I was looking for some way of earning money from home. I stupidly thought it would be easy to write a Mills & Boon novel – in fact, I wrote two and sent them both! Needless to say that didn’t work out so well … (I was eventually published 21 years later, the week after my daughter left home).

Do you think what you write is influenced by the area in which you live?

It is certainly influenced by places I have lived in and visited, but I don’t stick to just the particular place where I am based now. My first novels were set in Sweden and Japan, because that’s where I grew up. Later I wrote a story about Raglan Castle (which is near my present home), and now I’m working on a series about Vikings, thus returning to my Scandinavian roots.

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A Swedish lake

If your novel was made into a film, which actors would play the leading roles?

The heroine could perhaps be played by Lily Collins (although they’d have to make her hair long and curly and change her eye colour). As for the hero, it has to be Chris Hemsworth

Linda Huber – An Ornament I Love

Someone new on my blog this week – Linda Huber! She’s here to tell us about an ornament she loves. Over to Linda …

Jack the sheep – a treasured ornament

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In 2008, my parents moved – reluctantly – into sheltered housing in Glasgow, and I went over from Switzerland to help them settle into the new place. Mum especially was upset to leave the old house, her home since their wedding day nearly sixty years beforehand, and it had been Dad’s family home since he was eleven years old. It was quite an intense time, so I was glad when an old friend whisked me off for a trip down the Clyde coast one afternoon.

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On the way home, we went into a garden centre for coffee, and that’s where I saw Jack (his name’s on a label on the sole of one foot). He was all by himself on a shelf of miscellaneous bits and pieces, and I snapped him up at once – I knew Mum would love him.

And she did. He took pride of place on the little table by the front window in the new flat – when she wasn’t sitting holding him! It wasn’t until the following year when I was back in Scotland that I went into a shop in Edinburgh, and realised Jack was one of a series of fun and funky sheep. I bought another to take home to Switzerland, thus starting a years-long tradition – every visit to Scotland, I bought a new sheep.

In 2012, Mum passed away, and shortly afterwards, my first novel was accepted by a London publisher. In beside the elation about the book, I was gutted. Mum had been a great reader and my biggest fan from the very first short story I ever had published in a women’s magazine. She’d have been so proud and happy about my books, but it wasn’t to be. She never knew. Dad was proud as punch, of course, but he wasn’t a reader. Mum was.

Jack the sheep, meanwhile, was given a new place in the display cabinet beside Mum’s other (rather more valuable) treasures. And there he stayed. Every visit, I would give him a pat for Mum, and buy a new sheep to take home. My collection was growing…

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Six years later, Dad passed away too, and Jack came back to Switzerland with me, the first sheep and the last in my collection, because my UK visits since then have been to England only. I love all my sheep, but Jack is special – in a funny way, he connects Mum and my first book in my head. Not logical at all, but that’s how it is. He has a flock of ten to look after, and I’m sure there’ll be another someday soon!

Oh, how lovely, Linda – I shed a tear as I prepared this blog Mx

About Linda Huber

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Linda Huber grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, but went to work in Switzerland for a year aged twenty-two, and has lived there ever since. Her day jobs have included working as a physiotherapist in hospitals and schools for handicapped children, and teaching English in a medieval castle. Currently she teaches one day a week, and writes psychological suspense novels and feel-good novellas with (most of) the rest of her time.

Her writing career began in the nineties, when she had over fifty short stories published in women’s magazines. She then turned to psychological suspense fiction, and has had eight novels published. Stolen Sister, the latest, is set mostly in her old home town, Glasgow.

Linda’s newest project is a series of feel-good novellas written under the pen name Melinda Huber and set on the banks of Lake Constance, just minutes from her home in north-east Switzerland. She really appreciates having the views enjoyed by her characters right on her own doorstep!

To keep in touch with Linda you can use the following links:-

Amazon Author Page: viewAuthor.at/LindaHuber

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindaHuber19

Website: http://lindahuber.net/

 

About Stolen Sister

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Twenty-two years ago, Erin and Vicky’s parents were killed in an explosion.

Now grown up, Erin and Vicky – who have been separated – are unaware they are siblings. But when Vicky is called to her great-aunt’s deathbed, she learns that she isn’t alone after all. Where is Erin? Vicky’s search begins.

Elsewhere, Christine is having problems too. In the first week of her new job and struggling to come to terms with impending motherhood, she makes a disturbing discovery.

Vicky is almost ready to give up her search when an old foster mother calls with shocking news.

What links Vicky and Christine?

Will Vicky ever find her sister?

And can Christine’s baby escape the past that befell her mother?

Buying Link Stolen Sister: getbook.at/StolenSister

 

Thank you for your moving post, Linda and I’m intrigued by your book already Mx

 

Watch out for Christina Courtenay next week …

 

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.

Christmas at Borteen Bay is available now 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 now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. This will be available as 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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What Am I Up To?

First of all I would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s RoNas (Romantic Novel Awards). The Romantic Novelists’ Association award night was held in London on 2 March and unfortunately I couldn’t go.

You can check out all of the shortlisted books here. I haven’t read many of the winning books so my to be read pile has grown. The link to read about the winners is here but I’ll put the covers of the winning books below.

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Particular congratulations to Sue Moorcroft, A Summer to Remember is one of my favourites from her.

Now, in common with many people, I am more aware these days of single use plastic and have been trying to find ways of reducing this in my home and particularly in the bathroom.

I’ve tried to reduce cling film use by using reusable stretchy lids, which are affectionately called my bowl condoms by the family

Reality is Stranger than Fiction – A Post by Angela Barton

This week I have a sobering post from Angela Barton, which explains how a true life occurrence ended up in her third novel for Choc Lit/Ruby Fiction, You’ve Got My Number. Over to Angela …

It’s said that reality is stranger than fiction. Sometimes you read something that seems far-fetched in a novel and you begin wonder whether it’s true or not, therefore distracting you from the storyline.

I’ve written a short thread in You’ve Got My Number, about a parrot! It happened to us some years ago and I thought I’d share it in my latest novel. After all, they say that writing about something helps you to overcome it.

My hero’s twin sister, Denise, finds a breast lump and visits her GP. The doctor tells her to come back in two weeks to see if the lump has gone and informs her that, “there are more sparrows in the sky, than parrots.” This was said to my husband. He’d gone to his doctor to explain that he felt ‘different’ but couldn’t quite explain why. Instead of doing a few tests, he dismissed my husband with the parrots and sparrows quip.

In my story, a week later, Denise is clearing up after her sons and takes some dishes to the sink. Unbelievably, a parrot is sitting on a fence in the garden. This is just what happened one morning after my husband’s visit to his GP. Maybe his illness was exotic, instead of something ordinary.

Several weeks after seeing the parrot, my husband had a grand mal seizure. He was taken to hospital and I went with him for a scan. We reached reception and looked at each other in disbelief. Behind the reception desk was a large colourful poster with the heading, Parrots Of The World, with images of parrots from different countries. We felt it was a bad omen but tried to stay positive.

When the scan was read by my husband’s consultant, it showed he had a brain tumour. Thankfully, it was successfully operated on, but I always wished we’d gone back to the GP and told him his illness was a parrot, not a sparrow!

Is Denise’s lump serious or just a scare? You’ll discover what happens in You’ve Got My Number.

Wow, Angela, that must have been a very scary time. So glad the operation was successful Mx

About You’ve Got My Number

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Three isn’t always a magic number … 

There are three reasons Tess Fenton should be happy. One, her job at the Blue Olive deli may be dull, but at least she gets to work with her best friend. Two, she lives in a cosy cottage in the pretty village of Halston. Three, she’s in love with her boyfriend, Blake.

Isn’t she? 

Because, despite their history, Blake continues to be the puzzle piece in Tess’s life that doesn’t quite fit. And when she meets intriguing local artist Daniel Cavanagh, it soon becomes apparent that, for Tess, love isn’t as easy as one, two, three …

Buying Link

You’ve Got My Number: http://amzn.to/35Q19jB

About Angela Barton

Angela Barton was born in London and grew up in Nottingham. She is married with three grown up children and adorable five-year-old twin granddaughters. She is passionate about writing both contemporary and historical fiction and loves time spent researching for her novels. In 2018 Angela signed publishing contracts for three of her completed novels with Choc Lit’s new imprint, Ruby Fiction.

In addition to writing, Angela also relaxes by making landscapes using free motion sewing on a machine. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and a reader for their New Writers’ Scheme. Angela is also a member of Nottingham Writers’ Studio, the Society of Authors and Ellipses and Ampersands’ fiction critique group.

 

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To keep in touch with Angela, you can use the following links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/angebarton
Website: http://angelabarton.net

 

Thank you for sharing your story, Angela. I hope the book is a tremendous success. 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.

Christmas at Borteen Bay is available now 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 now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. This will be available as 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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Extract From Hattie Goes To Hollywood by Caroline James

This week I’m delighted to host an extract from Caroline James‘ new mystery, Hattie Goes To Hollywood.

Hattie is nursing a hangover when she’s joined by her neighbour and handyman. The three prepare to set off for the country & western themed village fete.

An hour later, Hattie, fully dressed, sat in the kitchen and drank from a mug of strong coffee while Marjorie fussed about, making breakfast. ‘You’ll feel much better when you’ve got something in your stomach,’ she said, spreading butter and jam onto a slice of toast. ‘Here, eat this.’

‘Well, you’d know all about hangovers,’ Hattie said sulkily but she took the toast and began to tuck in.

‘Oh, my word.’ Marjorie paused by the sink. She stared out at the garden and shook her head. ‘What in Heaven’s name have we got here?’

Hattie stood and, wiping crumbs from her mouth, looked out too. ‘Bleedin’ hell,’ she said, it’s the Rhinestone Cowboy.’

Alf, strutted down the steps, heading for the kitchen. He wore a long-sleeved, button-down shirt in a plaid pattern. Gone were his regulation moleskin trousers, replaced by blue jeans with a wide belt and shiny gold buckle. A gun holster hung from the belt. His cowboy boots had a Cuban heel and appeared to be made from alligator skin. On his head, he wore a Stetson. Ness and Drake followed, with colourful bandanas matching Alf’s shirt, knotted jauntily around their necks.

Hattie and Marjorie turned wide-eyed as the dog, duck and cowboy entered the kitchen. Flattened against the sink, the women struggled to contain their giggles.

‘Are you off to a star-spangled rodeo?’ Hattie asked.

‘Piss off.’ Alf stumbled towards the table to pull out a chair. As he sat down, he raised a boot. ‘These spurs don’t half make me walk oddly.’

‘You look very nice.’ Hattie patted the top of Ness’s head. ‘With matching animals too.’

‘Aye, Judy made the ‘neckerchiefs and my outfit.’ He ran his calloused hands along the yoke of his shirt and snapped a pocket open to dig deep for his tobacco and papers. ‘You’ll be giving Dolly Parton a run for her money.’ Alf raised his bushy eyebrows as he rolled a smoke and nodded towards Hattie’s blouse.

‘Do you like it?’ Hattie asked, giving a twirl. ‘We’ve Marjorie to thank for this lot.’ She thrust out her chest and patted her hair. ‘She came up with our outfits.’ Dressed in a short denim skirt and tight-fitting blouse, embellished with sequins and pretty embroidery, Hattie’s hair was skilfully styled into a titian halo. Heavily back combed, it bounced on her shoulders. Like Alf, she wore cowboy boots but with a pattern etched into the soft leather.

‘I’d drop the spurs,’ Hattie said. ‘You’ll do yourself a mischief.’

‘Good thinking.’ Alf reached down and unclipped the offending objects. Old and worn, he’d found them in a junk shop, rusted with age.

‘We need to be making a move, the fete starts at two and we have to set everything up,’ Marjorie said. Wearing a soft suede tunic and white plimsols, her hair was braided in two plaits, tied with red ribbon. She took a beaded bag from the table. ‘I’ll start packing the car.’

‘I’d best be off.’ Alf stood up. ‘I’m helping Reggie set up the saloon.’

‘Saloon?’ Hattie asked.

‘Aye, Reggie’s named his beer tent The Best Little Whorehouse in Hollywood.’

‘Very appropriate.’ Hattie carefully picked up Alf’s spurs from the table and dropped them in the bin.

‘I’ll take some of your parcels, she’ll never get them all in her Noddy car.’ Alf stuck his roll-up behind his ear and strode away to find Marjorie. Ness scampered behind, but Drake raised his head towards Hattie and quaked.

‘Alright, I’m coming too.’ Hattie reached into her cleavage and produced a lipstick. She painted a coat of bright red gloss over her lips and pouted. Straightening Drake’s bandana, she gave his beak a fond stroke. ‘Nashville here we come!’

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About Hattie Goes to Hollywood

Introducing a new mysteries series from best-selling author Caroline James

Join life-loving, gin-swigging Hattie, as she steps into her new role as private investigator. The super sleuth (and her companion, Drake the duck) makes her debut in the Cumbrian village of Hollywood.

Hattie Goes to Hollywood is the first in a series of stand-alone mysteries.

When recently bereaved Hattie Mulberry inherits her aunt’s dilapidated cottage in the village of Hollywood in Cumbria, she envisages a quiet life. But retired hotelier Hattie is bored and when her neighbour asks her to investigate a suspicious suicide, Hattie’s career takes a new direction and H&H Investigations is born. During the hottest summer on record, Hattie discovers there have been three recent suicides in Hollywood and she determines to find out why. Temperatures rise as she throws herself into village life and, with mischief and shenanigans aplenty, Hattie has her work cut out. But will she establish the truth?

If the extract above has made you want more, you can buy the book with this link –

Amazon: http://mybook.to/HGTHE

About Caroline James

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Hattie Goes to Hollywood is the first in a new series of cosy crime from best-selling author Caroline James. Caroline has previously written novels in the romantic comedy genre, including the popular Best Boomerville Hotel. Her new novel is based in the beautiful county of Cumbria, where Caroline lived for many years, and introduces the madcap but loveable character and super sleuth, Hattie Mulberry.

Caroline carefully balances fun and humour with mystery and intrigue and says, ‘I am really thrilled with the forward reviews of Hattie Goes to Hollywood and it was huge fun to write. Cumbria is a beautiful setting for the book and the perfect place to plot a murder!’

Best-selling author of women’s fiction, Caroline James has owned and run businesses encompassing all aspects of the hospitality industry, a subject that often features in her novels. She is based in the UK but has a great fondness for travel and escapes whenever she can. A public speaker, which includes talks and lectures on cruise ships world-wide, Caroline is also a consultant and food writer. She is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association, the Society of Women’s Writer’s & Journalists and the Society of Authors and writes articles and short stories, contributing to many publications. Caroline also runs writing workshops. In her spare time, Caroline can be found trekking up a mountain with her two westies, sipping gin and supporting Blackburn Rovers.

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

Website – www.carolinejamesauthor.co.uk

Twitter: @CarolineJames12

FaceBook:  Caroline James Author

Thank you for featuring on my blog, Caroline x

 

Watch out for Angela Barton next week…

 

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.

Christmas at Borteen Bay is available now 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 now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. This will be available as 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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Happy Valentine’s Day, Competitions, A Talk, Offers, An Award, and Future Blog Guests.

I’m late posting this week, as I’ve been floored by a dreaded lurgy brought home from school by my youngest son. Lots of things I want to write about too!

First of all Happy Valentine’s Day. We don’t celebrate in our house as my husband thinks it’s a commercial thing and besides the fact he’s in Peru on business at the moment! Whatever your relationship status, take a bit of time to look after yourself and your loved ones today – Lily the dog got an extra cuddle this morning and I put a post-it note on big son’s lunch box.

Today sees the publication of a friend’s novel in a new mystery series. Caroline James and Hattie Goes to Hollywood will feature on my blog next week. Congratulations and good luck, Caroline.

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Today also sees the launch of the Romantic Fiction Book Club on Facebook, launched by members of the Romantic Novelists’ Association as part of the association’s 60th birthday celebrations. There is an amazing Launch Day competition to win a 60 book bundle from publisher One More Chapter and in addition 60 individual book prizes. Well worth joining the book club to have a shot at winning.

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My novel The Girl on the Beach is included in Choc Lit’s Valentine sale, so for only 99p you can get to find out more about one of my favourite heroes, Harry Dixon – who is he and why does Ellie think she’s known him before?

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I went to a talk on Saturday in London. It was Tracy Chevalier, author of The Pearl Earring, in conversation with Nicola Cornick. It was a fascinating insight into another writer’s process and not dissimilar to my own. Tracy often starts her books after looking at a photograph or wok of art and asking ‘what if’ and ‘why’ questions about it. She doesn’t plan, preferring to allow her stories to unwind as she writes. She also learns the crafts mentioned in the book to enable her to give her heroines an authentic feel. I came away feeling really inspired.

Lovely Jan Brigden has nominated me for a Sunshine Blogger Award. You can read Jan’s blog here. It was lovely to be mentioned like this. The Sunshine Blogger Award allows bloggers to highlight and celebrate their fellow bloggers’ creativity and positivity within the blogging community. It means that she gets to ask me some questions. I would like to nominate Lynn Forth to answer the same questions and receive the award, as her blog always makes me smile and she always puts lovely comments on mine.

Jan Brigden’s questions answered by Morton Gray:-
What are the best and worst gifts you’ve ever received?

Best would be my perfume atomiser which I take everywhere.

Worst a dreadful unicorn keyring, that my husband said looked better on the picture