Morton S. Gray's Blog, page 29

Soap and Glass Bubbles – Craft Update

I definitely had a “crafty” January!

On my post of 13 January, I posted the “before” pictures of my fused glass course and I’m excited to say that I now have the pieces back after their kiln firing. (Also discovered it is very difficult to photograph them effectively.)

Before

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After

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These pictures don’t quite capture the luminescense of the pieces or the tactile feel of the glass. Needless to say I am very pleased indeed.

My latest craft adventure has been in soap making!

I went with two friends to a course run by Deb at Wild and Well Creative Workshops and discovered a whole new world. We were introduced to the basics of soap making using the melt and pour method and then set free to use our imaginations to craft soaps using colouring, mica powders and essential oils. The results are just heavenly.

I will be doing a post in the next few weeks about my fight against single use plastic in our house – attending this course was one of my initiatives to this end. Can I tell you that I’m now reaching for my gorgeous soaps instead of my shower gel bottles, even though I keep telling myself I need to use the shower gel up to free my shower of plastic. But, more about that on another post – here are my gorgeous soaps – pity you can’t smell their heavenly scent.

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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.

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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Carol Thomas – An Ornament I Love

This week I have a post from Carol Thomas, author of Maybe Baby. I asked her to talk about a special ornament she owns …

I don’t have many ornaments in my house, but when Morton invited me to take part in her blog to talk about an ornament I love, I knew I had the perfect one, nestled on my bookshelves.

A gift from my sister, this, Willow Tree, New Life figurine was given to my husband and me after the birth of our third daughter. It is special, not only because it marks the arrival of our daughter, but also because it reflects her very special birth. [image error]Our little girl was in somewhat of a hurry to be born and took us all by surprise when labour came on suddenly. It was early on a December morning, and it was frosty outside. In the time it took my husband to go and scrape the car, I knew we wouldn’t be making it to the hospital.

When he spoke to the delivery ward, they advised us to stay where we were and that they would send an ambulance. In the meantime, with labour rapidly progressing, they remained on the phone advising my husband what to do.

Acting as midwife, he was incredibly calm and took control of the situation. Within no time at all, our gorgeous girl was safely delivered. With it being just the two of us (our other children and two dogs were keeping out of the way downstairs) it was an extraordinary moment. When I look at the figurine, it reminds me of the closeness of the time before the ambulance arrived – just the two of us, and our new baby!

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My daughter’s delivery also inspired a scene in my latest book, Maybe Baby. I love reflecting on that time. It was very special, and I love the fact that twelve years on, just looking at the ornament inspires the beautiful memory of the intensity and closeness of that moment in our lives. Thank you for inviting me to share it with you, Morton.

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About the book: Maybe Baby is a romantic comedy and the sequel to The Purrfect Pet Sitter (Lisa Blake book #1). While each book can be read as a standalone story, Maybe Baby revisits the characters from The Purrfect Pet Sitter (http://getbook.at/TPPSAmazon) as they move into the next phase of their lives.

The blurb:

Just when you thought you had it all worked out …

Best friends Lisa and Felicity think – maybe, just maybe – they finally have everything sorted out in their lives.

Lisa is in a happy relationship with her old flame, and busy mum Felicity has managed to reignite the passion with her husband, Pete, after a romantic getaway.

But when Lisa walks in on a half-naked woman in her boyfriend’s flat and Felicity is left reeling from a shocking discovery, it becomes clear that life is nothing but full of surprises!

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Published by: Ruby Fiction

Buying Links for Maybe Baby:

Amazon: http://getbook.at/MBAmazon

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/maybe-baby-35

Ruby Fiction: https://www.rubyfiction.com/dd-product/maybe-baby/

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About the Author:

Carol Thomas lives on the south coast of England with her husband, four children and lively Labrador. She has been a playgroup supervisor and taught in primary schools for over fifteen years, before dedicating more of her time to writing. Carol is a regular volunteer at her local Cancer Research UK shop. She has a passion for reading, writing and people watching and can often be found loitering in local cafes working on her next book.

Website and Social Media Links:

Website – http://carol-thomas.co.uk

Facebook – http://facebook.com/carolthomasauthor

Twitter – @carol_thomas2

Pinterest – carol_thomas2

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/carol_thomas2/

Blog –  http://carol-thomas.co.uk/blog

 

Thank you for that lovely post, Carol. I actually shed a tear reading your words as I prepared the post! And would you believe, I own the same ornament, which was bought for us by my late mother-in-law to celebrate my youngest’s birth. Mx

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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.

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.

The Truth Lies Buried is available now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. It is also available as a paperback and audiobook.

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.

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When and How I Began to Write – Georgia Hill

I have some new blog features for 2020, one of which is to ask authors to tell readers when and how they began to write. The first author to reply to this question is Georgia Hill. Over to Georgia …

Hi everyone and hope it’s not too late to wish you all a Happy New Year. Huge thanks to lovely writing friend Morton for inviting me on.

I had a choice of topics and plumped to tell you about when I began writing and how. It’s an odd tale so I hope you’ll spare my blushes.

I suppose I’ve always written in some form. When on holiday I always made sure I wrote a journal. Often writing was something I did as part of my teaching job. If I couldn’t find quite the right passage to use for a lesson I’d end up writing it myself. I’ve also written some really bad poetry, which will never be seen in public! (Ooo, I think we need to see some of your poetry now! Mx) So I’ve flexed my writing muscles all my life. My head has always been full of stories. A legacy, perhaps, of having my nose permanently stuck in a book.

The ideas and characters having a jolly old time in my head began to make their way onto paper and laptop, properly, in 2004. You might remember the BBC put on a Sunday night period drama called North and South in that year? I love period drama and I love a bit of Mrs Gaskell so I tuned in. Immediately gripped, I became embarrassingly fixated on the story, with the characters and mostly, I have to admit, by the hero John Thornton. It helped that he was played by Richard Armitage who has a rather swoon-worthy appeal. Check him out, he’s gorgeous! (I was swooning along to North and South too and have watched it again many times since! Mx)

This kind of thing had happened to me before – when the Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice aired. Back then the only thing I had with which to feed my obsession was a behind the scenes book which accompanied the series. (Yes I had this book too – blushes and produces said book from her book shelves to photograph for this post. Mx)

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In 2004 I had that new invention: the internet! Dial up and creaky it may have been but I was able to connect with others in a similar state of ecstasy over Mr Thornton, the brooding, brusque but oh-so-honourable mill owner. We gathered together on the BBC drama forum and feverishly discussed matters of grave import such as the working conditions in nineteenth century cotton mills, where John Thornton got his shirts laundered and, most hotly debated of all, was he a virgin before he married the fragrant Margaret?! (Swoons! Mx)

When the BBC closed down the drama page (I think a gaggle of hormonal women proved too much for the moderators), someone set up the online forum C19. We all flocked to it, relieved that we could continue feeding our appetite for all things North and South. There was an extra dimension to C19; it had (and indeed still does) a page devoted to fan fic. Fan fic, if you don’t know, is fiction written by fans of a particular book, film or television series and continues or expands the lives of the characters.

I read a few and enjoyed them and the beginnings of an idea emerged. Two characters stranded in a pub in a snowstorm and forced to share a room. They simply would not leave me alone. Entitled The Winter’s Tale, it developed into the story of Nick and Perdita, actors about to star in a new version of Pride and Prejudice. And yes, Nick the brooding hero had more than a passing resemblance to John Thornton. Gosh, I had fun writing it. Threw everything and the kitchen sink at it. Austen references, mentions of pre-Raphaelite painters, you name it, in it went. I had no idea of technique, knew nothing of point of view or head-hopping or story arcs, I just wrote one chapter a time and posted it up. Readers seemed to like it so I carried on. Eventually it was re-written, evolved into my first book, Pride and Perdita and taken on by a small independent digi-only publisher. You can still buy it.

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Reading it back I wince at the style and realise how much my writing has changed (I think mostly for the better!). Soon afterwards I decided to give up my day job, which was causing me huge amounts of stress and making me very unhappy and devote all my time to writing. I was poor but happier. Not long after that, Say it With Sequins was accepted by Harper Impulse, then an imprint of Harper Collins.

I now have seven novels and a collection of short stories to my name and have just finished writing my eighth, another romcom. I’m a bit two-faced with my writing, but only in the nicest possible way. I love writing fun romcoms set in the wonderful and entirely fictional seaside resort of Berecombe but my passion is for historical romance timeslips – to read and to write. I’ve continued my interest in all-things Victorian in my most recent book, On a Falling Tide.

You can drive yourself demented by over-analysing twists of fate but I do wonder what would have happened had I not become addicted to North and South and found an outlet for my embryonic scribblings. Would I still be slogging away trying to teach wriggly five year olds?  I’ll be forever grateful to the BBC, to Mrs Gaskell, to the … ahem … inspiring Richard Armitage. Most of all I’m thankful for the friends I made during that mad time of my North and South obsession. It really did change my life.

Love,

Georgia x

P.S. North and South didn’t change just my life. Writers Phillipa Ashley, Hazel Osmond, Elizabeth Hanbury, Rosy Thornton, Sally Orr and many others all had similar starting points. (I guess you can add me to that list too. Mx)

Thank you for a fascinating post, Georgia!

About Georgia Hill

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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 and While I Was Waiting – a WW1 historical romance. 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.

My latest book is On a Falling Tide, a historical romance set in Lyme Regis. If you like spooky timeslips it might just be for you. Here’s the blurb:

About On a Falling Tide

Two women. Connected by heartbreak, separated in time. Can Charity save the man she loves, or will Lydia’s vengeful spirit prove too strong?

Two haunting love stories and a hundred and fifty-year-old curse …

When the beloved grandfather who brought her up dies, Charity is left struggling to cope. Alone and rootless, she’s drawn to the sleepy fishing village of Beaumouth near Lyme Regis and begins to research her family tree. A chance encounter with attractive boat-builder Matt sparks a chain of mysterious and unsettling events and leads Charity to uncover the story of a young girl who lived in the village over a hundred years before.

In 1863 all Lydia Pavey wants to do is follow in Mary Anning’s footsteps and become a ‘fossilist.’ Instead, she is being forced into marriage to a man she barely knows.

Charity’s obsession with Lydia becomes all-consuming and she risks losing everything. With a longed-for family tantalisingly in reach, will Charity find the happy ever after she’s yearned for and, most importantly, can she save the man she loves?

Buying links:

Amazon

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

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

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/

 

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.

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.

The Truth Lies Buried is available now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. It is also available as a paperback and audiobook.

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.

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Crafting Update

I had a weaving loom for Christmas. Now even though I went on a day course about weaving, it was quite a challenge to warp the loom and begin weaving. Got it wrong the first time and ended up un-weaving! Lol I’ve always said I’m good at un-knitting, well now I’m good at un-weaving too! Once I got the hang of it, I’m very pleased with my first piece of cloth.

Last Friday was my fused glass course. I can only show you the “before” pictures as the pieces have to be fired! Two hours disappeared very quickly and I was amazed I didn’t cut myself.

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I’ll show you the finished items when I have them. The above should melt into a coaster, two pendants and a cocktail stirrer.

In book news, thank you to anyone who has borrowed my books from a library. You may not know but each time you borrow a book the author gets a small payment, currently 9p. It soon mounts up over a year and allows the author a little more income. I was thrilled by how many of you had borrowed my books.

What Did I Blog About in 2019?

As we start a new decade and I begin to plan my blogging year, I thought it was worth having a look back at the fantastic posts I featured in 2019.

I posted 41 times in 2019 and these consisted of fifteen author spotlight posts, four extracts from author’s books, two posts by a character from a guest author’s book, ten features on five things you would never guess about an author and ten personal posts. Phew! How many did you read? You can catch up below…

8 January – Where did Christmas go?

14 January – Five Things You Would Never Guess About Author Caroline James

21 January – Five Things You Would Never Guess About Author Morton Gray

28 January – Five Things You Would Never Guess About Author Alison May

5 February – Looking Forward to Exciting Times

18 February – Out of My Comfort Zone

4 March – Updates

12 March – Excited! 

18 March – Five Things You Would Never Guess About Author Tora Williams

25 March – Spotlight on Guest Author Jenni Keer

3 April – Mother Sayings From The Truth Lies Buried

15 April – Five Things You Would Never Guess About Author Carol Thomas

22 April – Focus on Daughter of the House by Victoria Cornwall

20 May – Spotlight on Guest Author Sadie Ryan

27 May – Excerpt from Maybe Baby by Carol Thomas

10 June – Return to the Spotlight – Author Kate Field

24 June – Five Things You Would Never Guess About Author Sharon Ibbotson

1 July – Excerpt from Daring to Love the Duke’s Heir by Janice Preston

15 July – Spotlight on Guest Author Jackie Ladbury

22 July – Excerpt from A Paris Fairy Tale by Marie Laval

29 July – Spotlight on Guest Ruby Fiction Author Wendy Dranfield

12 August – Character Post from The Purrfect Pet Sitter by Carol Thomas

19 August – Spotlight on Guest Author Hannah Pearl

26 August – Spotlight on Guest Author Jo Lambert

3 September – Holidays, Birthdays and Giveaways

9 September – The Spotlight Returns to Guest Author Marie Laval

16 September – Five Things You Would Never Guess About Author Kirsty Ferry

23 September – Spotlight on Guest Author Lucy Keeling

30 September – Return to the Spotlight – Guest Author Lynn Forth

7 October – Five Things You Would Never Guess About Author Angela Barton

14 October – Spotlight on Guest Author Chris Penhall

21 October – Spotlight on Guest Author Margaret James

28 October – Lynda Stacey Returns to the Spotlight

4 November – Five Things You Would Never Guess About Author Berni Stevens

11 November – Five Things You Would Never Guess About Author Angela Britnell

25 November – Character Post Featuring Janice Preston’s Heroine Lady Jane Colebrooke

2 December – The Adventures of Morton S. Gray

9 December – Let’s Talk About Christmas with Tora Williams

16 December – Excerpt from Murder at The Dolphin Hotel – Helena Dixon

23 December – Merry Christmas

30 December – Happy New Year

Looking forward to more blogging in 2020. If you have a favourite feature please let me know in the comments below. See you soon and thank you for reading.

 

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.

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.

The Truth Lies Buried is available now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. It is also available as a paperback and audiobook.

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.

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Happy New Year

I’d like to wish my blog followers a Happy New Year!

Where did Christmas go? We seemed to be on a fast toboggan ride towards Christmas Day and then in a blink of an eye it is all over and we are nearly at New Year.

Hope that you all had a great Christmas period. I can sum up our quiet family Christmas in three photographs.

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After my weaving course in December, I requested a small weaving loom for my Christmas present from my husband – I’ll let you know how I get on with it. In line with my vow to add to my craft skills, I’m already booked on two courses in January – a fused glass workshop and a soap making course – I’ll report back on my blog of course.

I don’t go in for New Year’s resolutions these days, but if I had to make a wish, it would be for a peaceful, happy and healthy 2020 for everyone in our world. Make next year a good one …

 

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.

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.

The Truth Lies Buried is available now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. It is also available as a paperback and audiobook.

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.

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Merry Christmas

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of my blog readers a happy Christmas.

We are looking forward to a busy family Christmas Day. My eldest son and his girlfriend have moved back into our house after their house sale completed, but their house purchase sadly fell through at the last minute when the vendors decided that they didn’t want to move after all. My youngest son still lives at home and together with my mother, who will be collected on Christmas morning, we will have Christmas lunch, before being joined by my sister and her tribe for present opening in the afternoon.

I am, of course, thankful that I have a close family and I am very aware that not everyone is so lucky. Whatever your circumstances, I hope that you each have a peaceful and contented time.

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.

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.

The Truth Lies Buried is available now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. It is also available as a paperback and audiobook.

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.

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Excerpt from Murder at the Dolphin Hotel – Helena Dixon

Helena Dixon joins me this week to share an excerpt of her new novel, which was published on 11 December 2019 – Murder at the Dolphin Hotel. It is right now storming up the UK and US charts

Let’s Talk About Christmas with Tora Williams

This week I’m joined by fellow author and friend, Tora Williams as she talks about her family Christmas traditions and shares an excerpt from her Christmas book The Gift of Time.

Over to Tora …

When Morton first asked for a piece about my favourite Christmas traditions, my first thought was to talk about the Christmas tree or the food. Then I thought about the way anything my family does two years in a row suddenly becomes a tradition, and these traditions have become weirdly important. So here is a list of my favourite Christmas traditions that might not feature in your typical Christmas book or film.

Watching disaster movies, especially 2012 or The Day After Tomorrow. There’s no denying we get a special festive glow watching the world as we know it disappear beneath a seething mass of lava or become a frozen wasteland.

Power cuts. A few years ago, we had a power cut on Boxing Day that lasted hours and totally ruined the timing of our dinner. We lit candles and huddled around the log fire, and my niece loved it so much, she asked for a power cut the following year. Sadly, Western Power has completely failed to deliver a Christmas power outage after that one time, but we manage by just turning all the lights out for a while.

Climbing the Wrekin. This is the highest hill in the area and climbing it has become a favourite way of working off the Christmas calories. The view from the top is stunning and well worth the effort of getting there. Plus there’s nothing like having your ears ripped off by an icy gale to work up an appetite for the next meal.

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Finding the tackiest light display. When I was growing up, there was a house on the outskirts of town that we loved driving past because it would be ablaze with colourful lights from the start of December. Whenever we were returning home after dark, my brothers and I would always beg our dad to take a detour past it. Since then I’ve always looked out for the place with the gaudiest display. I now live near the village of Haughton, which is famous for its Christmas lights, so I make an effort to drive through every December. It’s not properly Christmas until I’ve had the lights of a thousand Christmas trees burned permanently into my retinas.

 

Exerpt From The Gift of Time:

This was, without a doubt, one of the most stupid things she had ever done. Kat hesitated at the end of the jetty and gazed at the reflection of the moon, alternately disappearing and reappearing behind the clouds scudding across the surface of the mere. Somewhere in the woods, an owl hooted. She hugged her arms to her chest. It had seemed like such a good idea in the comfort of her house—offer up a symbol of her past as a sign she was ready to embrace life again. But what good would it really do?

The wind sighed through the rushes; a whisper of breath chilled the back of her neck. She shuddered, overwhelmed by the sensation of being watched. Darting fearful glances over her shoulder, she jogged back down the jetty, the rapid tap, tap of her boots echoing around the still mere. Another twenty paces and she could laugh off the whole crazy business in the safety of her own home.

Home. Yeah, because shutting herself away at home had worked out so well for her until now. And what was it now, but a lonely house beside the mere, with no presents under the tattered tinsel Christmas tree and three framed photos on the mantelpiece her only company? She stopped a few steps shy of the bank and clenched her fist around the coin dangling at her throat.

“Admit it, Kat, it’s not home anymore.” She jumped at the sound of her own voice, oddly loud in the darkness.

Bloody hell, if she was going to start talking to herself, she needed to make a change right now. She unhooked her necklace. “Come on,” she muttered, fingering the ancient silver penny threaded upon the chain. “I might as well get it over with.” The Game of Thrones box set could wait a few minutes longer.

A bat swooped so close its wings fanned her face. Kat flinched, jolting the penny from her fingers. It clattered onto the wooden jetty, the sound magnified in the stillness of the night.

“No, no, nooo!” She dropped to her knees and patted the gritty planks. Oh, God, don’t let her knock it in. According to local legend, the offering had to be freely given. Would it count if the coin fell in by accident?

A splinter drove into her thumb. Bugger! She should have brought a torch.

This was turning into a farce, far from the dignified ceremony she’d envisaged. Maybe dashing out here at the dead of night hadn’t been the best idea, but once she had made up her mind, she hadn’t wanted to do anything as sensible as wait for daylight. A new start. Time to turn her back on the past and rejoin the rest of the world.

Her questing hand fell upon the smooth, cold penny and its fine chain. She blew out a breath of relief and rose to her feet. Higher up the valley, the church clock struck midnight. Christmas Day. A time of hope. What better time to mark a new start in her life?

She closed her eyes. “Goodbye, Rob. I’ll always love you.”

A brief press of the coin to her lips, then she hurled it out as far as she could. She counted three seconds before the pendant hit the water with a small splash. Then nothing.

 

About The Gift of Time

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Hoping to escape her dismal life, young widow Kat Beaumont throws a treasured coin into a lake. But how did a wish send her back in time? Now she’s in a snowbound medieval castle complete with vertigo-inducing staircases and smelly drains. While participating in the Christmas festivities, she continues to search for a way home and fights her attraction to the castle’s lord, Ralph d’Eyton.

Ralph needs an alliance through marriage to protect his lands and live up to his father’s legacy. But Kat, with no influential family, would not make a suitable wife. He resists his fascination with this mysterious and beautiful woman who appeared out of nowhere.

Can Ralph reconcile his dawning love with his need to protect his people, and can Kat let go of her fear of loss and surrender to love?

Buying Links:

The Gift of Time is currently on sale for just 99p at these sites:

Amazon: mybook.to/GiftofTime

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-gift-of-time/id1437727021

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gift-of-time-tora-williams/1129728605

About Tora Williams:

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Tora Williams writes historical romance with a dash of intrigue and adventure. When she was a child, family holidays usually involved visiting Welsh castles, where she would make up stories in her head about the women and men who once lived there. When she started writing she naturally set her stories in medieval Wales and the turbulent border between England and Wales. She lives in Shropshire, England in a house that doesn’t contain nearly enough bookshelves.

Twitter: @ToraWilliams1

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ToraWilliamsAuthor/

Website: www.torawilliams.uk

Thank you for joining me to talk about Christmas, Tora. The power cut tradition made me laugh and your excerpt had me rushing over to buy the book

The Adventures of Morton S. Gray

I’ve been busy having lots of lovely guests visiting my blog, so I haven’t done a personal update for quite a while.

I’m still enjoying adventures, particularly in the crafting world. My most recent course was a taster day in weaving! I absolutely loved it and at least it gives me something to ask for as a Christmas present from hubbie – a table-top weaving loom.

The pictures are of the sample piece that I completed on my taster day using different yarns and techniques. I can’t wait to get my own loom and experiment.

*Warning to relatives – you are more than likely to get a hand-woven scarf for your present at Christmas 2020! *

Other adventures included an immersion in the English Civil War last week! I had already booked on a “behind the scenes at the archives tour” at The Hive in Worcester to see some of the original civil war documents they hold. The tour was fascinating and the temperature controlled strong rooms were as I imagine a nuclear bunker to be like.

Coincidentally, I became aware of two talks on exactly the same week, one in Ludlow about sieges in Shropshire during the civil war and one in Cradley, entitled “Cradley and its vicinity in the English Civil War (1642-1660)”, so how could I resist? Both talks and the tour were fascinating and I made copious notes. In case you hadn’t gathered I am fascinated by this period of history and already have a 52,000 word draft novel set at the time which I may finish at some point.

For those of you who have kindly read my books, you will realise that I haven’t published anything for a while. I assure you I am working away in the background on another two Borteen novels, but a period of ill health and problems with my mother’s health too have delayed things somewhat. I’m hoping to send my next book, draft title Mandy’s Story to my publisher soon.

Meanwhile my second novel, The Truth Lies Buried is on sale at just 99p as part of the Black Friday events until midnight on 3 December, so grab it if you haven’t read it. 

Back next week with Tora Williams and Nell Dixon the week after that!

 

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.

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.

The Truth Lies Buried is available now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. It is also available as a paperback and audiobook.

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.

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