Morton S. Gray's Blog, page 5
December 16, 2024
Advent Calendar of Authors Featured On My Blog in 2024 – Part 3
Part 3 of the advent calendar of authors who have been guests on my blog in 2024 this week. Behind the advent calendar doors for 16-20 December we have ….
16 December
Sarah Gate
Sarah featured on my blog in September here
Sarah was born in Hartlepool in 1988, right by the sea. She grew up on the beach, and that love of the ocean inspired her to spend some time living in Venice, Italy, and Essaouira, Morocco, for periods of her life. Both stints inspired her writing in different ways.
Her time in Morocco also strengthened her love of dogs. She thinks they’re the greatest thing in the entire world, and spends a lot of her life trying to rescue them from the streets to rehome them.
When she’s not writing in front of her log burner, she’s trudging through the countryside with her doggies.
Her ultimate goal is to write compelling characters and stories you can’t stop thinking about.
To connect with Sarah, you can use the following links –
Website: www.sarahelizabethgate.com.
Twitter/X: @SarahGate
Instagram: @sarah.gate.writer
TikTok: @feministforeveryone
17 December
Clare Sheldon
Clare featured on my blog in October here
Claire lives in Nottingham with her family, and a dog called Podrick. Claire suffers from Multiple Sclerosis but that doesn’t stop her writing, releasing her Perfect Lie in 2020 with A Silent Child and A Burning Lie later following.
When Claire isn’t working, she enjoys reading crime novels and listening to music – the band Jimmy Eat World is her biggest muse! But she’s really Swiftie at heart. The inspiration for her novels comes from the hours spent watching The Bill with her grandparents and auntie; then later, Spooks and other detective programmes like Morse, A Touch of Frost and Midsummer Murders.
You can connect with Claire using the following links:
Facebook Author Page –https://www.facebook.com/clairesheldonauthor
Twitter – @ClaireEESheldon
Blog – https://csheldonblog.wordpress.com/
18 December
Cath The Doorstep Baker
Clare featured on my blog in November here
Cath Lloyd-Williams was born in 1977 in Somerset. She earned a BSc Hons in social sciences with the Open University, before becoming a family support practitioner. Cath has spent most of her life enjoying cooking and baking whilst raising two sons.
In 2011, one of Cath’s sons was diagnosed with a life-threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts, and diagnosed with asthma. Cath then changed her career to cooking and baking in local café’s, gaining experience and insight into producing food for all kinds of dietary requirements.
In 2019, Cath launched her own homemade food delivery business, The Doorstep Baker. She taught herself bread and sourdough baking and made every item without peanuts or tree nuts.
In 2023, Cath won a Gold award at the Free From Food Awards for her classic sourdough loaf in the nut and peanut free category. She now spends her time offering baking workshops, writing recipes and selling her bakes at local farmers markets in Worcestershire, where she lives. Her debut recipe book ‘The Doorstep Baker: You can make all sorts of bread’ has been published independently by Cath, using recipes in her baking workshops.
To connect with Cath you can use the following links:-
Website – www.thedoorstepbaker.com
Facebook – @thedoorstepbaker
Instagram – @thedoorstepbaker
LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-lloyd-williams-b0238b27a
19 December
Victoria Walker
Victoria featured on my blog in November here
Victoria Walker has been writing romantic fiction since a visit to Iceland in 2014 inspired her first novel. As well as writing, she spends her free time dressmaking, knitting and reading an inordinate amount of contemporary romance, occasionally punctuated by the odd psychological thriller and saga.
In the past she has worked as a cinema projectionist, a knitting and sewing tutor and has owned a yarn store, all things which will no doubt appear in her books if they haven’t already.
Victoria lives in the Malvern Hills with her husband.
Social media and website links
Facebook – Victoria Walker Author
Instagram – @victoriawalker_author
Website – www.victoriaauthor.co.uk
20 December
Morton S. Gray
I have featured on my own blog throughout the year, but particularly in January when my Secrets of Borteen Bay series Book 7 was published here.
Morton S. Gray lives with her husband and Lily, the tiny white dog, in Worcestershire, U.K.
Morton has been reading and writing fiction for as long as she can remember, penning her first attempt at a novel aged fourteen, the plot of which closely resembled an Errol Flynn film. As with many authors, life got in the way of writing for many years until she won a short story competition in 2006 and the spark was well and truly reignited.
She studied creative writing with the Open College of the Arts and joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme in 2012.
Previous ‘incarnations’ were in committee services, staff development and training. Morton has a Business Studies degree and is a fully qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist and Reiki Master. She has diplomas in Tuina Acupressure Massage and Energy Field Therapy.
She enjoys history and loves tracing family trees. She knits, crochets, sews, makes cards and recently had a go at Lino printing and glass bead making.
Having a hunger for learning new things is a bonus for the research behind her books.
You can also find me on Amazon, Facebook, X Twitter and Instagram.
I shall be blogging next weekend to finish my advent blogs with some authors of my favourite reads this year!
Thank you for visiting Morton S. Gray’s blog.
Sign up to my blog to receive weekly updates below:
About The Secrets of Borteen Bay Series
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post.
You can also find me on Amazon, Facebook, X Twitter and Instagram.
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
December 9, 2024
Advent Calendar of Authors Featured On My Blog in 2024 – Part 2
Part 2 of the advent calendar of authors who have been guests on my blog in 2024 this week. It was a popular post last week, so here are authors behind the advent calendar doors for 9-15 December ….
9 December
Vicki Beeby
Vicki featured on my blog in May and November 2024 here and here.
Vicki Beeby writes historical fiction about the friendships and loves of service women brought together by the Second World War.
Her first job was as a civil engineer on a sewage treatment project, so things could only improve from there. Since then, she has worked as a maths teacher and education consultant before turning freelance to give herself more time to write.
In her free time, when she can drag herself away from reading, she enjoys walking and travelling to far-off places by train. She lives in Shropshire in a house that doesn’t contain nearly enough bookshelves.
Website: vickibeeby.co.uk
Facebook page: facebook.com/VickiBeebyAuthor
10 December
Angela Petch
Angela featured on my blog in May 2024 here.
Published by Bookouture, Angela Petch is an award-winning writer of fiction – and the occasional poem.
Every summer she moves to Tuscany for six months where she and her husband own a renovated watermill which they let out. When not exploring their unspoilt corner of the Apennines, she disappears to her writing desk at the top of a converted stable. In her Italian handbag or hiking rucksack she always makes sure to store notebook and pen to jot down ideas.
The winter months are spent in Sussex where most of her family live. When Angela’s not helping out with grandchildren, she catches up with writer friends.
Angela’s gripping WWII novels set in Italy are published by Bookouture. While her novel, Mavis and Dot, was self-published and tells of the frolics and foibles of two best-friends who live by the seaside. Angela also writes short stories published in Prima and People’s Friend.
Social media links:
Blog: https://angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Angela_Petch
Instagram: @angela_maurice
11 December
Lilac Mills
Lilac featured on my blog in June 2024 here.
Lilac lives on a Welsh hillside with her very patient husband and incredibly sweet dog, where she grows veggies (if the slugs don’t get them), bakes (badly) and loves making things out of glitter and glue (a mess, usually).
She’s been an avid reader ever since she got her hands on a copy of Noddy Goes to Toytown when she was five, and she once tried to read everything in her local library starting with A and working her way through the alphabet.
She loves long hot summer days in the garden, and cold winter ones snuggled in front of the fire, but whatever the weather she’s usually writing, or thinking about writing, with heartwarming romance and happy-ever-afters always on her mind.
Social media links:
Website: https://www.lilacmills.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LilacMills
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilacmillsauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lilacmills
12 December
Judith Barrow
Judith featured on my blog in June 2024 here.
Judith originally lived in Saddleworth, a group of villages on the edge of the Pennines, but has lived in Pembrokeshire, Wales, for forty-five years. She has an MA in Creative Writing with the University of Wales Trinity St David’s College, Carmarthen, a BA (Hons) in Literature with the Open University, a Diploma in Drama from Swansea University. She gives talks on creative writing as well as being a creative writing tutor and holds workshops on all genres.
Judith’s social media and website links:-
Website: https://judithbarrowblog.com/
Author page on publisher’s website: https://www.honno.co.uk/authors/judith-barrow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judithbarrow2912/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judith-anne-barrow-02812b11/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/judithbarrow/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judith.barrow.3/
X Twitter: https://twitter.com/judithbarrow77
13 December
Marie Laval
Marie featured on my blog in July 2024 here.
Originally from Lyon in France, Marie has lived in the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire for the past few years. She writes both historical and contemporary romance. Her contemporary romance novels include best selling contemporary romantic suspense novels LITTLE PINK TAXI and ESCAPE TO THE LITTLE CHATEAU, which was shortlisted for the 2021 RNA Jackie Collins Romantic Suspense Awards, as well as A PARIS FAIRY TALE, BLUEBELL’S CHRISTMAS MAGIC and HAPPY DREAMS AT MERMAID COVE. The five romances now feature in a box set ESCAPE INTO ROMANCE. Marie also contributes to the best selling MISS MOONSHINE anthologies together with eight author friends from Authors on the Edge.
You can get in touch with Marie on Facebook or Twitter
14 December
Angela Sims
Angela featured on my blog in July 2024 here.
The Rose of Florence was borne of a love for the history, art and city of Florence, which grew over many years and frequent visits to this beautiful city. It’s what inspired Angela to start writing.
Her background is in healthcare, having worked in the field of cardiology for many years. She has been a University lecturer since 2010, and still has a clinical role. She lives in Cardiff, South Wales, with her husband. She has two grown-up daughters and two grandchildren. At every opportunity, she travels to Italy to eat, drink and absorb the wonderful atmosphere.
To keep in touch with Angela you can use the following links:
Facebook: Angela M Sims – Author (@angelamsimsauthor)
Instagram: @angelamsims1
Website: https://angelamsims.co.uk
15 December
Chris Penhall
Chris featured on my blog in July 2024 here and in October 2024 here.
Chris Penhall writes uplifting stories set in gorgeous places.
She won the 2019 Choc-Lit Search for a Star competition, sponsored by Your Cat Magazine, for her debut novel, The House That Alice Built. It is the first in the Portuguese Paradise series of books, followed by the sequel, New Beginnings at the Little House in the Sun and The House on the Hill – A Summer in the Algarve. The books can be read as stand-alone novels, too.
She has also written two stand-alone novels, Finding Summer Happiness and Summer in Your Eyes.
Born in South Wales, she has also lived in London and in Portugal which have all provided inspiration for her novels.
She has worked for BBC local radio for many years, producing programmes, sometimes talking on air, and producing 4 one-hour radio documentaries about salsa and comedy. A very, very long time ago, she worked for BBC Radio 4 – where she spent some time working on a programme called Bookshelf, (which was about books!) and for Radio 1 before leaving, trying new things for a few years, and ending up back working in radio again! She is also a podcast and content producer – working for Jibba Jabba Pods as an Associate Producer on the Richard and Judy Book Club Podcast from 2011 to 2020, and has her own community radio programme, called Books and Tunes.
A lover of books, music and cats, Chris is also an enthusiastic salsa dancer, a keen cook, and loves to travel. She also loves hammocks, but has still to master the art of getting in or out of one with elegance and style.
She is never happier than when she is gazing at the sea.
You can find more information about her on her website: www.chrispenhall.co.uk
or follow her on Twitter/X: @ChrisPenhall
Instagram: @christinepenhall
or Facebook as ChrisPenhallWriter
Join me next week for Part 3 of my author advent calendar.
Thank you for visiting Morton S. Gray’s blog.
Sign up to my blog to receive weekly updates below:
About The Secrets of Borteen Bay Series
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post.
You can also find me on Amazon, Facebook, X Twitter and Instagram.
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
December 3, 2024
Advent Calendar of Authors Featured On My Blog 2024 – Part 1
I had the idea that I would like to do an advent calendar to feature the authors who have been guests on my blog in 2024. This week I’m writing about authors for 1-8 December ….
1 December
Luisa A. Jones
Luisa featured on my blog in January 2024 here
Luisa A Jones lives in South Wales, and takes inspiration from the Welsh countryside, towns, history, and of course its people. Her writing explores the dynamics within relationships, the pressures that mental health issues can exert on people, and how these can be overcome.
Luisa studied Classical Studies at Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London. Her previous jobs have included tour guide in an historic house; teacher in both primary and secondary schools; careers adviser; and corporate trainer/assessor.
Luisa loves using her creativity for crafting and baking, as well as writing historical and contemporary fiction with romantic elements. She and her husband are the proud owners of Gwynnie, a Volkswagen camper van built in 1974, which inspired the story behind Luisa’s first book, Goes Without Saying. They have three children, a dog, and two cats.
Becoming an author fulfilled a lifelong ambition. Her first historical novel in The Fitznortons series, The Gilded Cage, was released by Storm Publishing in 2023, followed by the sequel The Broken Vow in January 2024.
You can keep in touch with Luisa using the following links:
Website – www.luisaajones.com
Twitter/X – https://twitter.com/Taffy_lulu
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LuisaAJonesauthor/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/luisa_a_jones_author/
Making the Best of It Cover FINAL Black2 December
Imogen Martin
Imogen featured in February 2024 here
Imogen writes sweeping, historical fiction. Her first two novels are set in nineteenth century America.
As a teenager, she took the Greyhound bus from San Francisco to New York. Over those three days of staring out of the window at the majestic mountains and endless flat plains, stories wound themselves into her head: tales of brooding, charismatic men captivated by independent women.
Since then, she has worked in a coffee-shop in Piccadilly, a famous bookstore, and a children’s home. She has run festivals, and turned a derelict housing block on one of the poorest estates in the UK into an award-winning arts centre.
During 2020 Imogen was selected by Kate Nash Literary Agency as one of their BookCamp mentees, a mentorship programme designed to accelerate the careers of promising new writers.
Married with two children, Imogen divides her time between Wales and Sardinia.
Contact details
Keep in touch with Imogen through her website and join her monthly newsletter: https://imogenmartinauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ImogenMartin9
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImogenMartin.Author/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imogenmartinauthor/?hl=en-gb
3 December
Georgia Hill
Georgia featured on my blog in February 2024 here
Georgia Hill writes warm-hearted and up-lifting contemporary and dual narrative romances about love, the power and joy in being an eccentric oldie and finding yourself and your community. There’s always a dog. It’s usually a naughty spaniel of which, unfortunately, she has had much experience. She lives near the sea with her beloved dogs and husband (also beloved) and loves the books of Jane Austen, collecting elephants, and Strictly Come Dancing. She’s also a complete museum geek and finds inspiration for her books in the folklore and history of the many places in which she’s lived. She’s worked in the theatre, for a charity and as a teacher and educational consultant before finally acknowledging that making things up was what she really wanted to do. She’s been happily creating believable heroines, intriguing men, and page-turning stories ever since.
You can find her here:
Twitter/X @georgiawrites
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/georgiahillauthor
Website www.georgiahill.co.uk
4 December
Helena Dixon
Helena featured on my blog in February 2024 here
Helena Dixon is a Black Country girl living in Devon. Married to the same man for over thirty-seven years she has three daughters, one grandson, a cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and housework. 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.
Helena 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 https://www.nelldixonrw.blogspot.com
Find her on Twitter – @NellDixon
and friend her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nell-Dixon/228642037151856
or follow her on Instagram @HelenaDixonauthor
Subscription to her non spammy newsletter is free https://t.co/upTmuKukHd
5 December
Anni Rose
Anni featured in March 2024 here
Born and raised in Berkshire, Anni emigrated to Wiltshire eight years ago, where she lives with her husband, sister and two dogs.
As a child, she could usually be found either reading or writing fiction, producing reams of stories over the years.
On leaving school, the need to earn a living sort of got in the way and her writing was limited to financial reports or employees’ handbooks, but a local writing course and an encouraging group of writing friends re-ignited the fiction flame many years later and Anni went on to have several short stories published in various magazines.
Anni would describe her writing these days as mainly modern romantic stories with a healthy dollop of humour thrown in. Away from writing Anni can usually be found behind a camera, walking the dogs, enjoying one of her husband’s curries or one of her sister’s bakery treats.
You can catch up with Anni on her website www.anniroseauthor.co.uk, on Twitter – @AnniRoseAuthor, or on her Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/anniroseauthor
6 December
Eva Glyn
Eva was on my blog in March 2024 here
Eva Glyn writes escapist relationship-driven fiction with a kernel of truth at its heart. She loves to travel and finds inspiration in beautiful places and the stories they hide.
Her love affair with Croatia began in 2019, and since then the country’s haunting histories and gorgeous scenery have proved fertile ground for her books, driven by her friendship with a tour guide she met there. His wartime story provided the inspiration for The Olive Grove and his help in creating a realistic portrayal of Croatian life has proved invaluable. Her second novel set in the country, An Island of Secrets is a dual timeline looking back to World War 2, and although her third is a contemporary romance featuring mature main characters, The Collaborator’s Daughter, has its roots in that conflict too.
Inspired by authors she loves such as Libby Page and Faith Hogan, Eva has wanted to write books about unlikely friendships for a long time. March 2024 sees her dream realised when The Dubrovnik Book Club is published. She had just the best fun choosing the diverse book club reads, including titles by Richard Osman and Jane Austen.
Eva lives in Cornwall, although she considers herself Welsh, and is lucky enough to be married to the love of her life, who she’s been with for almost thirty years. She also writes as Jane Cable.
Social media:
Instagram: @evaglynauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvaGlynAuthor/
Twitter: @janecable
Bookbub: @evaglyn
7 December
Jenni Keer
Jenni featured in March 2024 here
Jenni Keer is a history graduate who embarked on a career in contract flooring before falling in love and moving to the Suffolk countryside. Her lifelong passion for reading became a passion for writing and she had two contemporary romance novels published in 2019. She has now embraced her love of the past to write twisty, turny historicals, and The Legacy of Halesham Hall was shortlisted for the Romantic Historical Novel of the Year in 2023. Her latest release, At The Stroke of Midnight, has been described as Rebecca meets Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day.
Living with four grown up children and three cats (but just the one husband) she is frustrated by their inability to appreciate that when she’s staring into space, she’s actually working, and that watching television counts as research. Much younger in her head than she is on paper, she adores any excuse for fancy-dress and is part of a disco formation dance team.
Jenni says she is easy to find on social media as Jenni Keer everywhere.
8 December
Caroline James
Caroline featured on my blog in May 2024 here
Caroline James always wanted to write, but instead of taking a literary route, followed a career in the hospitality industry, which included owning a pub and a beautiful country house hotel. She was also a media agent representing celebrity chefs. When she finally began to write, the words flowed, and several novels later, she has gained many bestseller badges for her books.
She likes to write in Venus, her holiday home on wheels and in her spare time, walks with Fred, her Westie, or swims in a local lake. Caroline is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, SOA, ARRA and the Society of Women’s Writers & Journalists. She is also a speaker with many amusing talks heard by a variety of audiences, including cruise ship guests.
Website: www.carolinejamesauthor.co.uk
Twitter: @CarolineJames12
Facebook: Caroline James Author
Insta: Caroline James Author
Join me next week for advent authors for 9-15 December …
Thank you for visiting Morton S. Gray’s blog.
Sign up to my blog to receive weekly updates below:
About The Secrets of Borteen Bay Series
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post.
You can also find me on Amazon, Facebook, X Twitter and Instagram.
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
November 25, 2024
My Favourite Thing by Victoria Walker
Delighted to welcome Victoria Walker back to my blog this week to tell readers about her favourite thing. Victoria has just released the next novel in her fantastic Icelandic Romance series – read on to find out about Ignited in Iceland…
Thanks Morton for having me on the blog this week! It is total serendipity that the theme for the blog is my favourite thing, place or season because as you read this, I will just have returned from my favourite place in my favourite season and as an added bonus, it was with my favourite people.
I am going to tell you about my love affair with Disneyland, sparked in the late 1970s by my nan visiting Disneyland in California and bringing me back a guide book. I can’t tell you how many times I looked through that glossy photographic book which showed me somewhere that seemed like absolute paradise to a seven-year-old.
Because my aunt lived in California, my first visit to Disneyland was when I was twelve. It was exactly how it had looked in the book and we stayed until the absolute last minute, eeking out every second of the day. I remember being stunned that they had fireworks every night and they were spectacular compared to fireworks I’d seen until that point. My dad setting off a rocket from a milk bottle was as good as it got. I visited there twice more in my late teens and was always methodical about making sure we hit the right rides in the right order to make the most of every single moment. It might have verged on militant. Ask my dad…
Then when my kiddies were little, we decided to take them to Disneyland Paris. I say, we; my husband hadn’t been introduced to the delights of Disneyland before and just went along with it. He probably wasn’t aware of my deeply hidden love of Disneyland, and I played it cool. So off we went. Now, this is going to sound weird. Whether it was because when we went there it was Christmas (it was November but that’s already Christmas in Disneyland) or whether it was because my kids believed that Mickey and Minnie were real, I’m not sure. But that trip was magical. What I thought had been amazing in California was on another level in Paris. It warmed my heart like nothing else and from then on, I was in love with Disneyland at Christmas.
I’m not going to pretend that every visit since then has been as magical as that. One year it rained so hard for every single minute of the trip that we had to line our boots with sandwich bags. Sometimes our feet have been so sore from walking that we barely made it back to the hotel. But we always come away with amazing memories. Even when my daughter and I did the Disney 10k run a few years ago and she got a nosebleed at the 5k mark and we couldn’t finish (it crossed my mind for the briefest moment to leave her behind with the first-aider and finish the race), even that was great.
This visit is our first in six years, now with our grown-up children. I am going to wear Minnie Mouse ears, wear my Disney sweatshirt that I only wear at Disneyland because it would be weird anywhere else, and I fully expect to cry when we walk in because it always overwhelms me and it’s the first time we’ve been since my mum died, and she loved it as much as I do. I can’t wait for the Christmas magic to wash over me. It’s not about the rides anymore (well, except for Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean), it’s about being in a place that we all love, having fun together like nothing else matters while Christmas happens all around us. It’ll snow on us while we walk along Main Street, there will be joyful Christmas music and I’ll enjoy every single minute of it.
About Victoria Walker
Victoria Walker has been writing romantic fiction since a visit to Iceland in 2014 inspired her first novel. As well as writing, she spends her free time dressmaking, knitting and reading an inordinate amount of contemporary romance, occasionally punctuated by the odd psychological thriller and saga.
In the past she has worked as a cinema projectionist, a knitting and sewing tutor and has owned a yarn store, all things which will no doubt appear in her books if they haven’t already.
Victoria lives in the Malvern Hills with her husband.
Social media and website links
Facebook – Victoria Walker Author
Instagram – @victoriawalker_author
Website – www.victoriaauthor.co.uk
About Ignited in Iceland
Iris, an English volcanologist, arrives in Iceland focused solely on her research. But when she meets Siggi, a charismatic local with a complicated past, his passion for showing her Iceland’s geological wonders ignites unexpected feelings.
Cautious but drawn to each other, they embark on a short-term romance, promising to part ways when Iris’s work is done, but their deepening connection challenges the boundaries they’ve carefully set.
When a volatile volcano suddenly threatens everything, they’re forced to confront not only the unstable landscape but also their own hearts. In a country where the ground can shift at any moment, can Iris and Siggi find a way to stand firm together?
Set in the land of ice and fire, this is a compelling tale of love, risk, and finding the courage to trust again.
Buying Link : www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DHSXSPNZ
Thank you for visiting Morton S. Gray’s blog.
Sign up to my blog to receive weekly updates below:
About The Secrets of Borteen Bay Series
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post.
You can also find me on Amazon, Facebook, X Twitter and Instagram.
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
November 18, 2024
My Favourite Season by The Doorstep Baker
Something different on my blog this week! Those who regularly read my posts will know that I went on a course in April 2024 to learn how to make sour dough bread and other baked goodies. I am still making a loaf of sour dough bread every week! So, I am delighted to welcome Cath, The Doorstep Baker, who ran the course, to my blog this week to tell readers about her newly published book …
Helen Yandell Photography
Helen Yandell PhotographyHello everyone. Thanks for inviting me to write a guest blog, for November, Morton. I run a micro bakery, from my home kitchen, in Bewdley, Worcestershire called, The Doorstep Baker. I’ve recently independently published my first bread baking recipe book. I also offer baking workshops in small groups.
One of my favourite seasons is Autumn. The chill in the air, the falling of the multi coloured leaves, the hypnotic open fire and the smoky, misty air. There’s so much variety of elements and abundance of produce. I find it an inspiring time to get baking more. The welcome of a warm oven heating the kitchen, whilst I busy myself making something from seemingly nothing, is incredibly enticing and relaxing to me.
And what is my favourite ingredient to use? One of them has to be ginger. I love spreading ginger and cinnamon into the buttery centre of the cinnamon buns I make. I adore the scent of ginger, baking into gingerbread biscuits and parkin. And the warming glow I taste and feel as I take a bite of baked treats, like these, is an experience of warm memories and a welcome feeling. An enormous mug of tea, to accompany these treats, is my favourite way to indulge in the moment.
Gingerbread cinnamon bunsIndulgence is something we are often steered away from. But I prefer not to view foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. I enjoy bakes in variety and moderation along with fresh vegetables, fruits, and proteins. That way we can experience many quality foods and have a healthier, more balanced diet.
We can also adjust what we make, to cater for food allergies and intolerances. That’s why making bread from scratch is important to me. It means I know what ingredients are going in and that I will appreciate the quality over quantity. You can find me adding subtle Autumn suited spices to the breads and doughs I write about in my recipe book. Apricot and cinnamon sourdough is an unsweetened bread to enjoy at breakfast or with a cheese selection. And my Leicester style fruit bread includes nutmeg to further enhance the delicious flavour in my Grandmother’s recipe from the 1930s.
Loaves at marketBaking, running a small business and writing recipes can keep me in the house for a large amount of time. While I like to enjoy being absorbed in these activities, I can often notice that being in the same environment restricts creativity and connections. Local produce markets are a place I like to frequent with my own products and to discover others. It is here I meet all kinds of characters and creatives. In the cool of the Autumn, as we step side to side on cold floors and hug warm mugs, I learn the life stories from the makers themselves. And each person’s experiences, through life, is covertly conveyed in the food, drink or craft product displayed before customers.
In between baking and business efforts, I like to keep active. A walk or an attempt at a jog is more delightful in the Autumn, through the cooler days and crunchy leaves. It helps me to absorb more precious daylight on shorter days. Each week I make time to enjoy Pilates classes. As we hold difficult poses to give our bodies strength, I welcome the meditation it offers. In Pilates I find the comfort of a warm, dry studio can also be the place where I truly switch off. I find I put deadlines and family responsibilities into perspective. I open my mind to what really matters. I am reminded not to take myself too seriously and to look inward to decide on choices that help forward motion, in ways that respect my little world.
I also find Autumn is a time to reflect and contemplate about what has gone before. This cannot always be comfortable for us, but sometimes it is necessary. I’ve discovered reading poetry a comfort, when I feel that way. And I sometimes find myself writing little poems, that can arrive so quickly, it’s a rush to get the words down before they escape my awareness.
This time last Autumn, grief was a big part of our lives. My father and my partner’s father, passed away within 7 days of each other. I was grateful of my sourdough and bread making learnings at that time. I found, with baking, I could lose myself from the thoughts of what had happened and what was to come, by following my recipes and feeling the process. Weighing, mixing, checking, preparing, baking and then marvelling at these unique creations. In between, I would hand write or type my recipes, whilst recalling memories of my baking journey through life. Memories of my father and father-in-law, weaving in between. The thought of sharing this rewarding pastime gave me much to look forward to.
Cath with her partner in backgroundOn reflection, grief through last Autumn has taught me we have a finite time to try things out in our lives, while we are fit and able enough. I’m so glad I took the time to write a recipe book and publish it as an independent author. This was a dream project and now it is reality. Success, to me, means having faith in acting on your own inner voice. Being willing to try, whether you fail or not, is a form of wealth and freedom, to me.
I am reassured that on these Autumn days and into the Winter, it will be a pleasure to, yet again, enter my sanctuary of memories related to recipes I want to share. There are sweet stuff book ideas and a soup and savoury book in me yet. The solitude of book writing, in the colder months, is helping me to find a more peaceful balance to the busy and bombarding world we find ourselves in.
Before we know it, the seasons will bring us Winter and Spring, as we expect it to. The creative fuel we choose to stock up on now may bring new adventures come March or April. This fuel may look like many things including, learning a new skill or having little outings. It may look like finding creative ways to survive what life throws at us. It may be absorbing fresh ideas, until time for creativity in our lives is possible. Whichever it is, there is always hope, in the seasons, that a new abundance of life and produce will rise up and begin the cycle again, every year. Amazing! Then I will be baking, showing, sharing and going to markets, hopefully! Mouths will be hoovering up deliciously spiced, hot cross buns, homely cakes, and small batch bread loaves, that always disappear as swiftly as they can be baked. Maybe I’ll have another bundle of recipes written. I hope to see you there, with the reward of what’s been fuelling you through Autumn and Winter.
Helen Yandell Photography
Birmingham Christmas Market eating a pretzelAbout The Doorstep Baker
Cath Lloyd-Williams was born in 1977 in Somerset. She earned a BSc Hons in social sciences with the Open University, before becoming a family support practitioner. Cath has spent most of her life enjoying cooking and baking whilst raising two sons.
In 2011, one of Cath’s sons was diagnosed with a life-threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts, and diagnosed with asthma. Cath then changed her career to cooking and baking in local café’s, gaining experience and insight into producing food for all kinds of dietary requirements.
In 2019, Cath launched her own homemade food delivery business, The Doorstep Baker. She taught herself bread and sourdough baking and made every item without peanuts or tree nuts.
In 2023, Cath won a Gold award at the Free From Food Awards for her classic sourdough loaf in the nut and peanut free category. She now spends her time offering baking workshops, writing recipes and selling her bakes at local farmers markets in Worcestershire, where she lives. Her debut recipe book ‘The Doorstep Baker: You can make all sorts of bread’ has been published independently by Cath, using recipes in her baking workshops.
To connect with Cath you can use the following links:-
Website – www.thedoorstepbaker.com
Facebook – @thedoorstepbaker
Instagram – @thedoorstepbaker
LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-lloyd-williams-b0238b27a
About the Book
How do you bake bread and enjoy doing it? And how do you adapt it for a vegan or free from diet, without heaps of additives? Can a sourdough made at home taste as good as one you buy at an artisan bakery? What about if you’ve never baked before? Does that mean you can’t start making bread? Follow Cath’s passion for baking as she takes you step by step through each recipe. Through her own trials and errors, she shares what she’s learned and provides an experience of baking bread like she’s next to you in the kitchen.
This recipe book shows how making tasty bread can become an achievable hobby in our busy lives. It invites you to take time for yourself by trying new recipes and to keep trying. This is bread baking that encourages you to make all sorts of bread and feel comfortable to experiment with the ingredients you require. All of this whilst learning a new skill you can develop throughout the rest of your life. And hopefully Cath’s shared experiences will inspire fun, calmness and resilience in your own baking.
Book buying links
Wyre Forest Books, 54 Load Street Bewdley, DY12 2AP, 01299 488400 Wyre Forest Books Bookshop UK
Scripthaven Ltd, 104 High Street Worcester, WR1 2HW, 07923 001202 Script Haven Ltd – the safe home for words old & new
Photography for the book was done by Helen Yandell Photography.
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About The Secrets of Borteen Bay Series
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe
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Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
November 13, 2024
Warning – Writer Out And About Again!
I’m late blogging this week. We’ve been to a family wedding in Cornwall and what a lovely event it was.
The bride and groom have been together eleven years having met when they were both fourteen and their love for each other just shines out of them. It was so wonderful to see their joy – the groom cried when he saw his bride walking down the aisle – aww.
It was also great to catch up with family members we don’t see often enough. We talked so much that I could barely speak by the end of the reception.
We stayed in a lovely hotel in Tavistock – The Horn of Plenty – recommended by a regular visitor to my blog, Jane Cable. We liked it so much we stayed an extra day and night, so that we could spend some time at the coast and have another delicious hotel dinner! We visited Charlestown, Fowey and Looe.
It was such a lovely time that it felt as if we had been away for much longer than a long weekend.
As usual, I noted down several things at the wedding, hotel and coast that may appear in future writing.
I’ve been in one of those strange moods where I couldn’t find a book I really wanted to read and so I was delighted to come across Jo Bartlett’s Cornish Country Hospital series. I’m already on Book 2 and am thoroughly enjoying the novels.
And, if you are looking for Christmas reads, don’t forget that three of my own novels are set over the Christmas period – Christmas at Borteen Bay, Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe and A New Arrival in Borteen Bay.
Next week, I have something slightly different for my blog readers. Some of you may remember me attending a course to learn how to make sour dough bread – well the tutor has published a boot and so I’ve asked her to write a piece for next week …
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Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
November 4, 2024
My Favourite Season by Vicki Beeby
As promised, Vicki Beeby joins us this week to talk about her favourite season. Christmas For The Bomber Girls, book 3 in Vicki’s Bomber Command Girls Series was published by Canelo Saga on 10 October 2024 and I’m including my review of this great book at the end of the post. Over to Vicki …
Thank you so much, Morton, for inviting me back on your blog to chat about my favourite season. I should start by saying that I don’t really have a favourite. Or, rather, my favourite is the season I happen to be in. In spring I love to see the flowers, blossom and leaves appearing; I enjoy the warmth and long days of summer and, as someone who grew up in the Chilterns, I firmly believe that there is no more beautiful sight than a beech wood in autumn. But even though I love a good moan about the cold and dark, I can’t deny that I love the winter too.
February DawnThere’s so much to enjoy about winter: frost patterns on the windows; the smell of woodsmoke; going for walks on crisp sunny days. And the bonus for someone as fair skinned as me is that I don’t have to smother myself in sunblock! But the best part is those long winter evenings when it’s too dark to go out so I can curl up with a good book and not feel guilty about staying in.
Wintry HillsBut the thing I most enjoy about winter is Christmas and the whole festive season. There’s something about the scent of a real Christmas tree and seeing colourful fairy lights on a dark night that feels truly magical, and it’s a feeling I always try to capture in my books. These days, of course, having a book out at this time of year is an extra thrill, and I have a new book that was published last month – Christmas for the Bomber Girls.
Of course, as my books are set during WWII, I can also go to town on the contrast between the hope of Christmas and the dark times my characters are enduring. I have to confess to really putting my characters through the mill in this one! Pearl is especially suffering as her husband has gone missing in action, and so she throws herself into preparations for the RAF Fenthorpe Christmas dance to keep herself occupied while she waits for news. She has her friends to support her and also her grandmother, Deedee, who is afraid that coming to Fenthorpe will reveal secrets that she would rather stay hidden.
What’s the only thing better than writing Christmas books? Reading them! I love stocking my kindle with Christmas books and then reading them through January to keep the festive feeling alive for a few extra weeks.
About Vicki Beeby
Vicki Beeby writes historical fiction about the friendships and loves of service women brought together by the Second World War.
Her first job was as a civil engineer on a sewage treatment project, so things could only improve from there. Since then, she has worked as a maths teacher and education consultant before turning freelance to give herself more time to write.
In her free time, when she can drag herself away from reading, she enjoys walking and travelling to far-off places by train. She lives in Shropshire in a house that doesn’t contain nearly enough bookshelves.
Website: vickibeeby.co.uk
Facebook page: facebook.com/VickiBeebyAuthor
About Christmas for the Bomber Girls
With the men missing in action, can the Bomber Girls find a way to bring them home?
Pearl, Thea and Jenny fling themselves into making Fenthorpe as festive as it can be, looking forward to the Christmas dance. Disaster strikes when Pearl’s husband, Greg, crashes behind enemy lines and is reported missing.
Pearl and Thea’s grandmother, Deedee, immediately travels to Lincoln to support her granddaughter. But Deedee has a surprising – and troublesome – connection to Fenthorpe. Can the girls uncover her secrets to help their grandmother find new romance?
And can Greg evade capture and survive in enemy-occupied Holland to make it home for Christmas?
It’s never too late to fall in love in this heartwarming Second World War saga, perfect for fans of Soraya Lane, Kate Thompson and Lizzie Page.
Purchase links:
Apple Books and Amazon: mybook.to/CFTBG
Kobo: kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/christmas-for-the-bomber-girls
***
Morton’s Review of Christmas For The Bomber Girls
It was a joy to be back with the familiar Bomber Girl series characters.
There were several strands to this story, which mainly centred around Deedee, the grandmother of Pearl and Thea. I enjoyed the revelations of Deedee’s past which inevitably impacted the present and the ongoing stories of Pearl, Thea and Jenny.
The background tension associated with Pearl’s husband, Greg going missing on a flight over Europe and its impact on Pearl and her relationships with those around her, made me think about how many people, including in my own family, must have struggled day to day with similar lack of information and confusion in WW2.
I was fascinated by the inventiveness required in the war to provide festive cheer with limited resources.
Vicki Beeby has once again skilfully produced a novel which is easy to read, full of interest and evoked many emotions in response to the story. I am looking forward to the next book in this series already.
***
Other Books by Vicki Beeby (All highly recommended by Morton!)
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About The Secrets of Borteen Bay Series
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe
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Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
October 28, 2024
Morton’s Musings
We seem to be hurtling along towards Christmas or at least displays in the shops and online marketing keep reminding me that I haven’t yet bought my advent calendar or started my Christmas present shopping. I’m not sure how to feel about this at the moment as for various reasons the summer of 2024 seemed to pass me by. Maybe I need to get on top of Christmas early?
Lots of Christmas novels have recently been published and I’ve even read a few, so maybe I will get eventually get into the mood.
To mention those books set at Christmas – I have read and enjoyed advance copies of the following :- Christmas at Polkerran Point by Cass Grafton, The Tanglewood Bookshop by Lilac Mills, A Skye Full of Stars by Sue Moorcroft, Christmas for the Bomber Girls by Vicki Beeby (look out for Vicki on my blog next week) and Christmas with the Knights by Hannah Langdon.
Three of my own published novels are also set at Christmas, so check out Christmas at Borteen Bay, Christmas at the Little Beach Café and A New Arrival in Borteen Bay if you haven’t read them already.
Last week, I attended a course hosted by The Society of Authors. This was run by Anna Caig and the title was Marketing for Introverts. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and it also set me thinking on other tangents. Anna was advocating using your personal hobbies and passions to help market your novels and I started to wonder about how much of me I had put into my seven published novels – look out for a post about this in the future.
I also had fun meeting fellow author Jane Cable, who also writes as Eva Glyn, last week and we went on a historic tour of Harvington Hall in Worcestershire. It is amazing how inspiring it is to meet up with another writer and to talk through your current writing ideas. Thank you, Jane! I have recently found myself writing something very different and it involves a lot of research, so watch this space for news of that too.
And for those of you who, like me, haven’t really started this Christmas thing yet, I challenge you to at least write a Christmas present list for this year to get ahead.
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About The Secrets of Borteen Bay Series
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Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
October 21, 2024
Who Is The Real Claire Sheldon?
This week I’m joined on my blog by author Claire Sheldon. The fourth book in her Detective Jen Garner series will be available very soon. A Dead Lie is published on 24 October 2024 by Choc Lit Psychological thrillers, Suspense and Crime: A Joffe Books Company.
I asked Claire to answer the question – Who is the real Claire Sheldon?
My mum was from Thornton Heath and my dad is from Croydon. They moved to Long Eaton and couple of years before I was born.
I have a younger brother called Paul 
who I mostly get on with.
I never enjoyed school but made it out alive in the end.
My mum and dad split up while I was in secondary school 
and I didn’t cope with it very well.
When I was younger I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
I started going to Rock City where my love of music developed.
Shortly after meeting my now husband I moved to Leeds to start University and study Events Management.
Plus six months in Haarlem, Netherlands.
On the way home Andrew asked me to marry him!
And soon after Alex and Melanie came along!
I love Jimmy Eat World.
But also a Swiftie.
Heavily influenced by The Bill and Spooks.
About Claire Sheldon
Claire lives in Nottingham with her family, and a dog called Podrick. Claire suffers from Multiple Sclerosis but that doesn’t stop her writing, releasing her Perfect Lie in 2020 with A Silent Child and A Burning Lie later following.
When Claire isn’t working, she enjoys reading crime novels and listening to music – the band Jimmy Eat World is her biggest muse! But she’s really Swiftie at heart. The inspiration for her novels comes from the hours spent watching The Bill with her grandparents and auntie; then later, Spooks and other detective programmes like Morse, A Touch of Frost and Midsummer Murders.
You can connect with Claire using the following links:
Facebook Author Page –https://www.facebook.com/clairesheldonauthor
Twitter – @ClaireEESheldon
Blog – https://csheldonblog.wordpress.com/
About A Dead Lie
The past won’t stay buried . . . and neither will she.
Jen Garner’s life is a delicate balancing act between her past as an undercover police officer and her present as a mother trying to build a new life for her family.
Until a woman claiming to be her best friend, Chloe Seaward, shows up on her doorstep.
But Chloe died years ago during an undercover operation.
Now everything that Jen has built begins to unravel.
Because Chloe’s reappearance isn’t just a shock — it’s a threat.
Caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse with no one she can trust, can Jen uncover the truth . . . and keep her family safe?
Pre-order now – Publication Date 24 October 2024 – Buying link here
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About The Secrets of Borteen Bay Series
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post.
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Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
October 17, 2024
Cover Reveal – The Santorini Writing Retreat by Eva Glyn
A special blog this week as I take part in the cover reveal for Eva Glyn’s new novel The Santorini Writing Retreat. And what a lovely cover it is …
I asked Eva to tell readers a little about the book :-
A secret, a sacrifice, and stories to share. A life-changing month in the sun.
Best-selling author Jessica Rose needs to escape. From her controlling husband, from her increasingly impatient publisher, but most of all from the terrible secret that’s robbed her of her creativity. Could leading a retreat on a gorgeous Greek island be just what she needs?
Coming home to Santorini was never in Zina’s plans, but now she’s here she’s determined to make The Retreat House successful at all costs. So determined, she’s in danger of forgetting the reason she had to return – to protect the man she loves.
And then there’s Karmela, who just wants to write her book and make her mother proud. She can’t let the others’ problems distract her; but how can she ignore them when she knows she can help?
Eva also explained why she wrote the book :–
So why did I choose to write about a writing retreat? In part it was because one of the highlights of my writing year is attending one. Every March since 2019 (bar the year we were in lockdown) I head to Spain with a group led by one of my favourite authors, Rosanna Ley. The members shift and change over time, but there are always familiar faces and we keep in touch all year.
Being away from everyday life simply gives me space to be a writer, without having to worry about anyone, or anything, else. We begin and end each day with group sessions, but for most of the time we can sit and write and it’s absolute bliss. Of course, things won’t run quite so smoothly for my characters at The Santorini Writing Retreat, and at times the vibe will be far from chilled, because after all, this retreat is really for readers not writers!
The Santorini Writing Retreat will be published by One More Chapter as an ebook on 31st March 2025 and as a paperback on 10th April 2025. I loved Eva’s last book The Dubrovnik Book Club, so I can’t wait …
About Eva Glyn
Eva Glyn writes escapist relationship-driven fiction with a kernel of truth at its heart. She loves to travel and finds inspiration in beautiful places and the stories they hide.
Eva lives in Cornwall, although she considers herself Welsh, and has been lucky enough to have been married to the love of her life for more than twenty-five years. She also writes as Jane Cable.
Social media links:
Instagram: @evaglynauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvaGlynAuthor/
Twitter: @janecable
Bookbub: @evaglyn
Thank you for visiting Morton S. Gray’s blog.
Sign up to my blog to receive weekly updates below:
About The Secrets of Borteen Bay Series
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe
Tha nk you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post.
You can also find me on Amazon, Facebook, X Twitter and Instagram.
Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
