Jenny Twist's Blog: Things That Go Bump in the Night, page 12

The Birth of a Novel – All in the Mind – Jenny Twist

Hi everyone

I’m visiting Manic Readers talking about how I came to write “All in the Mind”, the research and the slog. I know it’s getting near Christmas and everyone is begging you to read their blogs, but this one is very special for me.
I’d be so grateful if you’d drop by and leave a comment: http://bit.ly/TOR777

Love
Jenny Twist
xxxx

Follow me on:
my Website: https://sites.google.com/site/jennytw...
Amazon: amazon.com/author/jennytwist
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-...

Goodreads Blog: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JennyTwist1

Or email me on casahoya@gmail.com

A Spine-Tingling Masterpiece – Bedtime Shadows

Hi everyone. I’m so delighted with Chris Carrolli’s review of Bedtime Shadows:

"Bedtime Shadows" by Jenny Twist and Tara Fox Hall is a spine tingling masterpiece and the newest Paranormal anthology by Melange Books. Jenny Twist and Tara Fox Hall have comprised 185 pages of superbly written dark tales and proven themselves to be master storytellers in a collection well worthy of Halloween and bedtime reading.
T. Fox Dunham provides a well versed tribute to the authors in the Introduction, after which, the shadows begin lurking.
Jenny Twist explores childhood memories that later come back to haunt in "The Man With No Face". A young woman's early memory of man she cannot see continues to haunt her, and when she finally sees his face, she is gripped with terror.
"Children of Hope" is both interesting and heartbreaking, dealing with young mother's forced to give their babies away. Yet the story is one of hope and survival.
"The Bull Dancer" is an eerie short-short capable of a quick fix for those who love strange tales along with "Voices" and "Catch Me if You Can."
"A Victorian Doll's House" puts Twist at the top of the line as Paranormal writers, gripping us with the shock usually felt in The Twilight Zone.
"Doppelganger" fits the description on Paranormal/Romance to the fullest as we follow a woman who wakes up in white room and the strange tale begins.
Tara Fox Hall continues to send the chills up our spine in her sequel to "Origin of Fear," "All That Remains." A trip back to Latham's Landing takes us back into the house's haunted history for more thrills.
"Heart's Bells" continues the theme of Paranormal/Romance in a story where one hopes for the main characters, a young couple forced apart by a supernatural fate, and becomes enrapt in the paranormal horror that surrounds them.
"Return To Me" is another Paranormal/Romance that keeps the reader's eye from straying the page. The story is a brilliantly written, well thought concept.
"Take The Chance" is a post apocalyptic story of survival and like Hall's "Shades of Grey" carries an important message.
A bow to Melange Books for casting these two brilliant authors together for a must read anthology. Jenny Twist and Tara Fox Hall should continue for yet another tryst together!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009PNH2VI
http://amzn.com/1612354742

Thanks, Chris. You’re a star!

Love
Jenny Twist
xxxx

Follow me on:
my Website: https://sites.google.com/site/jennytw...
Amazon: amazon.com/author/jennytwist
Facebook:
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Goodreads Blog: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JennyTwist1

Or email me on casahoya@gmail.com

The Book Everyone Wants for Christmas – Warm Christmas Wishes

This is a delightful collection of stories suitable for any age… “aptly named as it brings a warm glow to your heart with each of these wonderful Christmas tales. You can expect to find magic, charm, love and happiness within. A fabulous group of authors come together resulting in an anthology that no one should be without at Christmas. If you want to know what Christmas is all about, read this book. You'll find all the answers inside.”
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1612352650
http://amzn.com/1612352650
Look no further!

Love
Jenny Twist
xxxx

Follow me on:
my Website: https://sites.google.com/site/jennytw...
Amazon: amazon.com/author/jennytwist
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-...

Goodreads Blog: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JennyTwist1

Or email me on casahoya@gmail.com

Do You Learn From What You Read?

Darlene Jones says, “A survey of fiction readers showed that the one most important aspect of a novel to readers was what they learned. Domingo's Angel fills the bill perfectly. The reader learns about conditions in Spain through the lives of villagers in the mountains. The story is beautiful, heartbreaking, and haunting. The characters, depicted so vividly, stay with the reader long after the book is done. This is one I will read and reread. Do pick up a copy. You won't be disappointed.”

I will treasure this review. Thank you, Darlene.

Love
Jenny Twist
xxxx

Follow me on:
my Website: https://sites.google.com/site/jennytw...
Amazon: amazon.com/author/jennytwist
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-...

Goodreads Blog: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JennyTwist1

Or email me on casahoya@gmail.com

Free Download - Away With the Fairies

Thank you all you lovely people who downloaded Away With the Fairies. I think it was a huge success! At one point it was N.8 in the Fairy Tales list, N.9 in Mythology and N.3 in Occult!! You’ve made me very happy.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009DNXCSW
http://amzn.com/B009DNXCSW
Away With the Fairies

Lucy likes to stare at the wall. Her mother thinks she is suffering from petit mal but Granny McCurdle says, “ Och, she's away wi' the fairies again.”
Nobody takes this literally until Lucy disappears. Her sister knows where she's gone, but who would believe her? Can she really be away with the fairies?

Love
Jenny Twist
xxxx

Follow me on:
my Website: https://sites.google.com/site/jennytw...
Amazon: amazon.com/author/jennytwist
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-...

Goodreads Blog: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JennyTwist1

Or email me on casahoya@gmail.com

FREE TODAY & TOMORROW - Away With the Fairies

Hi everyone
This is the first time I’ve done a Kindle download and I’m really hoping it’ll be a success. I’d appreciate it so much if you’d take the time to pick it up.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009DNXCSW
http://amzn.com/B009DNXCSW
Away With the Fairies

Lucy likes to stare at the wall. Her mother thinks she is suffering from petit mal but Granny McCurdle says, “ Och, she's away wi' the fairies again.”
Nobody takes this literally until Lucy disappears. Her sister knows where she's gone, but who would believe her? Can she really be away with the fairies?

Love
Jenny Twist
xxxx

Follow me on:
my Website: https://sites.google.com/site/jennytw...
Amazon: amazon.com/author/jennytwist
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-...

Goodreads Blog: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JennyTwist1

Or email me on casahoya@gmail.com

The Whole is Greater Than the Parts- All in the Mind – 5 Stars

Another delightful review for All in the Mind from Robert E. Johnson:
“All in the Mind is a novel of delights. It is one tale with three distinct stories, each of them a joy to read. Ms. Twist does a superb job in developing characters, both likeable and not so likeable ones. What gives the tale extra pleasure is her ability to include little details without overloading with an excess of them.

The first story takes place in England just after World War Two. The romance of Tilly and Johnny has a certain Cinderella feel to it, but without the evil step mother and sisters. A reader is able feel the joy and warmth of their discovery of each other that leads to a storybook wedding in the magical country village. It has a story of love that has contains a paragraph or two that brings forth slightly weepy eyes.

The second story adds some new characters in a light science fiction way. It addresses the hopes of finding a cure for the pain of Alzheimer's Syndrome that has possibilities for the return to a youthful life. Ms. Twist writes with sympathy and hope in this story of what is possible. It has been written that `what a person could conceive and believe, they could achieve'. This part of the story embodies the concept.

The third story adds another character or two and a whole new type of action; one filled with intrigue and derring-do plus the surprise that envelopes Tilly and Johnny. There is the freeing of one person from the dictates of a dictatorial father and the romantic deliverance of a woman from a form of captivity.

The whole is greater than the parts as they are woven together to produce a thoughtful and fun tale. I strongly recommend this book for the pleasure it will give the reader.”

Thank you so much, Robert

Love
Jenny Twist
xxxx

Follow me on:
my Website: https://sites.google.com/site/jennytw...
Amazon: amazon.com/author/jennytwist
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-...

Goodreads Blog: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JennyTwist1

Or email me on casahoya@gmail.com

I’ve Been Tagged: I’ve Got the Look!

Well, I’ve finally done it! Got involved in a blog hop! My dear friend and wonderful author, Su Halfwerk, http://www.suhalfwerk.blogspot.com.es/
has persuaded me to take the plunge with “You’ve Got the Look.”
The concept of this tagging is to take my latest work in progress or current manuscript and search for the word "look" then post some of the surrounding text/paragraphs and tag 5 authors.

My current WIP is but a weak and tiny thing and does not yet contain the word ‘look’, so I’ve chosen ‘All in the Mind’, my new release.

Years ago I read about an old folks’ home where they did the experiment of making the residents’ environment like that of their youth. I can’t remember where I read this or what they were attempting to prove, but I do remember that one surprising result was that the subjects’ hair darkened.
I’ve had the idea lurking at the back of my mind ever since. What if you carried the experiment to its logical conclusion?
Last year I entered Nanowrimo for the first time (a competition to write a novel in a month) and this was the idea that resurfaced when I sat down at my computer. I managed to fulfil Nano’s requirements and produced a first draft of slightly over the 50.000 word required minimum within the 30 day time limit.
It took almost a year to get from that first draft to publication, but it finally made it in October 2012, published by Melange Books.
One of the problems I have with my books is trying to decide what genre they fall into and ‘All in the Mind’ was no exception. Is it historical, inspirational, romance, science fiction? It is all those things, but I finally settled for ‘speculative fiction’, which will probably spell its doom. Who searches for speculative fiction?
The other problem is that it isn’t much like any other book I can think of. My previous novel, ‘Domingo’s Angel’ could be compared to Louis de Bernières’ ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ in that it takes place in a Mediterranean country during a period dating from before the second world war to the late 20th century and is basically a love affair set against a background of war. I had not thought of the connection but a lot of my readers subsequently commented that it was like ‘Chocolat’ – the stranger arriving in a closed village community and changing everything.
But ‘All in the Mind’ is not like that. I seem to remember Stephen King did a television series about an old man who started to get younger but I can’t remember much about it and I don’t think it was very similar to my story.
Some commenters say it reminds them of ‘Benjamin Button’, but that is before they have read it. Benjamin Button aged backwards, like Merlin. That is, he was born old and gradually grew younger until he died as a baby. The couple in my story, Tilly and Johnny, are born and grow old in the usual way, but in extreme old age something happens to make them get younger. Does this continue until they become babies and die? I’m not telling you. A girl has to preserve some mystery!
I am just hoping that the unusual plot will pique interest. Few romance stories begin with the protagonists in their eighties!

Blurb
Tilly wakes up in the dark, alone and very frightened. She finds she is in a strange room inexplicably furnished in 1940s style. However did she get here? Has she somehow slipped into the past? Has she been kidnapped? Of one thing she is absolutely certain, she has never seen this place in her life before.
All in the Mind is a fascinating tale exploring the human capacity to overcome any obstacle, no matter how great, as long as you believe you can.
Tilly is part of an experiment working on a cure for Alzheimer's disease. She and most of the other patients taking part in the experiment seem to make a full recovery, but there is a strange side effect.
Tilly and her fellow experimental subjects appear to be getting younger.
Can the same experiment be repeated for Tilly's beloved husband so that he can recover from a stroke? Tilly thinks it can and she will move heaven and earth to make sure it happens.
A charming and thought-provoking story full of reminiscences of a bygone age, All in the Mind also deals with the dilemmas posed by new developments in a society whose culture is geared to the idea that the natural span of a human life is three-score years and ten.

The story begins with Tilly dreaming about her past when she was a nurse at the end of the Second World War. The war in Europe is finally over and she has just met a handsome young soldier coming back from France …

“What? This weekend?”
They were in the hospital cafeteria, Tilly leading the way, looking for a free table, Johnny following on behind with a tray of tea and cakes.
“I'm being posted next week and I don't know when I'll get another chance.”
Tilly found a table and sat down, placing her bag carefully between her feet.
Johnny placed the tray on the table and sat opposite.
“I'm supposed to be on duty,” she said.
“Supposed?” Johnny began, taking a mouthful of tea. He spluttered, but managed manfully to swallow it.
“For f – heaven's sake,” he exclaimed, suppressing the more robust army oath which had risen to his lips. “What on earth is this?”
Tilly smiled. “The general consensus amongst the staff is that it's the floor sweepings from the tea warehouse, but some of us think it comes from a less salubrious place – a stable, for example. Of course,” she mused, “its unique flavour is enhanced by making it with lukewarm water and leaving it to stand for at least twenty minutes.”
“Jesus,” Johnny muttered under his breath, afraid the other customers might hear him blaspheming, “It's worse than the stuff they give us in the NAAFI.”
“You should try the cakes,” Tilly said sweetly.
Beneath the merry banter, she was in a terrible stew. She was terrified of meeting Johnny's parents. She saw them in her mind's eye – his father, stern and forbidding with a military bearing and mutton chop sideburns, looking, now she came to think of it, very much like Kaiser Bill - his mother very stiff in bombazine, her grey hair piled on top of her head, a lorgnette held before her piercing grey eyes – both of them scrutinizing her with obvious disapproval.
She found herself tracing the rings on the table left by countless tea cups and wondered how long she could postpone the fateful meeting. Her instinct was to put it off as long as possible. There was no way they could possibly find her acceptable. She had been foolish to even consider it. The minute they met it would be all over for her and Johnny. They would put a stop to it and look around for a more suitable daughter-in-law.
“I can't wait to get home and have some real food for a change.”
“What?” Tilly said, startled out of her thoughts.
“Real food, you know. Fresh eggs, proper meat, butter.”
She fixed her eyes on his face, searching to see whether he was joking. He wasn't.
“Fresh eggs,” she repeated in reverential tones.
Suddenly they were sitting in a circle of silence. Tilly realised that the customers at the nearby tables were all looking at them with an identical hungry expression. She could feel the same expression on her own face. It wasn't that they were starving exactly, the ration was adequate, but that was all it was and everyone craved more interesting food.
“Yeah.” Johnny seemed entirely unaware of the effect he was having. “I can't wait to get my teeth round a nice pork chop or a leg of chicken.”
Tilly felt her mouth water and was afraid she might begin to dribble.

I hope you like the excerpt.
It's time to pass on the torch to 5 authors who I believe do possess The Look, but sadly all my friends seem to
A. Already have done it
B. Be up to their neck in NaNo or launching a new book
C. Have no blog. Or
D. Are not speaking to me.
Except for the lovely Anne Ashby, Antipodean novelist extraordinaire. This is her site:
http://www.anneashby.com/blog/
And my new friend, Susan Hughes: susanrhughes.weebly.com/blog.html
And the fabulous Christopher Carrolli: www.christophercarrolli.blogspot.com
You see? I DO have friends, they were just being shy. I might even make 5 at this rate!

This is What Makes Writing Worthwhile

I am so delighted with this incredible review from The Masquerade Crew. No author could ask for better.
http://www.amazon.com/Domingos-Angel-...

“Jenny Twist is a wonderfully talented storyteller and ‘Domingo’s Angel’ weaves a spell of enchantment around the reader from start to finish. Although set in the 1950s (when the English woman, Angela, first arrives in the remote mountain village of Amendillas), there is nonetheless a timeless quality to the story. Through seamless flashbacks, the narrative takes us through the dreadful days of the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s despotic rule, then forwards into a happier, hopeful future.

The small, self-sufficient community seems untouched by the outside world and, on the surface looks like paradise. However, every character has been affected and deeply scarred by past tragedies and each nurses his or her own secret pain. Widows, who have long ago stopped weeping and have put away their smiles - seemingly forever, are the backbone of this community now devoid of men of a certain generation.

The English Angela is escaping from her own tragic secrets, but her healing process begins when she meets Domingo who worships her as his angel, then little by little, the healing magic begins to spread. But it is Rosalba, the excellently–drawn village matriarch, whose complex life-journey really captivates our hearts. Angela is quick to realise that “Whatever Rosalba thinks today, the village will think tomorrow” and the true love story is the growing bond between these two women, who learn to heal each other.

I read the latter half of the story almost entirely through misty eyes as the main characters grew larger than life with every page, unfolding their astonishing stories to me like good friends trusting me with their heartfelt secrets. When I reached the final page, I felt bereft and lonely, though completely satisfied that I had left them all in very good hands. Domingo’s Angel is a story I will certainly read again and this author goes straight to the top of my favourites list.”

Thank you, Lyn, of the Masquerade Crewe. You have made this author very happy.

Love
Jenny Twist
xxxx

Follow me on:
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JennyTwist1

Or email me on casahoya@gmail.com

All in the Mind – Now 8***** Reviews!

Here is the latest, by the lovely Joanna Foreman, one of my favourite people!

“This story grabbed me the moment I began to read it. I wasn't surprised, as I've read this author before and she always pulls the reader in at the very first sentence. Jenny Twist writes with a European flair, and I love the way I feel as though I'm in Europe. I've always wanted to visit, and with this book I felt as though I was there, in a little cottage, somewhere I've never been. Great sense of place with this author, wonderful characters and vivid descriptions.”
US: http://www.amazon.com/All-in-the-Mind...
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-in-the-Mi...
Thank you, Joanna. You have made my day!
Love
Jenny Twist
xxxx

Follow me on:
my Website: https://sites.google.com/site/jennytw...
Amazon: amazon.com/author/jennytwist
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-...

Goodreads Blog: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JennyTwist1

Or email me on casahoya@gmail.com