Marie Laval's Blog, page 8
February 13, 2016
Love from France...more vintage Valentine's cards
To carry on with the theme of vintage Valentine's Day cards I started last week I am posting a few mor old French postcards from various periods I have found. They are absolutely lovely...What do you think?
The little sister has fallen asleep and the big sister accepts...But don't make any noise and wake up 'the alibi'!What about a Love Barometer?
And the 'waterfall of love which will never run dry'?
A boat ride on the Lake of Love....
What a beautiful moustache!
A Love calendar from the Thirties...
A Happy Heart from the Forties...
And this really cute one from Raymond Peynet...
Which one is your favourite?
January 17, 2016
EXCERPT FROM 'THE DREAM CATCHER'
I am delighted to publish an excerpt from my Scottish Historical Romance THE DREAM CATCHER, Book 1 in the DANCING FOR THE DEVIL TRILOGY which was published by Accent Press last December. Book 2 - BLUE BONNETS - will be released on January 28th. I hope you enjoy it!
Excerpt
A giant stepped in front of her. Dressed in black riding boots, black breeches and riding coat, he was so tall and his shoulders so broad the already dark horizon darkened further.
‘Silence.’
His voice was deep and calm, the voice of a man used to be obeyed. The crowd hushed at once.
He bent down in front of her.
‘Well, well, who do we have here?’
Even though she could hardly see his face, she felt his eyes bore into hers, and it was enough to make her mind go blank.
‘Rose…Rose Saintclair.’
‘Where are the others, your servants, your maids?’
‘I… I don’t have any.’
‘Really? That’s a surprise. All right then, come up.’ He held both his hands out.
She hesitated a moment before placing her hands in his. He pulled her up and she flew straight into his arms, landing with a bump against his broad, hard chest. He was so tall she had to tilt her face all the way back to look at him. Her heart skipped a beat, then started bumping fast and loud.
His eyes were grey and framed by dark eyelashes, his nose straight and strong, his cheekbones high and sharp. Thick black stubble covered his cheeks and chin, and his hair flew around his face, the colour of a raven’s wing. There was something dangerous about him, something reminiscent of a brutal warrior from days long gone by.
She wriggled to free herself but he didn't let go and his mouth curved into a mocking smile.
‘Well, Fàilte, my sweetheart. ‘I’ll say this for McRae. If there’s one thing the rascal can do, it’s pick his fancy women.’
His hand slid from her waist and he patted her bottom.
Her reaction was instinctive. She swung her arm and lifted her hand to slap him. She didn’t have the chance. Without batting an eyelid he caught her wrist.
‘Steady on, sweetheart. You have a nasty little temper.’
‘And you have no right to insult me in this way, you vile brute,’ she hissed. ‘I am not Lord McRae’s fancy woman, as you so elegantly put it, I’m his wife!’
She had expected at least a shocked response or a groveling apology but he merely smiled.
‘It’s all right, gràidheag, you don’t have to pretend.’
‘Pretend what?’
‘Pretend you’re married to the man. I don’t care if you’re McRae’s mistress or his laundry maid, if you scrub his back or his dirty shirts.’
‘I am telling the truth, you stubborn macaque,’ she shouted in frustration. ‘I married Lord McRae in Algiersfour weeks ago.’
‘Please don't scream quite so loud. I heard you the first time. I just don’t believe you.’
‘What?’
‘First you introduce yourself as Rose Saintclair, now you’re spinning me a tale about being married McRae. Make up your mind, sweetie.’
He glanced at her hand. ‘I don’t see any wedding band on your finger.’
‘That’s because Cameron wanted to keep the wedding a secret. Never mind, I don’t have to explain anything to you. Now let go of me.’
She wriggled to break free, but he was still holding her wrist, leaving her no choice but to kick him hard in the shin with the tip of her boot – the very pointy tip of the fashionable new boots she had made in Algiers.
‘Ouch. Steady on, sweetheart.’
‘Let go of me, you deranged baboon! And stop calling me sweetheart.’
She kicked him again, harder. He muttered something in a strange, guttural language she didn’t understand and let go of her so suddenly she staggered backward and fell on her bottom on the hard, wet cobbles.
Her breath caught in her throat, her heart beat hard, erratic. Tears blurred her vision as people sneered and clapped around her. She knew McRaes and McGunns were enemies, but she had nothing to do with their feud, so why did everybody here seem to hate her so much? And why was the big hairy brute intent on humiliating her and not believing a word she said?
He stepped closer and offered his hand.
‘Come on, now, sweetheart. Let’s start again. I think we got off on the wrong foot.’
He sounded contrite but she wasn’t ready to forgive to forgive him. Ignoring his hand, she scrambled to her feet, and straightened her back. Attack was the best defence, her brother often said, and Lucas knew what he was talking about. He was the best scout in the whole of the Barbary States – or Algeria as the French now called her country.
‘Take me to your master immediately,’ she started in a voice as cold and steady she could manage, ‘so I can ask him to have you whipped for your insolence.’
There was a collective gasp from the people around them. Not looking in the least impressed, the man crossed his arms on his broad chest and arched his eyebrows.
‘Really?’
She took another deep breath.
‘That’s what I do to disrespectful servants on my estate, and I can assure you they stop smirking after five lashes.’ That was an outrageous lie, of course, but no one here was to know.
'If what you said earlier is true, then I see McRae chose his bride well.’ The man’s eyes were now hard as steel. ‘You and he are indeed a match made in heaven, or in hell. I’m sure you’ll be very happy together.’ He paused. ‘I’m sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart, but I don’t approve of whipping people, or beasts, for that matter.’
‘And I don’t care a fig if you approve or not. It is for your master to decide your punishment, and from what I’ve heard of Lord McGunn, he is neither a patient nor compassionate man.’
He arched his eyebrows. ‘I didn’t know I had such a bad reputation.’
Rose’s heart stopped. He wasn’t… he couldn’t be…
‘I realise I failed to introduce myself. I am Bruce McGunn.’ He bowed his head in a military salute.
‘You are?’ The words came out as a squeak.
His lips stretched into a tight smile that didn’t warm his eyes.
‘At your service, my lady. Now the introductions are over, shall we make our way to the Lodge?’
Rose's and Bruce's story continues in BLUE BONNETS, which is now available for pre-order.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Bonnets-Dancing-Devil-Book-ebook/dp/B019E15RTE/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 January 4, 2016
BLUE BONNETS available to pre-order!
I am delighted to announce that BLUE BONNETS, Book 2 of my historical romance trilogy DANCING FOR THE DEVIL, is now available for pre-order! It will be released by Accent Press on 28th January 2016.
BLUE BONNETS follows on from THE DREAM CATCHER, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Catcher-Dancing-Devil-Book-ebook-y/dp/B017D73N0Q/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Blurb
Cape Wrath, Scotland, November 1847.
Bruce McGunn, laird of Wrath in the far North of Scotland, is as brutal and unforgiving as his land. Discharged from the army, haunted by the spectres of his fallen comrades and convinced he is going mad, he is running out of time to save his estate from the machinations of Cameron McRae, heir to the McGunn's ancestral enemies.
When the clipper carrying McRae’s new bride docks at Wrath harbour, McGunn decides to hold the woman to ransom and use her to get more time to repay his debts. However, far from the spoilt heiress he expected, Rose is genuine and funny - a ray of sunshine in the long winter that has become his life. She is also determined to escape.
As Rose runs away to be reunited with her husband, she discovers there is a sinister side to the dazzlingly handsome aristocrat she married after a whirlwind romance. Why was Cameron so desperate to get her father's military journal? Why did he insist on keeping their wedding a secret? She is even more confused when Bruce catches up with her and she starts to feel irresistibly attracted to him. Soon she risks her marriage to help Bruce find the truth about his past and solve the mystery of the brutal murders committed on his land. Will her love be enough to heal his haunted heart?
Rose's and Bruce's story will conclude in SWORD DANCE, available in March 2016!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B019E15RTE?keywords=blue%20bonnets&qid=1451913618&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
BLUE BONNETS follows on from THE DREAM CATCHER, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Catcher-Dancing-Devil-Book-ebook-y/dp/B017D73N0Q/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
BlurbCape Wrath, Scotland, November 1847.
Bruce McGunn, laird of Wrath in the far North of Scotland, is as brutal and unforgiving as his land. Discharged from the army, haunted by the spectres of his fallen comrades and convinced he is going mad, he is running out of time to save his estate from the machinations of Cameron McRae, heir to the McGunn's ancestral enemies.
When the clipper carrying McRae’s new bride docks at Wrath harbour, McGunn decides to hold the woman to ransom and use her to get more time to repay his debts. However, far from the spoilt heiress he expected, Rose is genuine and funny - a ray of sunshine in the long winter that has become his life. She is also determined to escape.
As Rose runs away to be reunited with her husband, she discovers there is a sinister side to the dazzlingly handsome aristocrat she married after a whirlwind romance. Why was Cameron so desperate to get her father's military journal? Why did he insist on keeping their wedding a secret? She is even more confused when Bruce catches up with her and she starts to feel irresistibly attracted to him. Soon she risks her marriage to help Bruce find the truth about his past and solve the mystery of the brutal murders committed on his land. Will her love be enough to heal his haunted heart?
Rose's and Bruce's story will conclude in SWORD DANCE, available in March 2016!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B019E15RTE?keywords=blue%20bonnets&qid=1451913618&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
December 26, 2015
The Blue Men of the Minch
I really enjoyed reading tales and legends from Scotland whilst researching for my historical romantic trilogy DANCING FOR THE DEVIL, which is mostly set in the far north of the Highlands.
In Book 1 of the Trilogy - THE DREAM CATCHER - my heroine's first experience of Scotland is a terrible storm as her ship sails through the Minch - the body of water stretching between the north-west Highlands, the northern Inner Hebrides and the Outer Hebrides.
Photo courtesy of PixabayFolklore tells of a tribe of supernatural sea creatures who inhabited these waters - the Blue Men of the Minch. Partly human and partly mermen, they had blue skin and used to swim alongside ships and try to lure sailors into the water. They also had the ability to conjure storms and wreck ships, but interestingly they spared sailors who had a talent for poetry...
They were said to live in caves at the bottom of the sea but their sentinel were always on the look out and alerted the others when a ship was sailing through the Minch. The chief of the Blue Men then gathered his men, ready for the attack. Before attacking the ship he would rise high in the water and shout to the skipper two lines of poetry. If the skipper was unable to respond immediately by adding two lines to complete the verse, the Blue Men would take the ship and drag it down to the bottom of the sea. If the skipper could complete the verse, his ship would be allowed to carry on safely.
Here is a traditional boatman's song about the Blue Men.
Here is a boatman's song about the Blue Men:
When the tide is at the turning and the wind is fast asleep,
And not a wave is curling on the wide, blue deep,
Oh, the waters will be churning in the stream that never smiles,
Where the Blue Men are splashing round the charmèd isles.
As the summer wind goes droning o'er the sun-bright seas,
And the Minch is all a-dazzle to the Hebrides,
They will skim along like salmon--you can see their shoulders gleam,
And the flashing of their fingers in the Blue Men's Stream.
But when the blast is raving and the wild tide races,
The Blue Men are breast-high with foam-grey faces;
They'll plunge along with fury while they sweep the spray behind,
Oh, they'll bellow o'er the billows and wail upon the wind.
And if my boat be storm-toss'd and beating for the bay,
They'll be howling and be growling as they drench it with the spray--
For they'd like to heel it over to their laughter when it lists,
Or crack the keel between them, or stave it with their fists.
Oh, weary on the Blue Men, their anger and their wiles!
The whole day long, the whole night long, they're splashing round the isles;
They'll follow every fisher--ah! they'll haunt the fisher's dream--
When billows toss, Oh, who would cross the Blue Men's Stream!
(taken from http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/...)
So where does the legend of the Blue Men of the Minch come from?The obvious explanation is of course that the Blue Men are in fact not magical creatures at all, but porpoises which are often seen in the seas around Scotland.
Photo courtesy of PixabayHistorians also suggest two other possibilities. Firstly, the tales of Blue Men may refer to the ancient Picts who used to paint their body and may have used kayak-like boats to cross the waters of the Minch, therefore giving the impression that they were only half human.
Photo courtesy of PixabayAnother explanation links the Blue Men to the time of the Vikings who around the 9th century took Moors captured in North Africa to Ireland to be slaves. The Vikings spent winter months near the Shiant Isles in the Minch, and some historians believe the blue men are in fact "marooned foreign slaves" (Mackenzie (2013), loc. 1391). More specifically, these Moors may be Tuaregs, who were always called the 'Blue Men of the Desert' owing to their indigo clothing and headscarves. Then again, they might just be magical merfolk...
THE DREAM CATCHER is available from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Catcher-Dancing-Devil-Book-ebook-y/dp/B017D73N0Q/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
In Book 1 of the Trilogy - THE DREAM CATCHER - my heroine's first experience of Scotland is a terrible storm as her ship sails through the Minch - the body of water stretching between the north-west Highlands, the northern Inner Hebrides and the Outer Hebrides.
Photo courtesy of PixabayFolklore tells of a tribe of supernatural sea creatures who inhabited these waters - the Blue Men of the Minch. Partly human and partly mermen, they had blue skin and used to swim alongside ships and try to lure sailors into the water. They also had the ability to conjure storms and wreck ships, but interestingly they spared sailors who had a talent for poetry... 
They were said to live in caves at the bottom of the sea but their sentinel were always on the look out and alerted the others when a ship was sailing through the Minch. The chief of the Blue Men then gathered his men, ready for the attack. Before attacking the ship he would rise high in the water and shout to the skipper two lines of poetry. If the skipper was unable to respond immediately by adding two lines to complete the verse, the Blue Men would take the ship and drag it down to the bottom of the sea. If the skipper could complete the verse, his ship would be allowed to carry on safely.Here is a traditional boatman's song about the Blue Men.
Here is a boatman's song about the Blue Men:
When the tide is at the turning and the wind is fast asleep,
And not a wave is curling on the wide, blue deep,
Oh, the waters will be churning in the stream that never smiles,
Where the Blue Men are splashing round the charmèd isles.
As the summer wind goes droning o'er the sun-bright seas,
And the Minch is all a-dazzle to the Hebrides,
They will skim along like salmon--you can see their shoulders gleam,
And the flashing of their fingers in the Blue Men's Stream.
But when the blast is raving and the wild tide races,
The Blue Men are breast-high with foam-grey faces;
They'll plunge along with fury while they sweep the spray behind,
Oh, they'll bellow o'er the billows and wail upon the wind.
And if my boat be storm-toss'd and beating for the bay,
They'll be howling and be growling as they drench it with the spray--
For they'd like to heel it over to their laughter when it lists,
Or crack the keel between them, or stave it with their fists.
Oh, weary on the Blue Men, their anger and their wiles!
The whole day long, the whole night long, they're splashing round the isles;
They'll follow every fisher--ah! they'll haunt the fisher's dream--
When billows toss, Oh, who would cross the Blue Men's Stream!
(taken from http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/...)
So where does the legend of the Blue Men of the Minch come from?The obvious explanation is of course that the Blue Men are in fact not magical creatures at all, but porpoises which are often seen in the seas around Scotland.
Photo courtesy of PixabayHistorians also suggest two other possibilities. Firstly, the tales of Blue Men may refer to the ancient Picts who used to paint their body and may have used kayak-like boats to cross the waters of the Minch, therefore giving the impression that they were only half human.
Photo courtesy of PixabayAnother explanation links the Blue Men to the time of the Vikings who around the 9th century took Moors captured in North Africa to Ireland to be slaves. The Vikings spent winter months near the Shiant Isles in the Minch, and some historians believe the blue men are in fact "marooned foreign slaves" (Mackenzie (2013), loc. 1391). More specifically, these Moors may be Tuaregs, who were always called the 'Blue Men of the Desert' owing to their indigo clothing and headscarves. Then again, they might just be magical merfolk...
THE DREAM CATCHER is available from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Catcher-Dancing-Devil-Book-ebook-y/dp/B017D73N0Q/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8December 11, 2015
CALLIE'S CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN by Julie Ryan
I am delighted to welcome Julie Ryan today to talk about her writing and her novel CALLIE'S CHRISTMAS COUNDOWN. There is a great giveaway at the end of this post, so don't miss out!
Hello Julie, what can you tell us about you?
I’ve always had a love of languages so after studying French at University I went off to live in Greece, spent a year in Thailand and then started a language school in Poland. I now live in rural Gloucestershire with a husband, young son and two cats but draw on my travels for inspiration in my writing.
We have been renovating our run-down property for ten years now and I can’t wait until I have a study of my own. Actually, I’d settle for having a room that is finished! I usually end up writing on the dining room table.
When not writing I can be found reading or blogging and I am a keen member of our local amateur dramatic group, taking part in the annual panto – Oh yes I am!
How lovely to hear that you love languages and that you speak French. C'est merveilleux! And how exciting to set up a language school in Poland. You certainly have led the life of a globetrotter!
What did you want to be when you were a child? Did you always know you wanted to write? I’ve always loved writing and as a child wrote little sketches for my friend and I to perform. I never thought of it as a career though. In primary school I fancied myself as a musician, then as an actress before finally becoming a teacher. It’s only in later life that I’ve found the right moment to fulfil my dream of becoming a writer.
I know this is a difficult question, but I am always fascinated to find out how other writers get ideas for their stories, so I must ask... Where do you get your inspiration from, Julie? It can be a line from a song or something heard on the radio. I take inspiration from anywhere, as I think everything in life influences you; all the books I’ve ever read, all the people I’ve ever met all play a part.
It's true that anything can trigger an idea!
Can you tell us about CALLIE'S CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN? ‘Callie’s Christmas Countdown’ is a short novel with a feel good factor. It’s humourous and just the thing to dip into when you need a break from all the festivities. Callie wants everyone to have a good Christmas and puts everyone else first. For the perfect Christmas, she has to get her divorced parents talking, sort out her flatmates lives and as a wedding planner organise the best Christmas Eve wedding ever for a client. In doing so, however, it means that she’s likely to end up spending Christmas alone.
What are you working on at the moment? I’ve just finished my first Christmas story. I’ve been working on it for the last two years. It really shouldn’t have taken so long but I’ve got about four WIP at the moment. There might be a fourth book in the Greek Island mystery series, I’m working on a cosy mystery set locally plus a couple of other ideas. I don’t know which one will win but I’ll go with whichever seems to be pulling me the most.
Locations are very important in my writing. What about you? How do you pick the location for a story? I think the locations just pick me. For the Greek mysteries the setting is an amalgamation of several islands I’ve visited, mainly because I loved them all and couldn’t decide which one I preferred. This way I get to choose the best bits from them all.
For the Christmas novel I decided to set in close to where I live. There’s always room for artistic impression though!
What comes first when you are thinking of a new story - the plot or the characters? It depends. Sometimes I have only the vaguest idea of a plot and a couple of characters. It’s only when I start writing that other characters suddenly appear and drive the plot forward. Sometimes it all starts with a novel title and takes off from there. Either way I just love the idea of creating something from absolutely nothing. Try as I might I can’t plot out a whole book. I think that even as the author I need to have that element of surprise myself to keep me guessing.
I am just the same, Julie! What was your best ever moment as a writer? The moment I hit publish on my first novel was pretty awesome. Getting my first five star review also left me on a high but I guess the absolute best moment was holding the paperback copy of my first book. That is such a special moment and I couldn’t stop stroking it. It made me feel like a ‘proper’ author as I can now add my own book to my bookshelf.
Thank you very much!
You are welcome, Julie. I wish you good luck with your novel.
Blurb
Callie is an event planner, organising weddings and corporate parties. What she'd really love however, is to organise the perfect Christmas. How difficult can it be after all? She simply needs to get her divorced parents talking to each other, sort out a Christmas Eve wedding for the daughter of a millionaire and wait for her hunky, rich boyfriend to propose. What could possibly go wrong?
BUY LINKS
AMAZON UK
AMAZON.COM
About Julie Ryan
Julie was born and brought up in a mining village near Barnsley in South Yorkshire. She graduated with a BA (hons) in French Language and Literature from Hull University. Since then she has lived and worked as a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language in France, Greece, Poland and Thailand. She now lives in rural Gloucestershire with her husband, son and two cats, a rescue cat and a dippy cat with half a tail. She is so passionate about books that her collection is now threatening to outgrow her house, much to her husband’s annoyance, as she can’t bear to get rid of any! They have been attempting to renovate their home for the last ten years.
She is the author of the Greek Island Mystery series, Jenna’s Journey, Sophia’s Secret and Pandora’s Prophecy, each of which can be read as a standalone. She considers Greeceto be her spiritual home and visits as often as she can.
www.facebook.com/Julieryanauthor
Twitter @julieryan18
Blogsite www.allthingsbookie.com
www.juliesworldofbooks.blogspot.co.uk
GIVEAWAY
1.£5.00 amazon giftcard ukOR $10.00 paypal int
2. ebook Callie's Christmas Countdown
<a class="rcptr" href="http://marielaval.blogspot.com/2015/1...http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1d685e6f0/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="1d685e6f0" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_zy9uxvl2">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="http://marielaval.blogspot.com//widge...
Or
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1d685e6f0/
Hello Julie, what can you tell us about you?
I’ve always had a love of languages so after studying French at University I went off to live in Greece, spent a year in Thailand and then started a language school in Poland. I now live in rural Gloucestershire with a husband, young son and two cats but draw on my travels for inspiration in my writing.We have been renovating our run-down property for ten years now and I can’t wait until I have a study of my own. Actually, I’d settle for having a room that is finished! I usually end up writing on the dining room table.
When not writing I can be found reading or blogging and I am a keen member of our local amateur dramatic group, taking part in the annual panto – Oh yes I am!
How lovely to hear that you love languages and that you speak French. C'est merveilleux! And how exciting to set up a language school in Poland. You certainly have led the life of a globetrotter!
What did you want to be when you were a child? Did you always know you wanted to write? I’ve always loved writing and as a child wrote little sketches for my friend and I to perform. I never thought of it as a career though. In primary school I fancied myself as a musician, then as an actress before finally becoming a teacher. It’s only in later life that I’ve found the right moment to fulfil my dream of becoming a writer.
I know this is a difficult question, but I am always fascinated to find out how other writers get ideas for their stories, so I must ask... Where do you get your inspiration from, Julie? It can be a line from a song or something heard on the radio. I take inspiration from anywhere, as I think everything in life influences you; all the books I’ve ever read, all the people I’ve ever met all play a part.
It's true that anything can trigger an idea!
Can you tell us about CALLIE'S CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN? ‘Callie’s Christmas Countdown’ is a short novel with a feel good factor. It’s humourous and just the thing to dip into when you need a break from all the festivities. Callie wants everyone to have a good Christmas and puts everyone else first. For the perfect Christmas, she has to get her divorced parents talking, sort out her flatmates lives and as a wedding planner organise the best Christmas Eve wedding ever for a client. In doing so, however, it means that she’s likely to end up spending Christmas alone.
What are you working on at the moment? I’ve just finished my first Christmas story. I’ve been working on it for the last two years. It really shouldn’t have taken so long but I’ve got about four WIP at the moment. There might be a fourth book in the Greek Island mystery series, I’m working on a cosy mystery set locally plus a couple of other ideas. I don’t know which one will win but I’ll go with whichever seems to be pulling me the most.
Locations are very important in my writing. What about you? How do you pick the location for a story? I think the locations just pick me. For the Greek mysteries the setting is an amalgamation of several islands I’ve visited, mainly because I loved them all and couldn’t decide which one I preferred. This way I get to choose the best bits from them all.
For the Christmas novel I decided to set in close to where I live. There’s always room for artistic impression though!
What comes first when you are thinking of a new story - the plot or the characters? It depends. Sometimes I have only the vaguest idea of a plot and a couple of characters. It’s only when I start writing that other characters suddenly appear and drive the plot forward. Sometimes it all starts with a novel title and takes off from there. Either way I just love the idea of creating something from absolutely nothing. Try as I might I can’t plot out a whole book. I think that even as the author I need to have that element of surprise myself to keep me guessing.
I am just the same, Julie! What was your best ever moment as a writer? The moment I hit publish on my first novel was pretty awesome. Getting my first five star review also left me on a high but I guess the absolute best moment was holding the paperback copy of my first book. That is such a special moment and I couldn’t stop stroking it. It made me feel like a ‘proper’ author as I can now add my own book to my bookshelf.
Thank you very much!
You are welcome, Julie. I wish you good luck with your novel.
Blurb
Callie is an event planner, organising weddings and corporate parties. What she'd really love however, is to organise the perfect Christmas. How difficult can it be after all? She simply needs to get her divorced parents talking to each other, sort out a Christmas Eve wedding for the daughter of a millionaire and wait for her hunky, rich boyfriend to propose. What could possibly go wrong?BUY LINKS
AMAZON UK
AMAZON.COM
About Julie Ryan
Julie was born and brought up in a mining village near Barnsley in South Yorkshire. She graduated with a BA (hons) in French Language and Literature from Hull University. Since then she has lived and worked as a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language in France, Greece, Poland and Thailand. She now lives in rural Gloucestershire with her husband, son and two cats, a rescue cat and a dippy cat with half a tail. She is so passionate about books that her collection is now threatening to outgrow her house, much to her husband’s annoyance, as she can’t bear to get rid of any! They have been attempting to renovate their home for the last ten years.She is the author of the Greek Island Mystery series, Jenna’s Journey, Sophia’s Secret and Pandora’s Prophecy, each of which can be read as a standalone. She considers Greeceto be her spiritual home and visits as often as she can.
www.facebook.com/Julieryanauthor
Twitter @julieryan18
Blogsite www.allthingsbookie.com
www.juliesworldofbooks.blogspot.co.uk
GIVEAWAY
1.£5.00 amazon giftcard ukOR $10.00 paypal int
2. ebook Callie's Christmas Countdown
<a class="rcptr" href="http://marielaval.blogspot.com/2015/1...http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1d685e6f0/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="1d685e6f0" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_zy9uxvl2">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="http://marielaval.blogspot.com//widge...
Or
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1d685e6f0/
November 15, 2015
Tin Hinan, the Tuareg Queen
My historical romance THE LION'S EMBRACE, which was published by Áccent Press last August, is mostly set in North Africa in 1845. The heroine, Harriet Montague, hires scout Lucas Saintclair to rescue her father, an archaeologist who she believes has been taken hostage in the far South of Algeria. Harriet's father, Oscar Montague, was on the trail of the legendary Garamantes' emerald mines when he discovered the tomb of Tuareg queen Tin Hinan.
I absolutely loved researching the many legends and tales associated with this mysterious queen who is said to have founded the Tuaregs.
Tin Hinan, the queen the Tuaregs still call ‘Our Mother’, is rumoured to have come from the country which would now be Morocco with her maid servant Takamat. They settled at Abalessa, an oasis in Southern Algeria, and their daughters are rumoured to be the founders of all the Tuareg tribes. Her tomb was discovered by archaeologist and adventurer Byron Khun de Prorok (what a name!) in 1925.
In ‘The Lion’s Embrace’, I have used my 'artistic licence' in that Oscar Montague discovers the tomb in 1845 but it is then closed up and left untouched.
However, I kept all the details of the artefacts, of the gold, silver jewellery, precious and semi-precious stones which were found as accurate as possible and stuck very closely to the description of the remains of the Tuareg queen.
When her burial chamber was opened, archaeologists found the queen lying on a bed of hand-carved wood, facing toward the East. She was wrapped in a leather shroud, and wore fifteen solid silver and gold bracelets, a diadem made of emeralds, ostrich feathers and a long cornelian necklace.
In the days before carbon dating, it was the imprint of a coin with the effigy of Emperor Constantine on a sculptured bowl which enabled historians to date the tomb from the 4thcentury AD. The body of Queen Tin Hinan as well as all the artefacts found in her tomb are now in the Bardo Museum in Algiers.
From the top of the tomb, one can see the beautiful, mysterious Hoggar mountain range, particularly the great Koudia – which the Tuareg have named the ‘Roof of the Sahara’, and where according to local legends, the King of the Djins (the King of the Evil Spirits) lives. One can see the iconic Mount Illimantoo.
Even before her tomb was discovered, the numerous legends surrounding Queen Tin Hinan inspired Pierre Benoit to write his classic novel ‘Atlantide’, published in 1919. His heroin, Antinea, and her followers are descendants of the people of ‘Atlantis’ who had taken refuge in the Hoggar after a great disaster destroyed their world. Antinea lives in a palace hidden in the mountains, where she seduced and entrapped lost explorers to the Sahara.
Recently there has been some controversy about the identify of the woman who was buried at Abalessa, with some historians now disputing that the remains belonged to Tin Hinan at all!
Whoever was buried there however was a woman of immense prestige and immense wealth.
I absolutely loved researching the many legends and tales associated with this mysterious queen who is said to have founded the Tuaregs.
Tin Hinan, the queen the Tuaregs still call ‘Our Mother’, is rumoured to have come from the country which would now be Morocco with her maid servant Takamat. They settled at Abalessa, an oasis in Southern Algeria, and their daughters are rumoured to be the founders of all the Tuareg tribes. Her tomb was discovered by archaeologist and adventurer Byron Khun de Prorok (what a name!) in 1925. 
In ‘The Lion’s Embrace’, I have used my 'artistic licence' in that Oscar Montague discovers the tomb in 1845 but it is then closed up and left untouched. 
However, I kept all the details of the artefacts, of the gold, silver jewellery, precious and semi-precious stones which were found as accurate as possible and stuck very closely to the description of the remains of the Tuareg queen. When her burial chamber was opened, archaeologists found the queen lying on a bed of hand-carved wood, facing toward the East. She was wrapped in a leather shroud, and wore fifteen solid silver and gold bracelets, a diadem made of emeralds, ostrich feathers and a long cornelian necklace.
In the days before carbon dating, it was the imprint of a coin with the effigy of Emperor Constantine on a sculptured bowl which enabled historians to date the tomb from the 4thcentury AD. The body of Queen Tin Hinan as well as all the artefacts found in her tomb are now in the Bardo Museum in Algiers.From the top of the tomb, one can see the beautiful, mysterious Hoggar mountain range, particularly the great Koudia – which the Tuareg have named the ‘Roof of the Sahara’, and where according to local legends, the King of the Djins (the King of the Evil Spirits) lives. One can see the iconic Mount Illimantoo.
Even before her tomb was discovered, the numerous legends surrounding Queen Tin Hinan inspired Pierre Benoit to write his classic novel ‘Atlantide’, published in 1919. His heroin, Antinea, and her followers are descendants of the people of ‘Atlantis’ who had taken refuge in the Hoggar after a great disaster destroyed their world. Antinea lives in a palace hidden in the mountains, where she seduced and entrapped lost explorers to the Sahara. 
Recently there has been some controversy about the identify of the woman who was buried at Abalessa, with some historians now disputing that the remains belonged to Tin Hinan at all!
Whoever was buried there however was a woman of immense prestige and immense wealth.
November 13, 2015
Guest Blog by Jenny Kane - Christmas at the Castle: Festive Literary Festival Fun!
Today, I am delighted to welcome multi-talented author Jenny Kane whose latest release, CHRISTMAS AT THE CASTLE, is published by Accent Press.
Hello Jenny and welcome. I was very interested in your post about the Tiverton Literary Festival, all the more than I am shortly to take part in a literary festival with Helena Fairfax and Melinda Hammond in Todmorden, Yorkshire on 21th November.
By the way, I love the cover of your novel!
Last June I took part in one of the most stressful experiences ever devised to part writer-kind from his or her wits. I helped to run a literary festival- the first ever Tiverton Literary Festival. I have long suspected I'm a bit crackers- but taking on an organisational role on a festival committee that only consisted of three people, was the final proof of my insanity.
Furthermore- despite the worry, the sleepless nights, the panic, the very real fear that no one would turn up to hear our wonderful authors speak- I loved it. I loved every single terrifyingly panic making minute of it. I guess it's the timid writer person's equivalent to riding a rollercoaster.
I gained a great deal from my experience as a literary festival organiser, rather than as a literary festival guest, and I certainly confirmed my theory that everything we do in life has a story attached. Every day in Tiverton during the three month run up to last June’s Literary Festival, threw up a new 'incident' that had a storyline running right through it!
What a waste it would have been not to use some of these 'incidents' in my next book? It would have been a crime! And so, for this Christmas's 'Another Cup of...' series novella, I have taken the character of Kit Lambert out of the comfort of Pickwicks Coffee Shop in Richmond, London, and sent her off to a literary festival, not in Devon, but in the beautiful Crathes Castlein Scotland.
Blurb
Christmas at the Castle is a seasonal treat from Jenny Kane, featuring much-loved characters from her bestselling novel Another Cup of Coffee.
When hotshot businesswoman Alice Warren is asked to organise a literary festival at beautiful Crathes Castle in Scotland, her ‘work mode’ persona means she can’t say no – even though the person asking is her ex, Cameron Hunter.
Alice broke Cameron’s heart and feels she owes him one – but her best friend Charlie isn’t going to like it. Charlie – aka famous author Erin Spence – is happy to help Alice with the festival…until she finds out that Cameron’s involved! Charlie suffered a bad case of unrequited love for Cameron, and she can’t bear the thought of seeing him again.
Caught between her own insecurities and loyalty to her friend, Charlie gets fellow author Kit Lambert to take her place. Agreeing to leave her London comfort zone – and her favourite corner in Pickwicks Café – Kit steps in. She quickly finds herself not just helping out, but hosting a major literary event, while also trying to play fairy godmother – a task which quickly gets very complicated indeed...
***
I chose to set my fictional literary festival in the Deeside area of Scotlandbecause it is one of my favourite places in the country. It was while I lived in the village of Banchory, only three miles from Crathes castle, that I began my career as a writer 11 years ago. I remember thinking at the time, that the castle would be an excellent place for a literary festival...
Extract-...Hoisting up a large box of Christmas decorations, Cameron headed off to find a couple of gardeners, and a very long ladder. It was time to start getting the Victorian-style lanterns draped around the formal garden.
Alice swore under her breath. She wasn’t used to being denied what she wanted during business transactions. She’d worn an extra-short skirt as well. OK, so she knew that flashing a bit of leg in such a cold climate made her request look a bit desperate, but she was still surprised when the local bookshop owner had said no.
Honestly! All she was asking was that he’d buy a selection of books written by all the authors coming to the festival. She wasn’t offering him any financial help, but obviously all the sales money would be his, and she wasn’t going to charge him for the stand at the castle she was proposing he sold his stock from. She was doing him a huge favour, and the chance to boost his Christmas sales. What was wrong with the man? All the city bookshops made this system work.
Turning her Suzuki off-roader into the drive that wound its way up to CrathesCastle, Alice’s satisfied smile returned as she reflected how her flirty magic had worked so much better on the local catering companies and wine merchants. Letting her have goods on sale or return in exchange for sponsorship meant she had a boot full of champagne, red and white wine, and enough ingredients for mulled wine to keep everyone tipsy until July.
Pulling into the staff car park, Alice was surveying the immediate grounds for any willing helpers to carry the crates of alcohol into the storeroom for her, when Cameron came out of the castle’s side door, his arms wrapped around a giant cardboard box.
Lucky box. Alice couldn’t prevent the flutter of lust that rose within her. It was always the same whenever she saw Cameron, with his thick, muscular arms on display to the elbows, his tightly curled ginger hair cropped back army style, and his sturdy frame so strong and capable. She fancied him something rotten, and more – much more – but the fact he wanted more from her as well frightened her to death. And as being afraid was a sign of weakness, and powerful businesswomen did not have time for weakness in their lives, Alicehad kept her feelings a secret and walked away.
She was fairly sure she’d broken his heart, but Cameron had never actually said so, and she certainly wasn’t going to act on her lust-fuelled imagination and ask him outright. Anyway, she’d broken her own heart as well, even though he didn’t know that.
Picking up a box of wine, Alice called across the empty car park, ‘Cameron, where do you want the festival booze? Any handy chaps around to help me unload the Jeep?’
Whirling around, Cameron crashed the side of the lanterns box against the solid wooden door that he’d been in process of swinging shut behind him. ‘Damn it, woman, you made me jump.’
‘Sorry. It’s just these are heavy.’ Alice fluttered her eyebrows at him, unable to stop herself from flirting in the line of duty.
‘And I suppose you think this box is feather-light!’ Cameron tried not to glance at Alice’s long, bare legs or ask if she was freezing as he put down his own box and took hers. ‘Over here. I’ve cleared a space in the store of the Horsemill, seeing as that’s where the festival will be mostly taking place.’
Managing to make the words ‘Sounds sensible’ sound like ‘Thank you,’ Alice picked up another box and followed Cameron into the round stone building where once horses had walked in never-ending circles, turning the millstones that had crushed oats. Now the building housed a restaurant and seminar facility. It was the perfect place for a book festival, and once the staff had finished decorating it with traditional garlands and trees from the wood, it would be the very essence of a Scottish Christmas.
Desperate to break the silence that hung between them, Cameron asked how the festival preparations were going.
‘Great. There’s one or two problems to overcome, but there always are with events like this.’
‘Have we sold many tickets?’
‘Not yet. I find it’s always last-minute with bookish things.’
Sensing evasion, Cameron risked his blood pressure increasing and studied Aliceproperly, ‘My future depends on this Alice. How many tickets, roughly, have been sold for each event?’
‘Approximately none at all.’
‘What!’
‘Keep your kilt on, Cameron. We have ages yet.’ Alicementally crossed her fingers against the lie she was telling. ‘Literary festivals are always last minute.’
Cameron’s forehead knotted attractively as he stared down at Alice’s shorter frame, his Scottish burr sounding gruff as he asked, ‘and the other problems?’
‘Local bookshop owner is being difficult and my right-hand girl has walked out on me.’
Opening a vast cooling cupboard in which to place the champagne, Cameron said, ‘I can’t imagine John at the bookshop being difficult?’
‘He doesn’t run it any more. John passed it on to his nephew. Believe me, he is a very different kettle of fish.’
Cameron grunted, ‘You mean he wants to make a profit and not a loss?’ Not giving Alice the chance to reply, he went on, ‘So you’ve upset the new bookshop guy. Nice going, Ms Warren...’
***
If that mini extract has whetted your appetite, you can buy Christmas at the Castle from -
http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-at-Castle-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B015J87DTI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1442603723&sr=1-1&keywords=christmas+at+the+castle http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-at-Castle-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B015J87DTI/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1442588560&sr=1-2&keywords=christmas+at+the+castle
Although this is the fourth book in the Another Cup of series, Christmas at the Castle can be read as a standalone story.
Many thanks,Jenny xx
Bio-Jenny Kane is the author the contemporary romance Christmas at the Castle(Accent Press, 2015), the bestselling novel Abi’s House (Accent Press, 2015), the modern/medieval time slip novel Romancing Robin Hood (Accent Press, 2014), the bestselling novel Another Cup of Coffee (Accent Press, 2013), and its novella length sequels Another Cup of Christmas (Accent Press, 2013), and Christmas in the Cotswolds(Accent, 2014). Jenny’s fourth full length romance novel, Another Glass of Champagne, will be published in 2016.
Jenny is also the author of quirky children’s picture books There’s a Cow in the Flat (Hushpuppy, 2014) and Ben’s Biscuit Tin (Coming soon from Hushpuppy)
Keep your eye on Jenny’s blog at www.jennykane.co.uk for more details.
Twitter- @JennyKaneAuthor
Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/JennyKaneRom...
Jenny also writes erotica as Kay Jaybee.
Hello Jenny and welcome. I was very interested in your post about the Tiverton Literary Festival, all the more than I am shortly to take part in a literary festival with Helena Fairfax and Melinda Hammond in Todmorden, Yorkshire on 21th November.
By the way, I love the cover of your novel!
Last June I took part in one of the most stressful experiences ever devised to part writer-kind from his or her wits. I helped to run a literary festival- the first ever Tiverton Literary Festival. I have long suspected I'm a bit crackers- but taking on an organisational role on a festival committee that only consisted of three people, was the final proof of my insanity.
Furthermore- despite the worry, the sleepless nights, the panic, the very real fear that no one would turn up to hear our wonderful authors speak- I loved it. I loved every single terrifyingly panic making minute of it. I guess it's the timid writer person's equivalent to riding a rollercoaster.I gained a great deal from my experience as a literary festival organiser, rather than as a literary festival guest, and I certainly confirmed my theory that everything we do in life has a story attached. Every day in Tiverton during the three month run up to last June’s Literary Festival, threw up a new 'incident' that had a storyline running right through it!
What a waste it would have been not to use some of these 'incidents' in my next book? It would have been a crime! And so, for this Christmas's 'Another Cup of...' series novella, I have taken the character of Kit Lambert out of the comfort of Pickwicks Coffee Shop in Richmond, London, and sent her off to a literary festival, not in Devon, but in the beautiful Crathes Castlein Scotland.
Blurb
Christmas at the Castle is a seasonal treat from Jenny Kane, featuring much-loved characters from her bestselling novel Another Cup of Coffee.
When hotshot businesswoman Alice Warren is asked to organise a literary festival at beautiful Crathes Castle in Scotland, her ‘work mode’ persona means she can’t say no – even though the person asking is her ex, Cameron Hunter.
Alice broke Cameron’s heart and feels she owes him one – but her best friend Charlie isn’t going to like it. Charlie – aka famous author Erin Spence – is happy to help Alice with the festival…until she finds out that Cameron’s involved! Charlie suffered a bad case of unrequited love for Cameron, and she can’t bear the thought of seeing him again.
Caught between her own insecurities and loyalty to her friend, Charlie gets fellow author Kit Lambert to take her place. Agreeing to leave her London comfort zone – and her favourite corner in Pickwicks Café – Kit steps in. She quickly finds herself not just helping out, but hosting a major literary event, while also trying to play fairy godmother – a task which quickly gets very complicated indeed...
***
I chose to set my fictional literary festival in the Deeside area of Scotlandbecause it is one of my favourite places in the country. It was while I lived in the village of Banchory, only three miles from Crathes castle, that I began my career as a writer 11 years ago. I remember thinking at the time, that the castle would be an excellent place for a literary festival...
Extract-...Hoisting up a large box of Christmas decorations, Cameron headed off to find a couple of gardeners, and a very long ladder. It was time to start getting the Victorian-style lanterns draped around the formal garden.
Alice swore under her breath. She wasn’t used to being denied what she wanted during business transactions. She’d worn an extra-short skirt as well. OK, so she knew that flashing a bit of leg in such a cold climate made her request look a bit desperate, but she was still surprised when the local bookshop owner had said no.
Honestly! All she was asking was that he’d buy a selection of books written by all the authors coming to the festival. She wasn’t offering him any financial help, but obviously all the sales money would be his, and she wasn’t going to charge him for the stand at the castle she was proposing he sold his stock from. She was doing him a huge favour, and the chance to boost his Christmas sales. What was wrong with the man? All the city bookshops made this system work.
Turning her Suzuki off-roader into the drive that wound its way up to CrathesCastle, Alice’s satisfied smile returned as she reflected how her flirty magic had worked so much better on the local catering companies and wine merchants. Letting her have goods on sale or return in exchange for sponsorship meant she had a boot full of champagne, red and white wine, and enough ingredients for mulled wine to keep everyone tipsy until July.
Pulling into the staff car park, Alice was surveying the immediate grounds for any willing helpers to carry the crates of alcohol into the storeroom for her, when Cameron came out of the castle’s side door, his arms wrapped around a giant cardboard box.
Lucky box. Alice couldn’t prevent the flutter of lust that rose within her. It was always the same whenever she saw Cameron, with his thick, muscular arms on display to the elbows, his tightly curled ginger hair cropped back army style, and his sturdy frame so strong and capable. She fancied him something rotten, and more – much more – but the fact he wanted more from her as well frightened her to death. And as being afraid was a sign of weakness, and powerful businesswomen did not have time for weakness in their lives, Alicehad kept her feelings a secret and walked away.
She was fairly sure she’d broken his heart, but Cameron had never actually said so, and she certainly wasn’t going to act on her lust-fuelled imagination and ask him outright. Anyway, she’d broken her own heart as well, even though he didn’t know that.
Picking up a box of wine, Alice called across the empty car park, ‘Cameron, where do you want the festival booze? Any handy chaps around to help me unload the Jeep?’
Whirling around, Cameron crashed the side of the lanterns box against the solid wooden door that he’d been in process of swinging shut behind him. ‘Damn it, woman, you made me jump.’
‘Sorry. It’s just these are heavy.’ Alice fluttered her eyebrows at him, unable to stop herself from flirting in the line of duty.
‘And I suppose you think this box is feather-light!’ Cameron tried not to glance at Alice’s long, bare legs or ask if she was freezing as he put down his own box and took hers. ‘Over here. I’ve cleared a space in the store of the Horsemill, seeing as that’s where the festival will be mostly taking place.’
Managing to make the words ‘Sounds sensible’ sound like ‘Thank you,’ Alice picked up another box and followed Cameron into the round stone building where once horses had walked in never-ending circles, turning the millstones that had crushed oats. Now the building housed a restaurant and seminar facility. It was the perfect place for a book festival, and once the staff had finished decorating it with traditional garlands and trees from the wood, it would be the very essence of a Scottish Christmas.
Desperate to break the silence that hung between them, Cameron asked how the festival preparations were going.
‘Great. There’s one or two problems to overcome, but there always are with events like this.’
‘Have we sold many tickets?’
‘Not yet. I find it’s always last-minute with bookish things.’
Sensing evasion, Cameron risked his blood pressure increasing and studied Aliceproperly, ‘My future depends on this Alice. How many tickets, roughly, have been sold for each event?’
‘Approximately none at all.’
‘What!’
‘Keep your kilt on, Cameron. We have ages yet.’ Alicementally crossed her fingers against the lie she was telling. ‘Literary festivals are always last minute.’
Cameron’s forehead knotted attractively as he stared down at Alice’s shorter frame, his Scottish burr sounding gruff as he asked, ‘and the other problems?’
‘Local bookshop owner is being difficult and my right-hand girl has walked out on me.’
Opening a vast cooling cupboard in which to place the champagne, Cameron said, ‘I can’t imagine John at the bookshop being difficult?’
‘He doesn’t run it any more. John passed it on to his nephew. Believe me, he is a very different kettle of fish.’
Cameron grunted, ‘You mean he wants to make a profit and not a loss?’ Not giving Alice the chance to reply, he went on, ‘So you’ve upset the new bookshop guy. Nice going, Ms Warren...’
***
If that mini extract has whetted your appetite, you can buy Christmas at the Castle from -
http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-at-Castle-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B015J87DTI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1442603723&sr=1-1&keywords=christmas+at+the+castle http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-at-Castle-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B015J87DTI/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1442588560&sr=1-2&keywords=christmas+at+the+castle
Although this is the fourth book in the Another Cup of series, Christmas at the Castle can be read as a standalone story.
Many thanks,Jenny xx
Bio-Jenny Kane is the author the contemporary romance Christmas at the Castle(Accent Press, 2015), the bestselling novel Abi’s House (Accent Press, 2015), the modern/medieval time slip novel Romancing Robin Hood (Accent Press, 2014), the bestselling novel Another Cup of Coffee (Accent Press, 2013), and its novella length sequels Another Cup of Christmas (Accent Press, 2013), and Christmas in the Cotswolds(Accent, 2014). Jenny’s fourth full length romance novel, Another Glass of Champagne, will be published in 2016. Jenny is also the author of quirky children’s picture books There’s a Cow in the Flat (Hushpuppy, 2014) and Ben’s Biscuit Tin (Coming soon from Hushpuppy)
Keep your eye on Jenny’s blog at www.jennykane.co.uk for more details.
Twitter- @JennyKaneAuthor
Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/JennyKaneRom...
Jenny also writes erotica as Kay Jaybee.
October 13, 2015
Cover Reveal for DREAM CATCHER
Getting the cover for your latest novel is a very special moment indeed, and I was both a little apprehensive and excited yesterday when I opened the email from my editor with the photo of the cover for my historical romance DREAM CATCHER, which will be released on November 26th by Áccent Press. The story is set in the winter of 1847 near Cape Wrath, in the far North of Scotland, and opens with a terrible storm at sea. As it turned out, I had absolutely no reason to feel apprehensive at all! I think that the cover artist has managed to capture both the atmosphere and harsh Scottish landscapes, and the lovely, sunny personality of the heroine.
What do you think?
Here is the blurb for the novel.
DREAM CATCHERCan her love heal his haunted heart?Cape Wrath, Scotland, November 1847. Bruce McGunn is a man as brutal and unforgiving as his land in the far North of Scotland. Discharged from the army where he was known as the claymore devil, haunted by the spectres of his fallen comrades and convinced he is going mad, he is running out of time to save his estate from the machinations of Cameron McRae, heir to the McGunn's ancestral enemies. When the clipper carrying McRae’s new bride is caught in a violent storm and docks at Wrath harbour, Bruce decides to revert to the old ways and hold the clipper and the woman to ransom. However, far from the spoilt heiress he expected, Rose is genuine, funny and vulnerable - a ray of sunshine in the long, harsh winter that has become his life. But Rose is determined to escape Wrath and its proud master - the man she calls McGlum.DREAM CATCHER is the first of the DANCING FOR THE DEVIL trilogy and is followed by BLUE BONNETS and SWORD DANCE.
What do you think?
Here is the blurb for the novel.
DREAM CATCHERCan her love heal his haunted heart?Cape Wrath, Scotland, November 1847. Bruce McGunn is a man as brutal and unforgiving as his land in the far North of Scotland. Discharged from the army where he was known as the claymore devil, haunted by the spectres of his fallen comrades and convinced he is going mad, he is running out of time to save his estate from the machinations of Cameron McRae, heir to the McGunn's ancestral enemies. When the clipper carrying McRae’s new bride is caught in a violent storm and docks at Wrath harbour, Bruce decides to revert to the old ways and hold the clipper and the woman to ransom. However, far from the spoilt heiress he expected, Rose is genuine, funny and vulnerable - a ray of sunshine in the long, harsh winter that has become his life. But Rose is determined to escape Wrath and its proud master - the man she calls McGlum.DREAM CATCHER is the first of the DANCING FOR THE DEVIL trilogy and is followed by BLUE BONNETS and SWORD DANCE.October 3, 2015
We'd Rather Be Writing! (than cooking, ironing, cleaning...)
I am very happy and proud to be one of the 88 authors included in this great book!
WE'D RATHER BE WRITING is a cookbook with a difference and is now available for pre-order from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01638N5PO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01638N5PO&linkCode=as2&tag=loiswins-20&linkId=MQVE6BQSWYFAUO5X
Have you ever wished you could find more time to do the things you want to do, rather than just doing the things you have to do? Most authors juggle day jobs and family responsibilities along with their writing. Because they need to find time to write, they look for ways to save time in other aspects of their lives.
Cooking often takes up a huge junk of time. In We’d Rather Be Writing: 88 Authors Share Timesaving Dinner Recipes and Other Tips you’ll find easy, nutritious recipes for meat, poultry, pasta, soup, stew, chili, and vegetarian meals. All of the recipes require a minimum of prep time, freeing you up to read, exercise, garden, craft, write, spend more time with family, or whatever.
Within the pages of We’d Rather Be Writing: 88 Authors Share Timesaving Dinner Recipes and Other Tips you’ll be introduced to authors who write a wide range of fiction—everything from mystery to romance to speculative fiction to books for children, young adults, and new adults—and some who write nonfiction. Some of the authors write sweet; others write steamy. Some write cozy; others write tense thrillers.
Some are debut authors with only one published book; others are multi-published and have had long publishing careers. Some are New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors who may or may not be familiar to you, but being a bestselling author doesn’t mean they still don’t have to juggle their day job along with their writing.
The authors who contributed to this book are a rather creative and resourceful bunch when it comes to carving out time from their busy lives. So in addition to timesaving recipes, within the pages of this book you’ll find timesaving and organizational tips for other aspects of your life. And if you happen to be a writer, you’ll also find a plethora of great ideas to help you organize your writing life.
I hope you will enjoy this book! I know I am looking forward to learning great time-saving tips and discovering delicious new recipes.
WE'D RATHER BE WRITING is a cookbook with a difference and is now available for pre-order from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01638N5PO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01638N5PO&linkCode=as2&tag=loiswins-20&linkId=MQVE6BQSWYFAUO5X
Have you ever wished you could find more time to do the things you want to do, rather than just doing the things you have to do? Most authors juggle day jobs and family responsibilities along with their writing. Because they need to find time to write, they look for ways to save time in other aspects of their lives. Cooking often takes up a huge junk of time. In We’d Rather Be Writing: 88 Authors Share Timesaving Dinner Recipes and Other Tips you’ll find easy, nutritious recipes for meat, poultry, pasta, soup, stew, chili, and vegetarian meals. All of the recipes require a minimum of prep time, freeing you up to read, exercise, garden, craft, write, spend more time with family, or whatever.
Within the pages of We’d Rather Be Writing: 88 Authors Share Timesaving Dinner Recipes and Other Tips you’ll be introduced to authors who write a wide range of fiction—everything from mystery to romance to speculative fiction to books for children, young adults, and new adults—and some who write nonfiction. Some of the authors write sweet; others write steamy. Some write cozy; others write tense thrillers.
Some are debut authors with only one published book; others are multi-published and have had long publishing careers. Some are New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors who may or may not be familiar to you, but being a bestselling author doesn’t mean they still don’t have to juggle their day job along with their writing.
The authors who contributed to this book are a rather creative and resourceful bunch when it comes to carving out time from their busy lives. So in addition to timesaving recipes, within the pages of this book you’ll find timesaving and organizational tips for other aspects of your life. And if you happen to be a writer, you’ll also find a plethora of great ideas to help you organize your writing life.
I hope you will enjoy this book! I know I am looking forward to learning great time-saving tips and discovering delicious new recipes.
September 17, 2015
Can you speak camel?
It's amazing what you find out when you write a novel! While researching the background and setting of my historical romance THE LION'S EMBRACE, I came across fascinating material about North Africa - enchanting Tuareg poems and legends, accounts of expeditions in the Sahara, beautiful photos of the most breathtaking scenery...and this fabulous snippet of information about camels, taken from the anthology 'Contes et Légendes du Niger' by Pierre-Marie Decoudras and Laurence Rivaille and published by Karthala, Paris.
Why was I so interested in camels? Because much of the story is set in Southern Algeria where my hero Lucas Saintclair takes the heroine Harriet Montague in the hope of finding her missing father. On the way, they encounter danger and treason, adventure and passion - it is a romance after all! They also hook up with a Tuareg tribe to travel to Tamanrasset, and Harriet gets to find out a little about the nomads' way of life.
Photo by PhotokanokCamels aren't only essential to local tribes as a means of transport. They are also companions and 'an inexhaustible source of information'
Here are a few examples recorded by the authors. When a camel walks around the campsite several times at dawn then kneels down in front of its master's tent and grunts, it is warning about unwelcome visitors. When it stands looking to the East sniffing the air for several hours, it announces a storm. And if a camel refuses to stand up whilst being harnessed, it's a sign that its owner shouldn't travel that day, but stay in his tent and drink tea.
I completely empathise with that camel. I often feel like that in the morning too!
'Contes et Légendes du Niger', Pierre-Marie Decoudras et Laurence Rivaille, Editions Karthala, Paris
Why was I so interested in camels? Because much of the story is set in Southern Algeria where my hero Lucas Saintclair takes the heroine Harriet Montague in the hope of finding her missing father. On the way, they encounter danger and treason, adventure and passion - it is a romance after all! They also hook up with a Tuareg tribe to travel to Tamanrasset, and Harriet gets to find out a little about the nomads' way of life.
Photo by PhotokanokCamels aren't only essential to local tribes as a means of transport. They are also companions and 'an inexhaustible source of information'Here are a few examples recorded by the authors. When a camel walks around the campsite several times at dawn then kneels down in front of its master's tent and grunts, it is warning about unwelcome visitors. When it stands looking to the East sniffing the air for several hours, it announces a storm. And if a camel refuses to stand up whilst being harnessed, it's a sign that its owner shouldn't travel that day, but stay in his tent and drink tea.
I completely empathise with that camel. I often feel like that in the morning too!
'Contes et Légendes du Niger', Pierre-Marie Decoudras et Laurence Rivaille, Editions Karthala, Paris
