Anita Dawes's Blog: http://jenanita01.wordpress.com, page 13

Blog Tour for 'Something in the Water'...

Author Spotlight: Ben Starling
Today we are featuring our good friend and fellow blogger, Ben Starling, whose novel ‘Something in the Water’ was released last week.


  First of all Ben, tell us a little about yourself. How do you keep mind, body and spirit in shape?
I think writing keeps my mind fit. An awful lot of thinking goes into a novel, both when staring at the screen and when untangling plot points with my long-suffering editor. Body – I boxed on and off until a few years ago. It really is the king of sports for keeping you in shape. If you’re wondering why my nose isn’t flattened, it’s because I took defense seriously, so didn’t get hit very often. These days I hike (at least half an hour each day, to a great Mediterranean themed coffee shop, and back, most mornings) and swim. Spirit – I believe we do have a spirit and am constantly exploring theories and reflecting on this topic. In fact, this is a theme explored in my new novel.

What have you been working on recently? Can you tell us about your new release?
Something in the Water is fundamentally a love story—with a bit of adventure in the tropics thrown in too. Here’s the blurb:The sealed box Teal finds in the street contains more than just a mystery…What if to be with the man of your dreams…you had to give up your life? On the verge of losing her job, side-lined journalist Teal is forced to travel to the South Pacific to profile a powerful businessman. But with her almost-but-not-quite fiancé Bear discouraging her every step of the way, she may not be able to save her career or her relationship.When corporate criminals invade paradise, Teal teams up with a former boxer turned marine-biologist to investigate. As she discovers the true intentions behind their new canning operations, she must either accept the plum promotion that will save her career or—with Perry—defend the island with more than her life.
Something in the Water , An Ocean Romance is available on Amazon. http://bit.ly/SITWbtour2am

How did you come up with the plot of Something in the Water?
This tale was inspired by the loss of my partner at forty-five years of age to ovarian cancer in 2012, just thirteen weeks after her diagnosis. In the aftermath, an old friend challenged me to turn that grief into something positive. Remembering a conversation with a charismatic Polynesian fisherman (I visited there once) about his people’s vision of death and the afterlife, I began to write. Through the written word, I hoped to explore and capture several extraordinary events that happened around the time of my girlfriend’s death. The novel and the series kind of took off from there…
In fact, the novel has three plots that intertwine like a treble helix. There’s the love story, the building menace of what the baddies are up to, and there’s an ancient legend recorded in a manuscript. Each is dependent on the other, and they come together at the end. It was, unsurprisingly, quite difficult juggling the components, making sure there were no lags or holes…but I’m excited by the end result.
Writing-wise, are you an early bird or a night owl?
A bit of both. I’m up quite early (around six) and then walk briskly for fifteen minutes to a coffee shop where I drink caffeine and read the paper. Maybe chat to a few regulars. Then back, and my writing day begins. I try and do a big chunk before lunch, have a light meal, and then take a twenty minute semi-nap on the sofa to recharge. By that I mean, if I fall asleep, it’s only very lightly. Then some more writing and maybe an evening walk in the park or along a local canal. Back for another chunk of writing and I’m pretty exhausted by the evening. That’s when I read over all the day’s work.
Do you take a structured approach to your writing – set a target number of words for each day?
That’s an interesting word, “structure”. I found it helpful to plot the structure before I started. The novel contains three interwoven plots and each needed to develop through several stages, before they came together at the end. I had about sixty Post-it notes, in three colors on the wall that each had a theme or scene written on them. But when it came to writing, I allowed myself time to let the creative juices flow. You can’t hurry creativity – many ideas need sleeping on. Then on to re-writing! So, while I had a rough idea of how many words I wanted to write a week or a month, I often found myself way above or below this figure.


What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done?
I once fell through the ice in a lake. Fortunately I was near the side and the water was only two feet deep. But it was ridiculously cold…

What can we look forward to next from you?Something in the Water is supported by a series of short stories that reveal the backstories of the major characters in this world.
The first in the series, Something in the Air, is available now free at my website as well as free on Kobo (also available at Amazon) and the second short story in the series, Something on the Fly, will be released in the Spring!

Something in the Water - available on Amazon http://bit.ly/SITWbtour2am Something in the Air – ·         available for FREE at www.ben-starling.com and ·         available FREE at Kobo http://bit.ly/SITAbtour2kobo . ·         Also at Amazon http://bit.ly/SITAbtour2am Something on the Fly – coming soon!

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EXCERPT
Something in the Water – Chapter 1 begins… New York, September
He didn’t look like the hotel guests, the business people, or the tourists. He didn’t move like them either.
He brushed past me as I climbed off my Vespa, stilettos in hand, outside the entrance of the Waldorf Astoria. Had he smiled at the radiance of my scarlet ball gown? Or was he amused by my battered Converse sneakers?
As a valet approached to take my scooter and helmet, I spotted my boss, Malcolm, waving hello from the lobby. He was approaching the glass doors that separated us when I noticed a small wooden box on the ground. Two steps later, I had picked it up. Who could have dropped it?
No one was close by, so I turned. The only man who’d passed me was already a half block away, gliding beside the cars that waited for the lights to change at the end of the block. Was it his?
What I knew for sure was that now wasn’t the time to be tracking down the little box’s owner. I should hand it in to reception and concentrate on the evening ahead. For a few seconds, I relaxed as I studied the hotel’s confident, soaring opulence—a world unknown to me before my arrival from Nantucket four years ago. The smooth texture of the box, however, drew my thoughts back to it. Was there something valuable inside? What if it didbelong to that man, and he never returned to collect it? I turned the box over—and caught my breath.
“How on earth…?”
Malcolm emerged in front of me. “Hello, darling, you look absolutely—are you okay?”
 I thrust my sparkly evening shoes into his hands, and hitched up my shawl. I was about to give chase when a convertible Ferrari lurched to a stop beside me.
“Going my way, babe?” its driver shouted, over the thrum of the engine.
But my dress was redder, and I got the better start.
You can find the rest of Something in the Water, Chapter 1 at http://ben-starling.com/chapter-one/


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BIO & SOCIAL MEDIA
Ben Starling is passionate about marine conservation and boxing, both central themes in his upcoming novel. His interest in marine life has taken him across three continents over the past three decades. He is Oxford’s only ever Quintuple Blue (varsity champion five years running), was Captain of the university boxing team, and coached and boxed competitively until about five years ago. He is 6’3”and 185 lbs. Ben graduated from Oxford University with a Master of Arts and an M Phil. He was born in the USA but has lived in the UK since childhood.Connect with Ben at www.ben-starling.com
www.ben-starling.comwww.twitter.com/benstarlingauthwww.facebook.com/authorbenstarlingwww.amazon.com/author/benstarlingwww.pinterest.com/benstarlingauthwww.facebook.com/ben.starling.authorw....google.com/+benstarlingauthorwww.benstarlingauthor.tumblr.comwww.youtube.com/user/benstarlingauthorwww.bloglovin.com/benstarlingwww.goodreads.com/ben-starling
Our Review:Something in the Water has a wonderfully gripping beginning. We race along behind the heroine as she desperately tries to find the owner of a mysterious box. A mysterious box that has her name on it and was dropped by someone from the other side of the world. Someone she was destined to meet, and soon.Mysteries abound in this magical adventure, and I loved the way the author, Ben Starling, describes everything in such revealing detail. I could smell the ocean and feel the sand between my toes. Everything came to life on the page and seemed so real.The heroine, journalist Teal Douglas, is the kind of young lady determined to write about the wrongs she encounters, exposing the evil that people do, even when she finds herself up to her neck in a world of political greed and illegal practices.In this novel, you get two stories for the price of one, for an ancient guidebook                    creates a perfect analogy, reflecting the modern day problems of some of the world’s most beautiful places.The attempted slaughter of Solomon, a sacred old whale, had me in floods of tears, but there was much worse to come. Solomon survives, severely wounded and returns to say goodbye… but what happened next tore my heart to shreds.Apart from the fact that Something in the Water is a cracking good story, the author manages to get the conservation message across in such an easily understood way, which should help to bring about the changes our planet so desperately needs.A beautiful story, beautifully told. Ben Starling is an the author to watch, for he is surely going places…

Thought for the Day...

image by Canva
You heard it first here, right... and I should know... 

My Favourite Places x 3

Southsea Rock Gardens
Living as I do, quite near to the coast in the south of England, I have visited several places of interest during my time here.
One of my favourite places is the Southsea Rock Garden, which is just a short way from Portsmouth and on the sea front so it is very easy to find. Access is easy and free, and if you like gardens you’ll love this one. Calling it a rock garden makes it sound small, but it is over 12.000 square metres. You can wander around and lose yourself in the peaceful tranquillity that is always there, no matter what time of year you visit.
I was surprised to discover that it was built in the early 1920’s by unskilled labourers, set to work by the government during the years of depression after the First World War
The garden is designed on several levels with paths and steps leading you to many areas of natural beauty filled with an impressive array of plants. Huge rocks and boulders were brought down from Cumberland to create magnificent rockeries and a huge fountain and waterfall occupy the centre stage, with a goldfish pond at the bottom. I never could find out who actually designed this garden all those years ago, but if I ever come into any money, I would have this garden replicated in my own back yard. I would need a very big back yard and lot of money though, for this place is huge!
Nearly a hundred years later, we can still enjoy the layout and beauty of the unusual planting, despite its being badly flooded on several occasions whenever a fierce enough storm arrives. The last time this happened was just a few months ago, and I worried that the damage would be so severe the garden would be ruined.
But when I went there last week it was as if nothing had happened. The voluntary organisation, The Friends of the Gardenhad done a magnificent job, pumping out all the sea water as quickly as possible to prevent the salt damage.
I expected to find desolation and ruin and be saddened by the loss of a beautiful thing, only to have my heart gladdened by the display of care and attention that I did find there. To say I was pleased does not begin to describe my joy as I walked around and enjoyed the sense of peace and serenity the garden has always given me.
See you all soon…Jaye

New Year ...New Broom!

This year did not start well for me, what with one thing or another. I thought for a while it would be back to the knitting (or in my case, crochet) while fate decided what to do with me.

But it would appear, and thank God for small mercies, that once the dust settles it will be business as usual. So it seems like a great time to sort out my priorities and actually makes plans for my future. Now it looks as though I still have one!

The first thing to do, was something that has been bugging me for months, and that was the covers on my books. I knew they weren't right, but up until now didn't know what to do about it. But with this new found lease of life I seem to have a better eye than I had before, and the result is shown above.
This series will grow, I am sure of that now, so all I have to do now is write another one.

I say 'all I have to do now' but it isn't. Not by a long chalk. There is the small matter (I jest) of promoting them all. Maybe I will get better at that too.
Couldn't hurt!

One last HUGE thank you to everyone who wished me well and supported me through the last few weeks. I am more grateful than you will ever know...

Something in the Water...

The sealed box Teal finds in the street contains more than just a mystery...

What if to be with the man of your dreams…you had to give up your life? On the verge of losing her job, side-lined journalist Teal is forced to travel to the South Pacific to profile a powerful businessman. But with her almost-but-not-quite fiancé Bear discouraging her every step of the way, she may not be able to save her career or her relationship.

When corporate criminals invade paradise, Teal teams up with a former boxer turned marine-biologist to investigate. As she discovers the true intentions behind their new canning operations, she must either accept the plum promotion that will save her career or—with Perry—defend the island with more than her life.

Something in the Water, An Ocean Romance will be released by Edington Press on January 21, 2016.

This full length novel in the soul-stirring series by Ben Starling continues the journey begun in Something in the Air, a short story now available on Amazon.~~~~~
This book was gifted to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. Only, I might add, because it has not yet been released…

Our Review:
This story has a wonderfully gripping beginning. We race along behind the heroine as she desperately tries to find the owner of a mysterious box. A mysterious box that had her name on it and was dropped by someone from the other side of the world. Someone she was destined to meet, and soon.
Mysteries abound in this magical adventure, and I loved the way the author, Ben Starling, describes everything in such revealing detail. I could smell the ocean and feel the sand between my toes. Everything came to life on the page and seemed so real.
The heroine, journalist Teal Douglas, is the kind of young lady determined to write about the wrongs she encounters, exposing the evil that people do. Even when she finds herself up to her neck in a world of political greed and illegal practices.
In this novel, you get two stories for the price of one, for an ancient guidebook                    creates a perfect analogy, reflecting the modern day problems of some of the world’s most beautiful places.
The attempted slaughter of Solomon, a sacred old whale, had me in floods of tears, but there was much worse to come. Solomon survives, severely wounded and returns to say goodbye… but what happened next tore my heart to shreds.
Apart from the fact that Something in the Wateris a cracking good story, the author manages to get the conservation message across in such an easily understood way, which should help to bring about the changes our planet so desperately needs.
A beautiful story, beautifully told. Ben Starling will be the author to watch, for he is surely going places…

Do You Need More Time?…

I have come to the conclusion recently that my method of working is ineffective to say the least, and that I could be even be wasting some of the precious things I have learned along the way, not to mention confusing the hell out of myself by not having enough time to do them.
For a while now, I have come to resent the fact that there never seems to be enough hours in the day, something that although annoying, didn’t seem to have a solution.
We can only do our best, right?
But it can be quite soul destroying when you realise that your best is nowhere near good enough.
The solution started to occur to me when my emails began to increase alarmingly, and I was spending so much time weeding out the wheat from the chaff. Out of desperation, I suddenly thought this was possibly something I could do in the evening on my laptop.
And away from my desk, this seemed so much more fun, and definitely took some of the strain out of my busy day. Then I realised I could do other things from my armchair too. Social networking, research, even book reviews. This was one of the reasons I originally bought the laptop for, that and emergency support when the main PC plays up.
But because I am hopeless at learning new things in a hurry, it has taken me ages to appreciate just how much help a laptop can be. A bit like having another pair of hands!Admittedly, I do find it awkward, with its smaller screen and even smaller print. And it has Windows 8 which took some getting to grips with.
I am not naturally PC literate, but things must have begun to sink in for I am feeling so much more productive. There are always so many things on my TD list, things to learn, experiment with or change. Not to mention all the brain storming for new writing projects.
Now I have so much more time, this precious commodity, I must make the most of it. For soon enough, my ongoing medical problems will be stealing some of it back for a while.
Has anyone else discovered new and better ways of managing our time?

Drake and the Fliers…

Sixteen-year-old Drake can’t understand why the virus spared him. The only survivors he’s seen vandalized his makeshift dwelling, and despite his sister’s dying wish that he connect with others, he spends his days alone – that is, until he shapeshifts into a dragon.

While exploring his new abilities, Drake nearly flies into Preston, another shifter. Their chances of survival increase if they team up with others like them, but when their search leads to a group in Las Vegas, they find not everyone is welcoming.

As Drake develops new relationships, Preston endures daily confrontation and eventually takes off on his own. Concerned for his friend’s safety, Drake launches a search and stumbles into a situation stranger than anything he could imagine. Now he must embrace his animalism if he wants to save his humanity.
About the AuthorAllison is a YA and mystery/suspense author, blogger, teacher, mom, wife, coffee and wine consumer, and owl enthusiast. Her blog includes humorous posts, short stories, and posts on writing strategy, parenting, and teaching. www.allisonmaruska.com
Our Review
I was introduced to the main character in this book by the author’s prequel/serial of Drake’s world, Before the Flight. I loved it so much; I immediately bought a copy of the book.
Drake is a typical teenage boy, arguing with his sister Kelsey, in an ordinary world.Then something happened…

His father, a doctor at the local hospital had been treating the victims of a nasty virus, a virus that soon decimates the population.
They begin to wonder if they are immune, as one by one, all their family die. Then Kelsey dies too, leaving Drake alone in a strangely empty world…
I don’t like to reveal any spoilers in our reviews, it is sufficient to say that as YA adventures go, this one is wonderfully complex, unusual and totally believable.
Drake does find survivors like himself, including a girlfriend, and they have an amazing adventure.Brilliantly written, you are a part of it all, right from the start. The author’s powers of description put you right in the heart of the action with Drake and his friends.
I would recommend this book to anyone, not only YA, and wouldn’t be surprised to see a film made of it in the future. It really is that good!

Wishing You All a Wonderful New Year!

Wishing everyone everywhere a wonderful New Year, full of all the joy and magic you both need and deserve...

A Midnight Clear...

It was freezing cold on the Embankment, the river Thames flowing past with an insidious slithering oily sound in the darkness. It was nearly midnight and the air was crisp and pure, slightly uncomfortable to breathe. The clouds of her breath wafted away on a gentle but persistent breeze.
She thought back through the evening, remembering how she had decided not to dress up for the occasion, choosing warmth over style, grateful for the fur-lined hood of her jacket. She hadn’t wanted to roam around London with her friends, visiting pubs and bars looking for fun and the minute she had a chance to escape, she took it.
She wasn’t ready for fun, not yet. The scars of her broken marriage were still sore and she lived in fear that they would break open again at any provocation and she would weep uncontrollably. She could nearly go a whole day without thinking of the pain she had caused, leaving him wounded and helpless on the floor, begging her not to leave him. But she hadn’t hesitated or listened, it was far too late for any of that. If she hadn’t left when she did, she may have drowned in her misery and sunk without trace.She didn’t hate him, only what they had become. Two lonely people, each trying to outdo the others suffering.
In the distance, the sound of revelry echoed around the streets of London, but it was almost eerily quiet where she was stood, looking down at the black water that was catching the glint of the Embankment lights. Here and there, the coloured lights on the bridge shone down on the water, making a magical picture in the dark.
She took a deep breath and the cold air felt almost solid in her lungs. The peace she felt at that moment was total, no regrets at all. She was free and it felt amazing. The overwhelming joy lifted her heart and her eyes began to water, distorting her vision.
Several yards behind her and without warning, Big Ben began to chime. Being this close, the sound was deep and resonated through the air. As it struck the hour, each strike seemed to build on the one before, and by the time it reached twelve her ears felt muffled somehow. The ground beneath her feet had gently shaken and she had felt the vibrations in the cement she was leaning against.
As the sounds faded away, the old year died, taking away the past and promising a better future. 

Seasons Greetings...