Isabella May's Blog, page 6
February 19, 2018
Meet The Author: Sue Roebuck
Welcome, Sue. It’s an exciting week for you. Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
“Forest Dancer”, my new novel, takes place in Portugal as my previous book “Rising Tide” was. Instead of being on the coast, “Forest Dancer” is set in the mountains just outside Lisbon in a fictional village called Aurora.
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If you know Portugal and particularly the Lisbon area I think you’ll guess that the large town where the main character, Flora, goes frequently and which is called “Serra Glória” in the book is really Sintra.
Sintra is only about twenty kilometres to the west of Lisbon but, compared to the heat and noise of Lisbon (which is in itself a beautiful city), it is a fairytale land of misty forests, turreted castles and huge megalithic stones that were hurled out of a volcano a millennia ago.
British Philippa of Lancaster was Queen of Portugal when she was married to Dom João I from 1387 to 1415 and was responsible for bringing about Europe’s oldest alliance – Portugal and Britain which has lasted to this day (the Portuguese know this, but I can’t say the same for the British). She loved Sintra and one of the royal apartments in the town Palace is dedicated to her: the magpie room, which Flora – my main character – visits.
The king and queen are buried in the Batalha Monastery (north of Lisbon) and their tombs depict them holding hands.
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With such a wonderful setting it was easy to combine the forest with ballet and music.
Here is the opening extract of classical ballet dancer, Flora, during an audition for Swan Lake:
The music began and she was in her role, bourréeing backwards, her arms suggesting the sensuous flight of a swan. They were then on to their passionate pas de deux, and Flora concentrated, forcing herself to become the evil temptress that Odile was supposed to be. Immersing herself in the blissful string music helped, even though she wished they’d chosen the role of Odette, the naïve, fun-loving white swan, for the first audition. Tomorrow she’d be Odette, and in that role she knew she’d give the other contenders a run for their money by dancing for joy at the innocent music that made her feel skittish and playful.
Although it’s not mentioned in the book, I think this is my favourite Portuguese music by Madredeus. It sums up the Portuguese way of being – their loyalty and faith. The title is “Haja O Que Houver” which means whatever happens (and then she goes on…I’ll be waiting for you). I think it also sums up the atmosphere of “Forest Dancer”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt1jMWVvcqg
Blurb of Forest Dancer:
It’s a long way to go to create a new life for yourself.
Classical ballerina, Flora Gatehouse, has no choice but to take a risk. Having failed an important ballet audition in London, she moves to a small cottage in a forest just outside Lisbon, Portugal, her only inheritance following her father’s death.
Soon, Flora is involved in village life, where fate takes a new twist when she becomes attracted to forest ranger, Marco. But they are off to a shaky start.
Can Flora find acceptance in a foreign land, in a magical place that harbours secrets and heartache?
Links:
Forest Dancer (paperback and ebook) on Amazon : myBook.to/ForestDancer1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanRoebuckauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sueroebuck
Blog: http://www.susanroebuck.com
February 12, 2018
An Excerpt From The Cocktail Bar…
Since tomorrow is the official release date for my brand new novel, ‘The Cocktail Bar’, I am sharing a little snippet from chapter six…
You are welcome.
‘If it wasn’t for his celebrity status she’d have been utterly humiliated. Six people turned up for the official opening night. Just six! And one of those was Heather. It was like a sketch out of a very bad comedy.
“There will be one rule in this bar and one rule only,” River announced. “I’ll never serve you more than two cocktails of an evening.” A flurry of muffled voices ensued. “Why?” he paused until he’d regained their attention, “because the cocktail is to be savoured, not devoured. The construction of a cocktail is a work of art; the degustation of a cocktail is an evening at the theatre. You wouldn’t eat a three course meal during ThePhantom of the Opera; in the same way, you won’t drink three courses of cocktails in this bar.”
Fabulous, there went all of Georgina’s future tips every time a starry-eyed customer thought he was in with a chance with her. What a stuck up thing to say. People knew their limits when it came to drink. You might get away with this in some swanky speakeasy in the capital, the kind of place ‘the other half’ visited before their soiree in a plummy theatre, but in a small town like this, it was an insult that would only drive away footfall. He should have run this past her first. She’d soon have persuaded him to up it to four. Two cocktails did not comprise a night out. This was beyond ludicrous.
She gave him a conspiratorial nod to keep up the charade anyway. What else could she do? Yes, her own reputation in this gossip-rife town might be at stake now, but she was doing this for Blake – and her dad. She just had to stick with it. There was still time to turn things around. If nothing else, the hearsay that wended its way out of here tonight was going to prick up so many only-too-willing-ears to put his outlandish theory to the test. The gathered ensemble clearly didn’t know whether to huddle at one table to avoid the mortifyingly, socially embarrassing phenomenon of rattling around at a party, or to do just that, flinging themselves far and wide to create the illusion of roaring success. How the first floor of the bar would ever be populated, she had no idea.
Georgina needed a tipple to deal with this herself, but instead she held her head high, remembering beauty’s power to take the edge off disappointment. Ever the hospitality pro, she sashayed over to a couple of decidedly middle-aged ladies who had evidently just finished work, dressed as they were in their hideous High Street travel agents’ regalia.
“What can I get you, girls?” she prompted, notebook at the ready.
River had asked her to try to memorise cocktail names, said it looked more authentic that way, but it was hardly going to make or break business if she did jot them down, and besides, it was still early days as far as her own training went, some of these creations had some unnecessarily complicated titles.
“We just can’t decide,” said the older one. “What does your sexy bartender over there recommend?” the ever-so-slightly younger one chimed in, unable to tear her besotted eyes off River as he needlessly demonstrated his showy pouring skills in the background, only adding to their collective pool of drool.
Georgina felt her hackles rise, and a twinge of a distant relative to jealousy stir in the pit of her stomach. Was this what she was going to have to contend with every night? He was hers, all hers, and as much as that was simply part of a revenge-fuelled plan, she was not used to sharing her treats with anybody, and not about to start.
“Why don’t I ask him to surprise you then? Yes, what a great idea,” she said, catching River’s eye in a moment of perfect synchronicity and walking back to the bar before they had chance to protest.
“They’ve asked for two Earthquakes,” she said, slapping her notebook down on the counter and letting her pen catch up with her mischief.
“But that’s not even on the menu,” said River, clearly alarmed at the strength of their choice.
“Well, these ladies do seem very experienced when it comes to their spirits. Best give them what they’ve asked for. I’m just as surprised as you are, but we can’t be discerning or sexist when it comes to serving up Absinthe. There’s a very good reason they let it back into the States in 2007.”
“I’m impressed, George… Georgina, Georgina.”
She scowled.
“You are a little powerhouse of knowledge, aren’t you?” he winked, and then heard the laughter coming from the travel agents’ table which clearly helped to back up their letting-their-hair-down choice of drink. “Hopefully they’ve both got a day off tomorrow.”
He turned to find a couple of Champagne coupe glasses and Georgina breathed an imaginary sigh of relief. This was going to be entertaining all right.’
The Cocktail Bar, by Isabella May
Now head to Amazon and buy the book 
February 5, 2018
Meet The Author: Darren O’Sullivan
Welcome Darren! Thanks very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us today. Your debut novel has certainly taken the book world by storm. Huge congratulations!
What was the inspiration behind your current book, Our Little Secret?
OK, bit of a weird story. I was on a beach in Marbs, back in 2011 and I heard a song on my friend’s iPod from the Peter Pan OST. There was a moment in the song where it built into a crescendo and when I heard it I saw a women running towards a train station edge. Trying to save a man. The seed was planted and when I came home (and after my liver forgave me) I wrote a play based on that moment called Pact. I had some actor buddies read it, and it was utter s&%t… but I really liked the characters Chris, Julia and Sarah. So I thought I’d try my hand at writing them into a short story. It ended up being about 100K (most of it utter s&%t). Then I was told by a few to try write it as a thriller. And then OLS was born.
Long old journey really.
I hope future books don’t take quite so long.
We both share a love of Law of Attraction and positive thinking. How naturally does this come to you? And how did you engineer this into the success story that IS your debut novel? I am sure other writers out there would love to hear your top tips.
This is a great question. I didn’t always think so positively. In fact, if I’m totally honest, for a lot of years I felt the world was out to get me and owed me a favour. I expected things and didn’t work hard for them. So it didn’t come naturally. I had to work really, really hard at it. I had some difficult times in 2012, and was forced to take stock. Struggling to be optimistic. Then I started a journal of the things I was grateful for and for about a week I didn’t write a single thing in it. Eventually I was grateful for the fact it was summer not winter when I had my tough times. It would have been so much harder to manage without the long sunshine filled days. It was a revelation. From there I found hundreds of things I was grateful for. But I had to really look to find them. Then my circumstances changed and I kept doing it. Now, 5 and ½ years later it comes easier. But it still takes work.
With regard to the book. My breakthrough came after a ton of rejections. I was in Waterstones, feeling sorry for myself, looking at the 1000’s of books on the shelves. Imagining mine was there also. And realized I only wanted 1 space. Just one amongst thousands. It wasn’t a big ask. I wasn’t after the entire shop. Just one space about an inch wide and 7 inches tall. When I saw that, I could visualize it happening.
With the positive thinking side of things in mind… how are you able to tap so effectively into the minds of some of your characters, people whose lives are far from rosy? This is something I had to compartmentalize in my own debut novel, which had a domestic violence thread running through it, so I am particularly curious to swap notes as often it wasn’t easy to write those scenes if I was in a good mood!
I guess coming form an acting background helps. I often play(ed) a villain on stage and then off stage, I was little old me. To help myself understand the characters though, I traveled where they did. I have been on that platform edge with my shoes off. I have been in ‘the ditch’ with the tree. I walked the streets and occasionally I tried to follow people without them knowing, just to see how it would feel.
If anyone is struggling to get into their characters’ heads, act the scenes. It’s good fun. And then after, remember, it’s just acting.
Favorite cake?
This is impossible to answer. Ummmm. Any without nuts!
Favorite travel destination?
Spent a little bit of time in the Sahara. Very much fell in love with the silence at night.
Favorite positivity guru?
Robin Sharma. Tony Robbins. Dillon Dhanecha. Gary Vaynerchuk. (As well as loads of my friends who are without even knowing).
If you could invite three authors who you haven’t yet met to a dinner party, who would they be? And what would your three courses consist of?
Even thinking about the idea of hosting a dinner party makes me nervous. Let alone choosing writers that I idolize. I think it would have to be a takeaway-of-everyone’s-choosing event… and then I’d try to be discreet whilst writing everything they said in a notepad. (This completely avoids the question, I know).
Favorite books as a child?
The Twits. Although, as a kid I wasn’t a brilliant reader. Much happier kicking a ball somewhere I shouldn’t be.
Strangest place you have ever written?
I write everywhere. Strangest might have been in a hospital bed after ‘the pen’ incident. Ironic I know.
Loveliest thing anybody has ever said about your books?
Again, tough question. I try to see the positive in all the reviews I have seen. Even if they didn’t like it, there is a lot I can learn. One of the first I received before it came out was someone saying they read a lot in the genre but really enjoyed my voice… that was a good moment.
What can we expect to see from you next?
April 5th I’m delighted to be able to say OLS comes out in print. And then on May 5th my second book, CLOSE YOUR EYES comes out in kindle format. It’s going to be a very exciting summer (I hope). I’m currently working on the plot of book three. And will have the first draft by April. Lots on but, I love this job!
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Darren is a ibooks number 1 bestselling author of ‘Our Little Secret’ and theatre practitioner. He lives in Peterborough, England where his days are either behind his laptop writing or in front of a group of actors directing.
His thriller Our Little Secret is due for paperback publication on 5th April 2018 and is currently editing his second novel ‘Close Your Eyes’ which is due for publication 5th May 2018.
You can follow him on Twitter @Darrensully or on Facebook via his author page
Darren O’Sullivan-author
blurb
A deserted train station: A man waits. A woman watches.
Chris is ready to join his wife. He’s planned this moment for nearly a year. The date. The time. The train. But he hadn’t factored in Sarah.
So when Sarah walks on to the platform and sees a man swaying at the edge she assumes he’s just had too much to drink. What she doesn’t expect is to stop a suicide.
As Sarah becomes obsessed with discovering the secrets that Chris is clearly hiding, he becomes obsessed with stopping her, protecting her.
But there are some secrets that are meant to stay buried…
January 31, 2018
Meet The Author: Val Penny
Welcome, Val and congratulations on the up-coming release of Hunter’s Chase. I’ve a feeling this is a story that’s going to take the crime fiction world by storm. Thanks for joining me today on the blog to chat a little bit about that… and a little bit about story plotting!
First off, though, let’s get dark. Can you share the blurb for Hunter’s Chase to entice all of the crime fans out there:
Hunter by name – Hunter by nature: DI Hunter Wilson will not rest until Edinburgh is safe.
DI Hunter Wilson knows there is a new supply of cocaine flooding his city and he needs to find the source but his attention is transferred to murder when a corpse is discovered in the grounds of a golf course. Shortly after the post-mortem, Hunter witnesses a second murder but that is not the end of the slaughter. With a young woman’s life also hanging in the balance, the last thing Hunter needs is a new man on his team: the son of his nemesis, the former Chief Constable. Hunter’s perseverance and patience are put to the test time after time in this taught crime thriller.
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I would imagine that more so than formulating any other genre, the plotting of a crime novel has to be watertight. Talk us through that:
Plotting is central to writing a novel, but it is a highly individual process. No two authors plot in the same way. Some plot organically while others plot in a very orderly fashion. Many writers even plot differently from one book to another. Some write scenes: hundreds of scenes that interest and excite them and then they stitch the scenes together to form the novel. While others visualise the way the book will take shape using dozens of bits of paper laid out on their desk or even on the floor. It must be important to make sure the windows are closed if you plot this way!
Some authors use tree diagrams, spreadsheets or mind-maps to plot and there is software available to download online for this.
However you plot your novel, the goal is the same, to allow the journey it is about take shape, and that will last several months on the road with a novel. It is important that you, as an author, choose between the ‘organic’ and ‘orderly’ methods of plotting so that you are comfortable that your choice works best for you and the book you are setting out to write. I plotted my first novel ‘Hunter’s Chase’ organically but, after attending a course run by Sue Moorcroft at last years’ Swanwick Writers’ Summer School, I plotted the sequel ‘Hunter’s Revenge’ using diagrams and spreadsheets. Neither is wrong. Both have strengths and weaknesses and either can be successful for crafting a novel.
Writers who follow an organic way of plotting, approach the outline largely as a form of awareness of the story, rather than as an actual document to be followed strictly. Many view the the outline not so much as a planning device but more of an analytical tool that helps strengthen the final draft by indicating the flaws in the story-line.
Some authors begin with an idea and just jump in to tell the story. They write steadily and regularly until they have written tens of thousands of words. Then they go through the organic draft and delete large chunks and add other pieces until the final manuscript is complete.
Other authors, like Sue Moorcroft, plot meticulously and there is no doubt that plotting an outline is hard work. However, having undertaken an outline on ‘Hunter’s Revenge’, I found myself into writing my novel with confidence. I was happy that one chapter followed another in a sensible sequence. My characters retained their identities. Of course at the end of the first draft, there were flaws, but I found I was able to repair those readily.
Whether you plot organically or in an orderly fashion, the important issue is that you can tell the story to your readers and that you, and they, are satisfied by your novel.
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About The Author
Val Penny is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and two cats. She has a Law degree from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer. However she has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballet dancer or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels. Her first crime novel, ‘Hunter’s Chase’ set in Edinburgh, Scotland will be published by Crooked Cat Books on 02.02.2018. She is now writing the sequel, ‘Hunter’s Revenge’.
Author Contact Details
http://www.authorvalpenny.com
http://www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739
Friends of Hunter’s Chase – http://www.facebook.com/groups/296295777444303
January 25, 2018
Lizzie Chantree’s ‘Ninja School Mum’
Today I am really excited to be hosting the sensational, Lizzie Chantree on my blog. Lizzie is no stranger to publishing, having three novels already under her belt – and her latest book, NINJA SCHOOL MUM looks set to be just as big a hit, with fantastic reviews streaming in already ahead of its 30th January release date!
Lizzie, thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to tell us a little bit more about your brand new book with the intriguing title:
Are there any surprises in your new book?
There are a few surprises along the way. My beta readers have all said they didn’t see them coming either, which is wonderful!
Did writing this book exhaust you or make you smile?
Ninja School Mum was so much fun to write. The main character, Skye, is very grumpy and doesn’t enjoy being around people, especially children, but she has to discover how to negotiate the hierarchy of the parents on the school playground and learn how to fit in for her son’s sake. She has to do this without misbehaving herself, which is a problem as it’s ingrained.
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Do you plan ahead before writing your stories?
I don’t really make any plans at all. I begin by scribbling down basic ideas, then maybe a rough chapter structure. Next I start writing the story by hand and enjoy seeing where the story takes me.
Tell us a something we might not know about you?
I was on television quite a few times when I was younger. I invented a product called Runaway Spray, which is a ‘ladder’ stop spray for hosiery. I was one of the Female Inventors of the Year, 2000.
Which was your favourite of your books to write?
I have really enjoyed writing all of them. Each book has characters that are a bit eccentric. I like exploring the relationships they have with friends and family. I almost feel like I get to see what it’s like to run some very unusual businesses, as all of my books have entrepreneurs in them. They might be just starting out with an idea, or have a fully formed business, but each of them in their own way, are very inventive.
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Book Blurb
Obsessive-compulsive school mum, Skye, is a lonely elite spy, who is running from her past whilst trying to protect the future of her child. She tries hard to fit in with the other parents at her son’s new school, but the only person who accepts her unconventional way of life is new mother, Thea.
Thea is feeling harassed by her sister and bored with her life, but she suspects that there is something strange about the new school mum, Skye. Thea has secrets of her own and, although the two become unlikely friends, she hesitates to tell Skye about the father of her own child.
Zack’s new business is growing faster than he could have dreamed but, suddenly, he finds himself the owner of a crumbling estate on the edge of a pretty village, and a single parent to a very demanding child. Could he make a go of things and give his daughter the life she deserved?
When three lives collide, it appears that only one of them is who they seem to be, and you never know who the person next to you in the school playground really is.
Universal book buying link: viewBook.at/NinjaSchoolMum
About The Author
Award-winning inventor and author, Lizzie Chantree, started her own business at the age of 18 and became one of Fair Play London and The Patent Office’s British Female Inventors of the Year in 2000. She discovered her love of writing fiction when her children were little and now runs networking hours on social media, where creative businesses, writers, photographers and designers can offer advice and support to each other. She lives with her family on the coast in Essex.
For more information about ‘Ninja School Mum’, please visit www.lizziechantree.com or contact Crooked Cat Books: 00337429707270/ enquiries@crookedcatpublishing.com or the author directly at 07799311636/ liz@chantree.com
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January 23, 2018
Pranic Healing Levels 2 and 3
I have been meaning to write this post for weeks… and now weeks have turned into months… and a brand new year.
Last October I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend not just one, but two Pranic Healing courses in my neighbouring Gibraltar: Pranic Healing Level 2 and Pranic Healing Level 3. That is a wonder in itself, but being taught by the one and only Les Flitcroft, took my learning experience – and the magic of that weekend – to a whole other level!
Earlier in 2017, I was blown away by the skills I gained from my very first Pranic Healing course. Level 1 was such an eye-opener into the way we can tap into the very natural resource that is prana, to help heal others and ourselves energetically; quickly, safely and effectively. You can read all about the types of things you will typically learn on a Level 1 Pranic Healing course here.
Pranic Healing is as spiritual as it is scientific.
Broken down from our largest to smallest components, everything within us (and around us) is energy, after all. And what Pranic Healing does in its simplest form, is cleanse the body of negative (diseased) energy, replacing it with positive (life-giving) energy, referred to as prana. This is carried out through the major and minor chakras. And in Pranic Healing, there are an extensive 11 chakras, as well as over two hundred mini chakras. This makes it super effective as an alternative form of healing.
But then it’s the body which does the true work, for it has an innate ability to re-programme itself, to correct any chemical imbalances. It’s quite a beautiful design.
To see a practitioner carry the process out, you are, frankly, reminded of a scene from The Bible, with Jesus healing the sick. But in truth, many religions have hinted that we all have access to this healing energy – not just a chosen few. This is certainly not to downplay the vital role of traditional medicine, however, even after a Level 1 course, the skills obtained are life-changing enough that you will almost certainly find yourself running off to the GP’s surgery a little less. And that’s just for starters.
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But today I am going to write a little (for you really have to go on a course to experience the magic for yourself) about the types of skills Level 2 and Level 3 Pranic Healing will equip you with.
Level 2 is a course which essentially teaches us to implement colour prana to heal all manner of ailments and diseases, large and small, from A-Z, no stone left un-turned. Be it the immune system, the heart, cancer, gastrointestinal, respiratory, skeletal, reproductive or a condition of the nervous system, Pranic Healing can help immensely… sometimes even creating ‘miracles’. Again, this is in no shape or form to downplay the vital role of traditional medicine. But PH can act as a brilliant and highly effective complementary therapy.
Since the course I have helped a friend who awaits a lung transplant, treated back problems, joint problems, sore throat, a days’ long migraine (that vanished within the hour), giant insect bites, gingivitis and chronic eczema – all via colour prana healing.
The Level 3 Pranic Psychotherapy course is equally fascinating for it arms us with the tools to treat a vast range of behavioural issues and addictions. It almost seems too simple in its approach to be true… but then you put the methods to the test and the proof is very much in the Pranic pudding.
Drug and Alcohol Addiction can be overcome in a matter of sessions.
Phobias can be weakened and in some cases diminished.
Anxiety and Grief issues can be soothed and often resolved completely.
Anger can be dissipated gently, safely and within minutes.
I have been especially blown away at the number of people I have helped treat for anxiety, grief, anger, depression and stress, using this specific healing technique since the course.
The only way we can measure a treatment’s success in those circumstances is via the feedback we receive from clients. And when we are told patients are sleeping properly, motivated to take positive actions in their lives, feeling light and unburdened, we know we’re definitely not imagining the magical properties of Pranic Healing.
If you make one New Year’s Resolution in 2018, book yourself in for a course and find out more about this very special alternative method of healing today.
For more about Pranic Healing, click here to read all about the fabulous work of the Institute of Pranic Healing UK & Ireland.
January 9, 2018
Meet The Author: Taryn Leigh
We Talk Perfect Imperfections, Spirituality and Carrot Cake!
Welcome, Taryn! You have so very kindly featured me on your blog recently and now I am delighted to return the favour. I absolutely loved your debut novel, ‘Perfect Imperfections’ and I know the beauty of your writing and characters struck a chord with many a reader.
What was the inspiration behind your current book, Perfect Imperfections?
There are so many elements that inspired me as I wrote Perfect Imperfections. I wanted to write a book that left you feeling on top of the world at the end. You know those books you read that make you feel like you’re floating in a giddy daze?
Well the story for Perfect Imperfections came to me one night as I was falling asleep, but the details of each character were hazy. I just had a basic plot that I loved at first sight. However, people I know inspired each character and the journey they took. From my lifelong friendships to my beloved husband. There are elements of them all on each page of the book.
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We both share a love of writing about food and drink! Why do you think it’s important we capture more of those culinary sights and smells in our novels?
I’m such a food lover. For me food should be an experience, not just a meal. It’s not only about what you put into your mouth. It’s about the memories that are created during these moments, the people you share it with, and the emotions it evokes. By including these things into our novels we make our characters memorable, relatable, and tangible. The next time someone bakes a cake or reaches for a drink that was mentioned by a character we introduced them to, they will recall how that book made them feel, and we will be a part of their memories forever.
Your main character spent a lot of time in London, and comes back to South Africa where she learns to get in touch with her true self once again. How important is it for you to weave a little spirituality into your work? Can we expect to see more of that?
Yes, most definitely. It’s actually why I write. Spirituality is a big part of my own life, and emotional and physical healing for me goes hand in hand with your spirituality. You can’t have one without the other. I try to bring in topics that are hard to face. Things like forgiveness after devastation for example, I would like to see people who are battling these things to be able to walk in freedom from them. And if the only role I play is showing them a mirror of their own heart, by the characters I bring them, then so be it. From there on, I trust that the seed I’ve planted will flourish into freedom in their lives, and an awareness of their own spiritual identity.
I don’t think, but I know you have achieved that… and in your debut novel too!
Favourite cake?
Carrot cake. It used to be chocolate but now I’m hooked on carrot.
Favourite travel destination?
Anywhere in Europe. I’ve never been. Can you believe it? I really need to go!
Favourite positivity guru?
I actually don’t follow anyone. I try to learn from my elders. They ooze a wisdom that can only come with time.
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If you could invite three authors who you haven’t yet met to a dinner party, who would they be? And what would your three courses consist of?
Oh wow! I would love to have Karen Swan over. Just thinking of it makes me too nervous to imagine what I would cook. I would need to consult a Gordon Ramsey book or something special for that.
Enid Blyton, if she were alive. I would imagine a high tea of some sorts with all kinds of pastries and cakes, earl grey tea and white gloves on my hands lol.
And I would really love to have you, but instead of a sit down dinner I would love to be in a huge kitchen, beautifully lit, cooking up all sorts of things we try out as a recipe for our next book!
That sounds amazing, I’ll start looking for flights!
Favourite books as a child?
Anything by Enid Blyton, especially The Faraway Tree!
Strangest place you have ever written?
In a restaurant, hunched over my laptop as the waiters impatiently keep asking me if I want anything else to eat. But I love the buzz around me as I get swept in my own little bubble of the story.
Loveliest thing anybody has ever said about your books?
People have been so gracious and their beautiful comments just push me forward to keep writing. But the best have been people who have written to me privately, telling me of how the book resonated with them in their own struggles, and how it helped them deal with their own dark pain. For me that makes my writing have purpose! What’s better than that?
What can we expect to see from you next?
I’m earnestly trying to finish my next novel, in-between my full time job, and mommy and wife duties. I hope it will be done soon so I can share it with the world. It’s a story I’m excited about!
I can’t wait to read it! Thank you very much, Taryn for taking time out today to talk to us.
Here is the universal buying link for the brilliant Perfect Imperfections: http://mybook.to/Perfect_Imperfections
Book Blurb
Sarah Lewis desires nothing more than to begin again after a failed marriage and a tragedy so terrifying, it forces her to leave her life in London to stay with her best friend a world apart in South Africa. Despite immediate success in her business, she struggles to understand who she really is and where she belongs in the world. So begins a journey of discovery as Sarah re-unites with Katy in the land where she was born, where the air is lavender scented, and weekends are spent cycling on the beach. Until the day when she has to return to London to face the ghosts of her past and confront a situation that has grown more complicated in her absence. Perfect Imperfections is an intriguing tale which hints at wrongdoings and deceit without giving too much away. The author cleverly weaves a tale around fragile yet strong Sarah as she tries to reconcile her past with her future, engaging the reader to the point where we simply want the best for her and for happiness finally to come her way.
Author Bio
Taryn Leigh is a South African born citizen, who spent her childhood with her nose buried in books. Her love for reading transpired into her ambition to become a writer. She first tried her hand at blogging, which eventually led to her writing her first novel. She lives in Pretoria, with her husband, son and two cocker spaniels.
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January 3, 2018
Meet The Author: Sherron Mayes
Such a treat to have you here as a guest today, Sherron! We have only recently ‘met’ via one of the loveliest writers’ groups in the world… and I can honestly say you are one of the most fascinating authors I have come across to date, and super talented to boot able to turn your hand to self-help and fiction. Grab a cushion, curl up with some cake and tell us more and yourself…
What was the inspiration behind your current book, Letters to the Pianist?
I found my mother’s memoirs after she died three years ago, when I was going through her boxes of paperwork. She’d written down what happened when she was fourteen and her family home was bombed in the London blitz. Her parents were killed instantly, and her and her younger brother and sister, were split up and parcelled out to relatives. It sounded terrifying and I was shocked, that she’d never talked about it before. She had a tough life, feeling rootless, although she married and trained to be a nurse when she was eighteen, life was never easy for her. When she was alive, we didn’t get on. I found her a tough uncompromising woman. She’d often joke that she’d wake up with her fists clenched every morning ready for a fight. But once I had an eye-opener into the trauma of her childhood, I was inspired to write about it. And make her the heroine in my story – something she felt she never was in life. It was an emotional experience, despite the book being a 1940s thriller. And through writing I finally realised why she was so defensive. If she let her guard down, like many of her generation who experienced horrific deaths in the war, she probably felt she’d fall apart.
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We both share a love of Law of Attraction! To what extent has your conscious creating helped sculpt your writing career?
Well, probably just like you Isabella, I could talk about the Law of Attraction forever. I’m so aware of how my thoughts influence everything around me for the good or bad. If I’m negative, I’m oversensitive, believing the worst, reading into things – and I’m a magnet for crap – people seem to want to argue with me, or take me the wrong way – of course I’m manifesting that. But when I’m focused on what I want for the positive, miracles literally happen.
My journalist career unfolded over twenty years ago without me having any qualifications or a clue about the media. I would focus on an idea, and magazines and newspapers would just swim into my mind – and hey presto I would ring up and get a commission. Within a year of starting out, I was on contract to the Daily Mail getting tons of work. The same good luck unfolded when I wrote my first self-help book, Be Your Own Psychic, fifteen years ago – inspired by a lucid dream. An elderly man with white hair, who I feel was a spirit guide, sat on the edge of my bed, and said, ‘write everything down that you’ve learnt in your life and put it in a book. We will help you. Trust us!’ There was a feeling of urgency and I remember jumping out of bed at 3 am to note down what he’d said, before I forgot. I wrote one chapter and read it to a girlfriend in a wine bar, and sent it to an agent someone told me about a year ago. Within a week he’d got me a meeting with publishers, Hodder & Stoughton. A few days later they offered me £20,000 to write the book, and my agent said ‘that’s all they’d offer to a first time author. So don’t expect any more.’ But it was a 6 month contract and I knew I’d get paid in thirds (you get a third up front, a third on completion and a third on publication) I wouldn’t be able to afford to live if I wasn’t doing other work. So in my head I thought I need £30,000 minimum. Two days later my agent came back and said ‘they’ve offered £30,000’. I was speechless. I really felt that life was magically opening up.
Everyone thinks LOA and the influence of our thoughts, is relatively new as a theory, but back in the 1920s, Carl Jung was the very first person to really bring the law of attraction into focus. Jung was transfixed by the idea that life was not a series of random events but rather an expression of a deeper order, which he called the Unus Mundus, Latin for one world or one energy – whereby what we focus on will magnetise a like-minded energy, which is shown as a meaningful synchronicity. And for anyone who’s read Letters to the Pianist, they’ll see that his understanding is at the heart of my book.
I discovered how this played out with my literary agent for Letters, who told me after she took me on, that although she was in the Writers and Artists Yearbook under her maiden name, her married name that she went by in everyday life was ‘Mayes’ – the same as my surname. Weird you might say. But I’ve had many crazy meaningful coincidences with this novel.
Somebody on Facebook, only a month ago, offered to trace my genealogy records. I’ve just discovered that picking the name ‘Goldberg’ for the fictional family in the book wasn’t quite so random. Apparently my grandmother’s maiden name was Goldberg! And Joseph Goldberg, the protagonist in my book, was her younger brother! I was in shock when this guy, Maurice, emailed me the info on the census. My mother’s first husband Marcus (not my father) also recently got in touch a month ago on Facebook to say he’d read my book. He’s in his eighties. I have six half brothers and sisters who are his children from my mother’s first marriage to him. My siblings know nothing about my book. I asked how he found out, as the book was only published a few months ago. He said he came across it by chance and ‘knew’ he had to read it. He said it stirred up many memories from when he was with my mum that made him emotional. And quickly realised that they were both so damaged by the war, they couldn’t really support or understand each other, and ended up fighting. She didn’t meet my father, Larry, until she was in her forties. But the way this Marcus (who’s a complete stranger to me by the way) came across the book is still a mystery – but I’ve known for a long time now that the world is mysterious and magical, and we are all connected in inextricable ways – bound together by like-minded thoughts, beliefs and values.
And look at the synchronicities we share. Not only is your pen name, Isabella May very much like my daughter’s, Isabel Mayes – but we’ve since discovered people that we mutually know. Amazing. I’m sure there will more that we’ve yet to discover.
I am currently immersed in one of your earlier titles, Be Your Own Psychic, which has recently been re-released. Wow is all I can say so far! What a brilliant book. Can you sum it up for any readers who haven’t yet come across it?
I wrote Be Your Own Psychic 15 years ago. It’s a fun interactive book, peppered with NLP and visualisations that help you to harness your mind, and creatively attract what you want in your life. Visualisations activate the creative right side of your brain, and therefore also enhance our inherent intuition, so we can get a strong sixth sense for buying the right house, meeting the right person, or finding the right job. Our minds are vast energy computers that get programmed with good stuff and the rubbish junk that we don’t need. It’s about being in control of our minds rather than letting our minds control us – which we can do unconsciously with addiction, negative thoughts, insomnia, the list is endless. We can consciously decide who we want to be and how we want to feel. The whole thing about being creative with our lives, is to have fun and make the most of every day. The law of attraction and visualisations are not about obsessing, but focusing on what we want and releasing it out into the universe, without worry, knowing that it will attract your outcome.
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After having a best-seller with Be Your Own Psychic, why did you start writing fiction?
I really love the craft of storytelling. Telling stories to illustrate something has been going on since time began. We learn so much, about other people’s points of view and experiences. And it also transports us away from the painfulness of our own difficulties and challenges.
Favourite dessert?
I’m not seduced by the sugary imposters. Good old Apple crumble and custard will always be a winner for me.
Favourite travel destination?
Alaska. My aunt lives there. And it’s the most incredible country in terms of scenery. There is so much space, and I remember seeing the mountains against the outline of the sky with nothing else around except sky and space, and thinking ‘wow’. It’s a wild place, literally. There’s signposts around saying ‘beware of the bears’ so you can’t go wandering off into the forests. Apparently it’s also infused with testosterone as the men outnumber women 2 to 1. But my aunt always says ‘the problem is, the odds are good, but the goods are odd’ lol.
Favourite self-help/positivity guru (yourself aside!)
Haha I’m definitely no guru. I’m a work in progress at all times. But if something helps me, then I definitely want to pass it on to others and that’s why I wrote ‘Be Your Own Psychic’. I’ve been to the workshops of Chuck Spezzano over the years, who is an author and charismatic workshop leader. He illustrates beliefs about ourselves and others using people in the audience, and shows that what we think is wrong with another person is actually a split part of our mind that needs healing. Once the split is healed that person behaves differently or we attract someone different. It’s fascinating. You have to witness it to understand what I mean. Again it all comes back to the energy transmitted from our thoughts – conscious and unconscious.
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If you could invite three authors who you haven’t yet met to a dinner party, who would they be? And what would your three courses consist of?
The first would be Peter James, the famous thriller writer. I met him at a book launch last year and he was very chatty, open and inspiring, and you need that at a dinner party. He told me he wrote his first book at 19 and couldn’t get an agent or publisher. He wrote another book after that and got a publisher but the book didn’t sell, and finally his third book suddenly began selling. He said, ‘writing takes time, like a good wine.’ He’s a lovely guy.
I’d also have to invite John Greene who wrote the ‘The Fault in Our Stars’. I’ve heard him speak and he seems eccentric and very talkative, and I just feel he’d be good fun and also have many tales to tell about his writing. Apparently ‘The Fault in our Stars’ took ten years to write, and I’d like to know why.
Erica Jong – who wrote ‘Fear of Flying’. Again I always feel she’s slightly bonkers, but very bright and good fun. A combination I love.
Dinner would be simple but tasty – garlic prawns as a starter with some asparagus on the side.
A spicy Thai curry for main (Thai food is my favourite)
And apple crumble and custard for dessert
I know how to live lol
Favourite books as a child?
So many. The Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh are a few that I treasured.
Strangest place you have ever written?
In the bath. But I don’t recommend writing in water, as the paper gets easily soggy, especially when your cat decides to walk around the edge.
Loveliest thing anybody has ever said about your books?
I’ve had some lovely reviews for Letters to the Pianist. One of them was this:
‘Wow! I absolutely LOVED this beautiful, beautiful book! I am still recovering from it! So beautifully written, so authentic, so harrowing, so sensitive and stunning and addictive and brilliant. I absolutely could not put it down – had to wrench myself away from it every morning and looked forward to it every evening. I loved this author’s debut but this book is a masterpiece. Elegant writing, a unique and poignant story – I am absolutely in awe. One of my favourite books of the year from an author to watch! Very highly recommended.’
What can we expect to see from you next?
A follow up to Letters to the Pianist which is the Goldberg Family five years on with many more twists and turns as they deal with secrets, lies and twisted characters. At the moment it has the working title of ‘The Silk Swastika’ but that may change.
I also have a new book trailer for Letters to the Pianist that will give some more insight into the story, which again came about through law of attraction. I have no idea how to do this stuff but somehow I manifested the help over Christmas and it all got done in a day!
Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQMbTJZD88Q&feature=youtu.be
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17090251.S_D_Mayes
https://twitter.com/authorMayes
www.authormayes.com
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Letters-Pianist-S-D-Mayes-ebook/dp/B074P5TTSH/
https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Pianist-S-D-Mayes-ebook/dp/B074P5TTSH/
Meet The Author: Heidi Catherine
Heidi, thank you so much for stopping by on the blog today. Having read your prequel to The Soulweaver (The Moonchild), I am one of a legion of readers champing at the bit to find out what will happen next. You have such a distinctive style of writing, gripping from the get-go. And I am so excited to share a little preview of The Soulweaver here today with everybody:
The Near-Death Experience by Heidi Catherine
I absolutely love hearing stories about near-death experiences. Your soul rises above your body, before floating down a tunnel heading towards a bright light. It all sounds so wonderful and I’d just love it to be true. Maybe it is.
There are theories out there trying to debunk this reported phenomenon, saying that people are actually remembering their birth. I say Bah Humbug to them! It doesn’t make sense to me that so many people from so many different walks of life report experiencing the same thing, yet our birth experiences are all so vastly different— c-sections included! There just has to be something more to all these stories.
In my novel, The Soulweaver, one of my characters, Hannah, dies in the first chapter (sorry for the plot spoiling, but it’s only chapter one!) and she finds herself in a tunnel of light. I loved writing this scene as I was able to draw on all the near-death stories I’ve heard over the years and come up with my own possibility. Although nobody can be completely certain as to what happens to us after we die, I’m positive that something happens. What happens in The Soulweaver is just one of a billion possibilities.
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Here’s an excerpt of Hannah’s experience…
Light became black. Then black became light.
Hannah was in a tunnel. Soft light filtered from its walls, chasing the darkness away. She peered ahead and saw a golden beam of light in the distance. She wanted to touch it and be near it, wrapped in its warmth. She took a step towards it, feeling weightless in body and mind. The pain from her leg had gone.
It was quiet. Each breath she took was a raging wind, shattering the tranquility. Then her breathing stopped. Now it was her heartbeat banging in a slow rhythm as it echoed down the tunnel. Then that stopped, too.
Silence. Peace. Euphoria.
The light called to her, whispering her name. She stepped closer. It was warm. It felt safe. She had no memory of how she’d come here. One moment she’d been pressed under the weight of Matthew’s body, and the next…
Was she in heaven? Where was Matthew? Fear rose within her. Then the light shone brighter, drawing her in. She forgot her fear. All she needed was to be close to the light. Nothing else mattered.
‘Hannah,’ the light called. ‘Hannah.’
She started to run. ‘I’m coming.’
Have you ever known someone who’s had a near death experience? Do you think what happened to Hannah could be what will actually happen to us?
Heidi Catherine can be found on Facebook, Twitter or at her website. Her debut novel, The Soulweaver, is available for order now. She also has a free prequel novelette called The Moonchild, which introduces you to two of the main characters from The Soulweaver in the lifetime they lived before the book takes place.
December 29, 2017
When Book Groups become Bullies…
Sigh…
The wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing Book Club. All sweetness and light and support and loveliness… until you break that goalpost changing rule you never even knew about, publicly and spectacularly, so that you are now gloriously cast in your brand new role of spammy-desperate-author-trying-to-flog-her-book.
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We’ve all been there, of course, as writers (as well as bloggers and readers who are eager to support their favourite storytellers), tiptoeing our way around the eggshells of do’s and don’ts, hardly daring to breathe for fear of the loudspeaker of reprimand. We’ve read the pinned posts, we’ve obeyed the rules and conformed to standards, and then BAM; out of nowhere, an admin attacks – in front of everybody – since that’s oh, so much more fun and satisfying than giving us the benefit of the doubt and an ounce of respect via a polite PM on Facebook; ‘cos that reaps the best kind of rubbernecking rewards from everyone else, inflating egos to wuthering heights.
And then we are officially put in the stocks for all and sundry to pelt stones at; the bond of trust broken, our deceitful actions to be policed forever more.
Will it be fight or will it be flight?
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Will we summon the courage to behave in the manner of one of our novel’s protagonists, squaring up to the injustice of it all? Or will we crumble to pieces, because behind that shiny veneer of our Author Hat, we’re a sensitive soul?
As a newbie author (okay, I do have two novels out there, but I’m very much a humble amateur in a world of super polished professionals); as a newbie author with a small, independent publishing house, that’s exactly what happened to me this week… I crumbled. I wouldn’t have normally crumbled, but it had been a long week of cabin fever stuck inside with two young children (the rain in Spain doesn’t mainly fall on the plain, I can hereby attest), plus I wasn’t much looking forward to the approaching 9th anniversary of my baby’s death – yep, that old chestnut ‘be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle…’
I wrote two apologetic Facebook messages to the people I had ‘betrayed’, as if they were the very Gods of publishing itself. And then I cried. The entire episode was every bit as humiliating as you might expect and it more than tainted my day.
Human kindness? Relegated to the Neolithic period.
My crime?
The heinous activity that was posting news of a sale on behalf of my publishing house (and the 90 something authors that entails)… news of a sale that would genuinely interest many members of said book group, since the cost of said Kindle books featured in said sale was just 99p. I’ll elaborate slightly at this point – assuming you’ll ‘allow’ me – I was the first author to break news of the sale on this particular Facebook group. It’s a medium-sized group, who prior to this split second of my utter ‘foolishness’, prided itself on not having any silly rules and regulations, members should simply ‘be nice’. It was a group I had very much enjoyed being a member of.
The irony.
There are plenty of posts a day from plenty of readers and writers… all of which would more than dilute the trickle (and it was a trickle) of further posts about the sale from a few more of my fellow authors who were members of the group. Bearing in mind people log into this group from all over the world, at different times of day due to their different time zones, this could surely only be construed as a good thing, encouraging a further bloom of multi-genre bookworms?
Well no, apparently not.
I had been a valid contributor to this Facebook group for most of the year, I hasten to add. I regularly joined in with other members and their posts; I added value with my expertise of publishing, too (both in the world of foreign rights and as a former literary agent). None of these things, however, could save me from being shamefully lambasted.
My punishment? Facebook thread humiliation.
Rude, unnecessary and the height of disrespectful. In effect, I was scapegoat for every other author who had published the same post after me.
To be fair, many hours later, I did receive a solitary message back from one of the admins I had begged for forgiveness. More of a limp handshake than an olive branch, I realised that a) the damage had already been done b) after my own emotions were once more in check, I couldn’t feign a shred of respect.
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And I am not alone.
I have spoken with any number of authors in the aftermath of the event, and it seems increasing numbers of us are being subjected to this Mean Girl treatment (99.9% of Facebook Book groups are run by women). Well, in my book, that’s pretty damn shoddy. After all, without authors, there wouldn’t actually BE any book groups!
And yes… we could go all chicken and egg, round and round in circles until the cows come home. But it’s an economic fact: no product to offer, equals no supply to the demand. Whereas writers will always write, with or without an audience to read our stuff; putting quill to paper is like inhaling oxygen.
Maybe the admins were having an off day. But you know what? Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. After having my cry at the unfairness of it all; that I had been brandished a target for the mass posting affair… I came to a conclusion (fairly easy really):
Never again will I let anybody disrespect me like that, never again will I sell my soul for a book sale. My skills, my talent and my self-worth will not allow it.
So, I walked away.
And I tell you this story of woe because I wholeheartedly encourage you to do the same next time somebody takes it upon themselves to disrespect you as a writer; next time you witness it going on to another who barely deserves it.
It’s just another form of social media bullying, plain and simple. And the mock shield of a computer screen does not make it acceptable.
We, as authors, make little money; give us a break with the petty group rule changes and uppity bullshit. The vast majority of us, as authors, are not signed up with the Penguins and HarperCollins of the world… therefore do not have access to mega bucks marketing budgets… therefore have no choice but to go online and post news of our three day sales events on social media ever so flippin’ occasionally.
Get over it!
Sweep our voices under the carpet and you’ll sweep the literary variety of the world along with it: Your choice.
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One of the biggest lessons I have learnt this week is that when it comes to book groups, quality far outweighs quantity. That’s why I’ll be sticking like glue to two from now on; a virtual Facebook cafe full of coffee, cake and friendship (devoid of daft rules), and a hardcore literary destination which makes its non self-promo rules crystal clear from the outset, adding fabulous fuel to my reading binges.
Authors are people too, you know. If you want us to keep filling your Kindles with adventure, thrillers, romance, crime, comedy and all things dystopia; if you want us to stock your bookshops’ shelves, remember the most important R of all:
A little RESPECT.
