Too Close - Gayle Curtis

I am delighted to be able to host a guest post from Gayle Curtis today, author of Too Close. I am hooked on Bonnier Publishing at the moment...they seem to be churning out book after book of top quality stories, with excellent twists and gripping plot lines and this novel is no exception. I found it an engrossing read, and while it will take some people out of their comfort zone (it did to me!) the storyline is so addictive I found myself completely unable to put it down. 

BLOG FILES – WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

          A few years ago my dear friend, Vicky persuaded me to attend some courses, workshops entitled You Can Heal Your Life. We’ve been friends for over twenty years and there had been many occasions such as this where I had politely and sometimes rudely, said no. Seeing something I clearly couldn’t and knowing how good these workshops were going to be, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. I wasn’t into any nimby namby, dance around the garden naked and plait each other’s hair kind of courses, so I tried to think of every possible excuse I could not to attend. The cat needs a shampoo and set, I thought to myself….no, that won’t work, something more drastic…the cat’s broken a claw…the cat’s suffering from anxiety…no…I drummed my fingers on the table but I just couldn’t think of a reason not to go.

         The morning of the course dawned and I called Vicky. I’m not listening, she said, unless you’re dead, you are going to that course even if I have to drag you there myself. I clearly wasn’t going to get out of it. The silly thing is, I wanted to go, I knew I needed to go and being my best friend, she saw that in me. It was the greatest thing I ever did for myself.

        It wasn’t anything like what I had imagined and Jill who was running the course was more boot camp sergeant major than a bra twanging twig whittler. There is too much to explain here but basically the whole course was about retraining your brain to realise that you are in control of your life, not the other way round. And the most important lesson of all, as cheesy as it sounds, was to learn to love yourself and look at life with an attitude of gratitude. Yes, I really did say that.

         Since I learnt to write as a small child, I have in fact been writing and telling stories. It was a part of my life, like brushing my teeth or having a shower, only I had never really told anyone. A select few people noticed because you can’t hide things from the ones closest to you. A couple of friends suggested I send some of my work off to a literary agent or a publisher. I thought this was an absolutely ludicrous idea. I wasn’t a writer. I could never be a writer. That was something other people did. Not me, no way.

          After attending these courses I began to see things differently, I looked at myself and everyone around me with new eyes and I began to believe in myself. I started to listen to what my loved ones had been saying all along, I absorbed the words and finally saw my life in a different way. So I began to write some letters accompanying my work and within a few months I was offered a contract by The Feldstein Agency.

Too Close is out on 30th June and you can get it here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk

BLOGIVAL! Adapt - Edward Freeland

Today, as part of the BLOGIVAL tour, I am hosting a guest post from Edward Freeland, author of Adapt. Adapt has made it's way into my TBR pile and from the blurb, I think it's going to be a cracking read.

"Daniel O'Neal lives a very normal life. He drives a bus for a living in a sleepy English countryside town, and enjoys the mediocrity of his daily routine. But on a trip to London, while enjoying a quiet drink with a friend, he notices a code of numbers on his mobile phone screen, and not for the first time. When Daniel returns home, he begins to notice an increasingly common malfunction with his electronic devices, as his laptop begins to develop the same quirk. Suddenly, his world undergoes a paradigm shift. It starts with subtle responses and giggles at work and in public. Daniel becomes increasingly paranoid, and certain that something is out of the ordinary, yet he cannot prove it. Before long, he believes himself to be under an assault on his being. Is there something more playing with him than just his mind? Is there an organised attack on his psyche, and if there is, can Daniel find the strength to endure the attack?"

I wrote this story to explore some fundamental human characteristics and emotions, both positive and negative, all of which I believe can relate to every person’s life.  On the surface is a story of hacking, media power and people in positions of trust abusing their power to harm others.  It delves in to the mind, and observes how outside factors can play havoc with an individual’s mental state.  It follows the experiences of a patient being destroyed by a wayward psychiatrist, with unquestionable power over that patient’s life.  Beneath this amalgamation of modern day issues, (all of which a few people may relate to, a victim of hacking, a victim of a media onslaught, or a helpless patient undergoing poor/disastrous treatment by mental health workers), there exists a number of themes, that together, for me, are the themes of life.  These themes not only interest me but I feel they are common to many people.  They are of connection, consciousness, and the fact that the love of another can be instrumental on a person’s ability to adapt their consciousness.  Everyone will need to adapt in life, and will often need the love of another to help fine tune their consciousness and existence in a reality that no human being truly understands.  Ever present, even in our modern society, behind our highly evolved minds and our desire to connect and entwine our consciousness with another being, lurk primal drivers, and evolutionary traits passed on through DNA.  These traits often override our intelligent, understanding selves, without us ever realizing they are at play.  There is an inherent drive for people to group together.  I believe it’s a trait that was very important for our ancestor’s survival, for instance, when a tribe of hunter gathers encountered a larger tribe, their existence would be at stake.  Pure survival, to group, share ideas, and protect their existence in a hostile world.  This continued through history. As our tribal ancestors evolved in to settlements, towns, cities and empires, the need to be part of a group remained, whether political, religious or warrior based.  This is still within humans the world over, from religious groups through to avid followers of a sports teams, (which often result in bitter feuds with rivals).  I believe that grouping together is important for our happiness, unions of individuals the world over are an awesome, inspirational sight, when coming together for the good and the positive.

This evolutionary trait of ours can be used to propel us forward as a species and as individuals, yet all too often this primal driver is present as a destructive force, one group waging war with a rival group. Or, in the case of my novel, a group of people collectively coming together to target an individual, essentially the rising of a lynch mob.  Throughout history, mobs, without rational debate, perspective or understanding carry out persecution, and the mob always feels validated in their actions.  Together the group justify the destruction of another person’s life, and pride themselves on ripping the fabric of that individual’s reality.  Mobs have justified pushing someone’s mental state over the precipice, burning witches at the stake, or locking women in mental asylums for behavior that today is understood to be perfectly normal.  In Adapt, I explore how mob mentality can erupt in modern society and how it could hypothetically play out with instant national media flows and social media, ( I researched the idea of monstering, a term taken from the book Hack Attack, which basically means bullying by the media.  Everyone is aware when the media relentlessly target an individual, and I thought it would be a good idea to take monstering to a whole new level).  I try to highlight the absurd hypocrisy of any mob.  A mob retaliates to hateful speech with hateful speech.  A mob retaliates to violence with violence.  It’s a cycle of hypocrisy, that’s easily avoided.  If somebody feels a part of collective who’s purpose is to hurt a fellow human being, they only need to stop.  They devalue their own individuality by being a cog in a bullying mechanism.  In Adapt the mob uses subtlety and positions of power to inflict their hypocritical persecution.

In conclusion, the book is an example of how connection, and the love of family, friends or a partner will always be pivotal in a person’s ability to adapt, whether to bullying or any other troubles in life.  To group together for positive will highlight the pettiness of grouping together for hate.  Life will continue to put us in positions we wish we were never in and will continue to put strain on our happiness.  As one chapter in life closes another begins, and maybe this time, someone else will need your support to Adapt.  I hope that people take something away from reading my novel.  Each reader may take their own understanding with them.  They may question people in positions of trust abusing their power.  Some readers may educate themselves on how easy it is to hack webcams and microphones on our personal electronic devices and put tape on their web cam.  Some may look at real stories of mental health patients who have received concerning treatment, sometimes life changing for the families involved.  Others may question the media’s position to inform without veiled motives.  Ultimately, what I would like is for a reader to walk away from the book, and want to group with others for positive goals, for people to help others to adapt to their situations in life.  I hope some readers will walk away, and not be concerned by petty attacks on their character and ignore their detractors, and to avoid pursuing the want to get back at those who have hurt their life in some way, and to pursue their own happiness, by harnessing our primal drivers and using them for loving interactions, kindness and understanding.

Adapt is out now and you can get it here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk

Willow Walk - SJI Holliday

"When the past catches up, do you run and hide or stand and fight?

When a woman is brutally attacked by an escaped inmate from a nearby psychiatric hospital, Sergeant Davie Gray must track him down before he strikes again. But Gray is already facing a series of deaths connected to legal highs and a local fairground, as well as dealing with his girlfriend Marie’s increasingly bizarre behaviour.

As Gray investigates the crimes, he comes to realise that there has to be a link between Marie and the man on the run. It’s the only thing that makes any sense. But he also knows that if he confronts her with the truth, he risks losing everything.

As a terrified Marie is pulled back into a violent past she thought she’d escaped, she makes a life-changing decision. And when events come to a head at a house party on Willow Walk, can Gray piece together the puzzle in time to stop the sleepy town of Banktoun being rocked by tragedy once again?'

I enjoyed Susi's first novel, and was looking forward to this, her second, however I didn't realise exactly HOW GOOD this one was going to be. The second in the Banktoun trilogy is a BRILLIANT read - it's intense and uncomfortable, and at some points I felt like I should be averting my eyes, but like a car crash, I couldn't. 

Two storyline running alongside each other mean that this is a pacy, addictive read. The characters are...hard to describe. I liked Marie, even though she is desperately flawed, and there is nothing you can dislike about Davie. Some of the other characters, though, had my skin crawling - there is something about a certain character that gets under your skin and makes you feel that uncomfortable, which means long after I'd finished reading he played on my mind. A tense and difficult read, Willow Walk heads right up to the boundaries of some pretty intense, taboo stuff - and it's executed perfectly. 

Bravo, Susi - I thought I loved Black Wood, but it turns out I loved Willow Walk even more. I can't wait for the third in the trilogy. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk

**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**

Country Rivals - Zara Stoneley

I'm so excited to host Zara Stoneley on the blog today! She is my guilty pleasure when I need something light hearted and fun to read and I can highly recommend all of her books.

BLOG TOUR - POST FOUR

COUNTRY RIVALS by Zara Stoneley

What were your influences when writing Country Rivals?

I think that writing a book is a bit like making a cake, you need all the right ingredients, then you have to mix them in the right way or they’ll curdle or go flat, and then you need to cook the finished thing just enough so you don’t get a soggy bottom. So, here are the main ingredients that were on my mind when I was writing Country Rivals. So let’s start at the top…

Strong women – I’ve been lucky enough so far in my lifetime to meet some amazing women who’ve inspired me in my life as well as my writing. I know a wonderful lady who runs a horse stud in Cheshire, competition riders who show and event, a flamboyant artist and photographer who runs her own business, and more than one matriarchal figure who runs the country estate (even though other members of the family might think it is their job!). I love all my female characters in Country Rivals, they’re strong, determined and resourceful – but have a terrific sense of humour (essential in the countryside).

Sexy men – where would we be without them? I’ve known more than one Billy in my life – blunt but well-meaning men who will say what they mean, a very sexy farrier, and more than one rather attractive polo player. I have to admit the combination of horses and men does something for me (this could be the fault of Jilly Cooper and Rupert Campbell–Black who came into my life at an impressionable age!).

Funny dogs – I’ve always had a dog, but the one with the most character had to be Darcey, my Jack Russell Terrier. Sadly, we lost her to leukaemia when she was only a few years old but she left a huge impression and was the inspiration for Tilly the terrier. I’ve also had a greedy Labrador (is there any other kind?) who would quite happily have polished off a cricket tea like Lady Elizabeth’s dog did in Country Affairs.

Wilful horses – I’ve had a few, especially one very naughty Welsh cob. Black Gold is a combination of a couple of my naughtier horses, but all the horses in Tippermere are inspired by ones I’ve known or owned.

Dream locations – I love the Cheshire countryside and the villages. The village of Alderley Edge, home to many premier footballers, influenced Kitterly Heath, and the village where I used to keep my horses was the main inspiration forTippermere.

Events – a few years ago there was a fire at a castle, used as a location for events, near to where I live. This was the initial trigger for the plot of ‘Country Rivals’ – what if it happened to Lottie?

Character to love – there is a great sense of community in the villages in Cheshire. 

Everybody attends the village shows, supports their neighbours when things go wrong, and quite a few people like to gather in the local pub and catch up on the gossip. People have time for each other, and this had a massive influence when I was writing the Tippermere series.

Country Rivals

'A great treat for readers…jam-packed with sexy men and horses.' Bestselling author Fiona Walker

Dashing eventer Rory is ready to button up his breeches and settle down. His gorgeous wife, Lottie, wants a bank balance in the black so she can protect the beautiful family estate for future generations.

But with the wedding business at Tipping House going up in flames, and rumours that it was arson not accident, Lottie begins to wonder who she can trust with her future.

Tranquil Tippermere is under siege as movies moguls and insurance investigators invade the countryside, and as events gather pace rescue plans start to look too good to be true, and intentions may not be as honourable as they seem.

As a moody, but definitely marvellous, polo player enters the fray and squares up to the eventing hero of Tippermere, does Lottie stand to lose her husband as well as her home?

You can buy ‘Country Rivals’ from Amazon or visit Zara’s website to see all buy links.

And you can grab the other Tippermere books (all the books can be read independently) here –

‘Stable Mates’   -    ‘Country Affairs’    -     ‘A Very Country Christmas’ (FREE!)

ZARA STONELEY 

Zara was born in a small village in Staffordshire, educated in Cheshire, and went on to study at Liverpool University. After a successful career as an IT consultant, she decided to follow her heart and ran a dog grooming business for several years before becoming a full-time writer.

Her fun, romantic, romps draw on her experiences of village life, and her various love affairs with dogs, cats and horses. These days if she’s not at her laptop, you can usually find her trudging across fields on foot, or sat on the back of a horse.

Zara divides her time between a country cottage in Cheshire and an apartment in Barcelona. Her most recent novels include the popular Stable Mates, Country Affairs and Country Rivals.

Find out more -

Website     Twitter    Facebook    Amazon    Pinterest   

"Dashing eventer Rory is ready to button up his breeches and settle down. His gorgeous wife, Lottie, wants a bank balance in the black so she can protect the beautiful family estate for future generations.

But with the wedding business at Tipping House going up in flames, and rumours that it was arson not accident, Lottie begins to wonder who she can trust with her future.

Tranquil Tippermere is under siege as movies moguls and insurance investigators invade the countryside, and as events gather pace rescue plans start to look too good to be true, and intentions may not be as honourable as they seem.

As a moody, but definitely marvellous, polo player enters the fray and squares up to the eventing hero of Tippermere, does Lottie stand to lose her husband as well as her home?"

What do you do when your guilty pleasure is reading Jilly Cooper novels, but Jilly hasn't written a book for years? Read Zara Stoneley, of course. 

The Tippermere series is a FANTASTIC read, and this, the third instalment is brilliant. Meeting up with Lottie, Rory and Tab is like meeting up with old friends - not a lot changes, and you feel like you're picking up where you left off. This time though, Lottie is fighting off potentially losing the house, losing Rory, dealing with a film crew and all while being put under pressure to start a family. 

There were moments when I laughed out loud, and I also have to confess to a few tears....Zara's characters are so relatable that it's difficult not to get caught up in the events of the their lives. 

Another brilliant Tippermere novel - I really hope it won't be the last. 

Country Rivals is out now and you can get it here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk

**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**

Thriller Writing with C.J. Carver

I am so excited today to be able to host an article on thriller writing by C.J. Carver. C.J's latest novel Spare Me The Truth is a cracking fast paced read that will have even the most confident thriller reader hanging on by their fingernails....

Thriller writing and CJ Carver

Creating a thriller that thrills, I like to have a high-concept idea that interests and intrigues me, and in Spare Me The Truth it’s the memory erasing drug which isn’t sci-fi, but all too real.

I like writing the odd scene with an international setting.  Not too many, but enough to give the novel a bit of zest.  In Spare Me The Truth, we nip to Chennai in India for just four brief scenes, but they’re extremely evocative and add a touch of colour to the story.

I also concentrate on ending each scene with a thruster that will make the reader curious about what happens next.  I also like to deprive the reader of something he needs to know – like why Dan Forrester can’t remember certain things – to increase the reader’s attention and keep them turning those pages.

Additional Question for CJ

Question: Which location would you most like visit in the world?

Currently, Iceland is at the top of the list.  Geologically fascinating, but what I’m intrigued by is the Icelandic world of the huldufolk, the hidden people (elves, dwarves & ghosts).  Apparently there’s been an 8-year battle to stop a road being built because it’s believed elves live there and construction workers don’t want to risk any mishaps caused by angry elves upset at having their home destroyed.  Here, we protect newts and bats, but in Iceland its elves and ghosts.

Spare Me The Truth is out now and you can get it here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk

Tall Oaks - Chris Whitaker

"Everyone has a secret in Tall Oaks . . .

When three-year-old Harry goes missing, the whole of America turns its attention to one small town.

Everyone is eager to help. Everyone is a suspect.

Desperate mother Jess, whose grief is driving her to extreme measures.

Newcomer Jared, with an easy charm and a string of broken hearts in his wake.

Photographer Jerry, who's determined to break away from his controlling mother once and for all.

And, investigating them all, a police chief with a hidden obsession of his own . . .

In Chris Whitaker's brilliant and original debut novel, missing persons, secret identities and dangerous lies abound in a town as idiosyncratic as its inhabitants."

I always know when a book has completely blown me away - as a reader, I want to weep because I've finished it and I will never again get to experience it for the first time, and as a writer, it makes me want to weep because I wish I had written it myself. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE BOOKS.

I raced through this debut novel, unable to put it down. Set in small-town America and filled with some of the most exciting characters I have seen in fiction for ages, this is a intriguingly twisty story that will net Chris Whitaker a TON of fans. 

The main focus of the story is a missing child, but the townspeople of Tall Oaks all have their own secrets to keep. The author manages to weave these stories tightly together flawlessly, leaving the reader wondering exactly what their secrets are and what really did happen to Harry Monroe, before tying things up in an OH-MY-GOD climax. There are SO MANY wonderful characters that pop up throughout this novel - Manny being my favourite. (Manny is marvellous, so marvellous that I think I could read a book just about Manny BY HIMSELF.) 

Darkly funny, reminiscent of Jamie Kornegay's Soil, this is like Fargo, but better. Bravo, Chris Whitaker, you've made my top ten of the year already. 

Tall Oaks is out in Ebook now, paperback coming September 2016. You can get your copy here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk

Abigale Hall - Lauren A. Forry

"Amidst the terror of the Second World War, seventeen-year-old Eliza and her troubled little sister Rebecca have had their share of tragedy, losing their mother to the Blitz and their father to suicide. But when they are forced to leave London to work for the mysterious Mr Brownawell at Abigale Hall, they find that the worst is yet to come...There are tales that the ghost of Mr Brownawell's bride-to-be haunts the desolate mansion, and in the village there are shocking rumours of maidservants meeting a terrible fate within its walls. But is it superstition that Eliza should be afraid of or is there something real and deadly lurking in the dark, dusty rooms of Abigale Hall? Yet vicious, cold-hearted housekeeper Mrs Pollard will stop at nothing to keep the mansion's terrible secrets, and she exerts a twisted hold over Rebecca. To save herself and her sister descending into madness, Eliza must wage a desperate battle to escape back to London and uncover the horrifying truth before Abigale Hall claims two more victims."

This is a SERIOUSLY good read - far exceeding my expectations from the blurb. Despite being set during the Second World War there is a deliciously gothic feel to the entire novel. With an air of the creepy ghost story about it, Abigale Hall has a sense of intrigue and mystery running throughout which meant I kept turning the pages long after I should have gone to bed. 
Combine all of this with some excellent characters - Eliza is very likeable, Rebecca is shrouded in mystery exacerbated by her mental illness, and the delightfully wicked Mrs Pollard and a setting that lends itself to the eerie plot line wonderfully, Lauren Forry has created a brilliant debut novel, one that creeped me out, kept me hooked and will have me recommending Abigail Hall to everyone. 

Abigale Hall is out on 29th February and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abigale-Hall-Lauren-Forry

*My thanks to Black & White Publishing for my ARC*