Feel Good Friday with Caroline James.

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A very warm welcome to fellow Apricot Plots author Caroline James, who joins me on this Feel Good Friday!

What do you consider to be the top three feel-good things about Boomerville at Ballymegille?

Beautiful Southern Ireland is the backdrop for the book and readers will feel welcoming Irish arms wrap around them as soon as they begin reading and are invited to join in with the craic. The guests at Boomerville Manor arrive with emotional baggage and leave it all behind as they discover new experiences at this retreat for those of a ‘certain age’. Hattie & Jo, the manager and owner, are caring and warm and with Hattie’s effervescent personality, that creates mayhem wherever she goes, there are plenty of shenanigans along the way.

Please share a review that made you smile. What about it did you like?

 The following review for Boomerville at Ballymegille made me smile from ear to ear because the reader completely ‘got’ the book. It is written by Being Anne Reviews, who is an award-winning reviewer, which made me smile even more with pride.

“A wonderful story of friendship, support and pulling together. The very definition of heart-warming and feelgood, and I loved every single moment. And I must – without any detail, of course – say that I thought the ending was absolutely perfect, and entirely what I’d rather been hoping for. Without question, this was one of my books of the year.”

What is your favourite place to enjoy a good read?

I love to snuggle in bed on a Sunday morning with a good book. My biggest treat is to have breakfast in bed and my lovely hubby makes a mean scrambled egg and smoked salmon on toast. With a mug of tea and Fred our Westie snuggled in too, I am in reading heaven.

Five quick questions for fun:

Favourite biscuit? Marks & Spencer sort of thick hobnob with chocolate on one side. Crisp, firm and perfect for dunking.

Swimming pool or the sea? I’ll swim anywhere, wild-water in a lake, and especially in the sea. This photo was taken on New Year’s Day, before lockdown, shortly before we plunged into a wild and freezing cold Irish Sea.

Paperback, ebook or audio? I love audio books. I can listen as I do the housework or, a real pleasure is when I’m cycling in the countryside. A bit of ‘me time’ and a good audio book on my headphones – perfect.

Netflix or cinema? We have a gorgeous cinema not far away that has an forty or so seater screening area. There are rows of double velvet sofas with tables in between, cushions and stacks of leg room. It is such a treat to go there, a lovely night out.

Boomerville at Ballymegille

The blurb:

Join Hattie and Jo as they head to Southern Ireland to open Boomerville Manor, a holiday retreat for guests of ‘a certain age’. There’s Irish craic and shenanigans aplenty for the colourful cast of characters as everyone gathers for the grand opening.Meet Melissa, an ex-cabaret singer running from her abusive husband, and Bill, a bachelor bullied from beyond the grave by the ghostly voice of his mother. Along with local bobby Harry the Helmet, ageing aquatic team the Boomerville Babes, eccentric artist Lucinda Gray, and heartthrob Finbar Murphy, they gather in Ireland and the fun begins. But murder is in the air and there’s mischief afoot. Will the residents get more than they bargained for at Boomerville?

Set in the beautiful Irish countryside, ‘Boomerville at Ballymegille’ is a heart-warming story of friendship, fears and new beginnings.

Purchase here.

About the Author: 

Best-selling author of women’s fiction, Caroline James has owned and run businesses encompassing all aspects of the hospitality industry, a subject that often features in her novels. She is based in the UK but has a great fondness for travel and escapes whenever she can. A public speaker, which includes talks and lectures on cruise ships world-wide, Caroline is also a consultant and food writer. She is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association, the Society of Women’s Writer’s & Journalists and the Society of Authors and writes articles and short stories, contributing to many publications. In her spare time, Caroline can be found walking up a mountain with her two Westie dogs, sipping raspberry gin or relaxing with her head in a book and hand in a box of chocolates.

Books by Caroline James:


Boomerville at Ballymegille | The Best Boomerville Hotel | Hattie Goes to Hollywood | Coffee Tea the Gypsy & Me | Coffee Tea the Caribbean & Me | Coffee Tea the Chef & Me | Jungle Rock

Discover more about her novels or contact Caroline here: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Amazon

Thank you for the great post, Caroline. It is always a pleasure to have you on my blog. Rather you than me with swimming in wild water 🙂 but the cinema looks lovely! xx

#WritingWednesday with Carol Thomas: Character Juxtaposition.

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Character Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition is a great way to highlight differences between characters. Used appropriately, it can also invite comparisons – these comparisons allow the author to explore their characters more fully. Similarly, the reader is lead to consider the opposing characters more deeply as they observe not only their actions within the novel but also their interactions.

While authors often like to bring juxtaposing leads together (opposites attract and all that), I like to explore female friendships within my novels and often have them as the opposing characters to see what they bring out in each other.

Crazy Over You

In my novel Crazy Over You, Abby Turner has been married for fifteen years when she discovers her husband has had an affair. In contrast to Abby, her best friend, Melissa, is engaged and soon to be married. The pair are at different stages of life and facing different points of change in their relationships. Writing the scene where Abby attends Melissa’s wedding enabled me to explore Abby’s feelings about love and marriage in light of all she has been through. It makes for an honest, thought-provoking and engaging read that challenges the reader to consider their own feelings on Abby’s situation.

The Lisa Blake Series

In the Lisa Blake series, The Purrfect Pet Sitter and Maybe Baby, Lisa has been in a difficult relationship. After suffering a loss, she returns to her hometown, reuniting with her once best friend, Felicity, who is married with four children. Her life is busy and hectic. Felicity and her husband have their own problems to solve while Lisa is embarking upon a new relationship while dealing with issues from the past. I loved exploring Lisa and Flicks’ developing relationship. The juxtaposition works, especially as their differences mean they complete each other in ways only true friends can.

A Summer of Second Chances

In my latest novel, A Summer of Second Chances, the heroine, Ava Flynn, is running a charity shop to support her mum’s beloved charity, All Critters Great and Small. In contrast, her best friend Mary is a wildlife officer who appears to have life sorted. In juxtaposing these characters, I explored their strengths and vulnerabilities. In the village of Dapplebury, despite popular belief, things aren’t always what they seem. I enjoyed exploring the motivations and emotions of these characters through their support for each other.

(A Summer of Second Chances is out on April 27th 2021 and is now available for preorder.)

In summary …

Exploring the interplay and interactions between juxtaposing characters helps the author and, importantly, the reader understand those characters on a deeper level. It allows the character to experience and comment on situations they might otherwise not encounter. Drafting out juxtaposing characters or situations is also a good writing exercise!

Join my newsletter before the 1st May 2021 to enter to win a signed paperback of The Purrfect Pet Sitter.

 

Feel Good Friday with Morton S. Gray.

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For this week’s Feel Good Friday post, I am delighted to welcome Morton S. Gray back to my blog to chat about her novel, Summer  at Lucerne Lodge.

I’m hoping that readers of my new release Summer at Lucerne Lodge will enjoy going on a journey of discovery with my hero, Tanner and heroine, Rosie. I enjoyed writing the book because it allowed me to relive some lovely times in my life.

At one point in the book my heroine runs away to North Wales and I was immediately transported back to holidays spent in the Harlech area when I used to stay with my friend, Sue in the static caravan she owned at the coast.

We used to have such lovely times on the beaches, exploring Harlech and Cricceth castle and shopping in Barmouth. My husband worked abroad a lot when my son was small, so he was often with us on these holidays and got to do things like lighting a fire on the beach and making sand angels.

My book also has my heroine exploring some alternative therapies and these have played a big role in my own life as I worked as a therapist for a number of years. I have fond memories of taking part in alternative health fairs and giving mini sample treatments to people interested. I could also write a book about training in therapies and some of those experiences have found their way into this book.

Carol asked me to share my favourite place to read books. If I could choose any place to read, it would be on the sofa at an apartment my husband used to have for work purposes in Dublin. Carol once joined me for a long weekend writing at this flat. If I need to relax, I imagine myself there and can almost feel the material of that sofa beneath my hand.

These days I mainly read at the end of the day in bed, or else in the bath. It’s almost a gauge of a good book, because if I find myself sneaking off in the middle of the day to read, a book has well and truly hooked me.

Five Quick Questions for Fun:

Sweet or savoury? Sweet all the way!
Favourite biscuit? Ginger nut – love dunking them in my tea.
Laptop or notepad? In the early stages of writing a story, I prefer a notepad. Writing longhand helps my creativity flow more easily than typing.
Late night or early morning? I’m an early morning girl.
Mountains or the beach? I don’t enjoy sitting on a beach in the sun, but I love walking on beaches and could beachcomb all day collecting seaglass.

About Summer at Lucerne Lodge

The blurb:

Could a beautiful old house and a handsome stranger hold the key to a life-changing secret?

Rosie Phillips could be forgiven for not being immediately won over by Tanner Bryant. After all, their first meeting involves him knocking a tray of prawn cocktail over her very expensive dress at a charity event in the grounds of Lucerne Lodge.

But little does Rosie know how pivotal that awkward first meeting will be, or how the Lodge will become the unexpected backdrop for a summer spent finding out who she really is, and who she could be …

Purchase links: Amazon | Choc Lit link for other retailers
Published by Choc Lit
Publication date: 20th April 2021

About Morton S. Gray:

Morton lives with her husband, two sons and Lily, the little white dog, in Worcestershire, UK. She has been reading and writing fiction for as long as she can remember, penning her first attempt at a novel aged fourteen. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Authors.

Morton previously worked in the electricity industry in committee services, staff development and training. She has a Business Studies degree and is a fully qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist and Reiki Master. She also has diplomas in Tuina acupressure massage and energy field therapy.

 She loves learning new things and these often end up in her books. Crocheting blankets, making her own perfumed soap and weaving have kept her sane during lockdown. She has been tracing her family tree for many years and is fascinated by the new avenues of research opened up by genealogical DNA testing.

When she writes fiction, she enjoys the process of solving a mystery that links her characters. Her sixth novel for Choc Lit Publishing, Summer at Lucerne Lodge is published on 20 April 2021. Her books are stand-alone titles that can be read in any order but are linked by her fictional seaside town of Borteen.

You can find out more about Morton and her work via: website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Apricot Plots

Thank you so much for the lovely post, Morton. I loved our time in Dublin and look forward to when we can go on a writing retreat again. The very best of luck with Summer at Lucerne Lodge. I can’t wait to read it. xx

#WritingWednesday with Helen Christmas: Character inspiration.

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How chatting to people helps character inspiration, by Helen Christmas.

My up-and-coming novel is a psychological suspense thriller set in Sussex. In the early days of drafting this story though, my enthusiasm dried up. I lost all focus. Had the plot sketched out, a climatic ending… but couldn’t seem to drive the story forward. Gradually it occurred to me that I hadn’t quite got into the minds of my characters. It took a while to coax them out of hiding and shape them into the amazing people they needed to be.

Talking to professionals really helped to get the inspirational juices flowing, starting with my main protagonist, Maisie, (a girl who is fostered and ends up working in a fostering department herself). So one approach was to contact WSCC and it paid off. I was put in touch with Rosemary Conroy-Smith, who not only advised me on processes and procedures, but invited me to one of their information events. This was a really enlightening evening and I could sense people’s enthusiasm; the valuable service they provide for families and children so fulfilling, I was able to reflect this through my own character.

But also interwoven into the story are Maisie’s memories of a children’s home she lived in, a hostile place where she befriended Joe. He too, is a complex character, a runaway who ends up in all sorts of trouble, before she finds him homeless on Bognor Beach. Writing Joe’s story was fun, but it took a chance meeting with a local man (with a similar background) to gain some insights into his character. I have author, Dan Jones, to thank for introducing me to his friend, Graham, and describing his work in children’s homes.

Furthermore there is a police investigation at the heart of this book, and when I started to lose momentum I spoke to two senior officers, (one from the Metropolitan police who handled similar cases to the one I was writing about). Two conversations later, I had all the inspiration I needed to finish this; from interviewing suspects to home searches and gathering evidence. Later down the line, as I was nearing the climatic finale of my story, I spoke to former Sussex Police Ops Controller, Andy Kille, who offered some great tips on procedures and helped me to visualise that all-important ending.

 Writing a thriller, it is essential to get police procedures right, so everything came together and by October 2020 I had completed the first draft. Deep in my heart, I knew I had a good story – but the people I interviewed were the driving force behind my characters and their motivation. I have written more in depth stuff about my characters on my blog, articles that not only discuss the story, but hope to raise awareness of some of the complex emotional issues that affect people today.

Lethal Ties will be published April 18th 2021 and is available to preorder on Amazon:

The Blurb:

A haunting vision. A spine-chilling nightmare. A missing boy.

When Joe, Maisie and Sam met in a residential children’s home, they pledged to look out for each other; three friends who were inseparable until the night Sam went missing…

Twenty years later, Maisie suffers flashbacks, unable to understand what lies at the root of her recurring nightmares. Shocked to find Joe, homeless on Bognor seafront, she helps him turn his life around, but it doesn’t seem long before their past comes back to haunt them.

 What really went on at Orchard Grange all those years ago?

Where did Sam go?

Only he can provide the answers but they need to find him.

Within weeks of Maisie and Joe being reunited, however, a series of eerie events rips the fabric of their world. A mysterious black car is tailing them. A campaign of online abuse makes Joe wonder if his enemies are still around. He has never forgotten Mr Mortimer from the children’s home, but a shocking attempt on his life launches a police investigation.

Lethal Ties is a tense psychological thriller, an untangling of secrets with an utterly chilling twist. Purchase here.

About the Author:

I am creative, ambitious, and enjoy working from home with my husband, running our web design business. I love where we live and with a passion for walking and photography, found inspiration to base my novel in West Sussex. I am also active on social media, I write a blog and like networking with other authors. In 2017 I completed a mystery thriller series (Same Face Different Place), but have many ideas for books in the psychological suspense genre. LETHAL TIES is my first psychological thriller, a standalone novel and there is even a little romance woven into the pages.

Discover more about Helen Christmas and her work here:  Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website

Feel Good Friday with Angela Petch.

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It is always a pleasure to have the lovely Angela Petch as a guest on my blog, and this is no exception as she shares her best day. Reading it left me with a big smile. Over to you, Angela …

I loved my wedding day in Italy on September 8th1977.

Maurice and I met when we were working in Sicily. Ours was a whirlwind romance. I’d arrived in Sicily heartbroken after I’d discovered my boyfriend was two-timing me. I immediately applied for a job that took me away from England.

I can honestly say that it was love at first sight when I met him. One of those moments straight out of a romantic novel: when your stomach does that zingy thing and your heart stops beating for a couple of seconds. But I’ve given up men, my mind whispered. My heart decided otherwise.

It was a romantic courtship. He made the mistake of announcing that he liked bread and butter pudding. I phoned my mother for a recipe (no WhatsApp or mobile phones back then) and the poor boy was besieged with dishes of the stuff most Monday mornings (his office was next to mine).

We toured Sicily in his red Alfa Romeo Spyder which leaked in the rain. Our favourite place was Pantalica, an ancient site where rockfaces were potted with Neolithic tombs, like little caves. The only way to reach it was along a disused railway track and we only ever saw an occasional shepherd tending to his flock. Today it is a UNESCO site. Sicily was unexplored and wild back then.

Our contracts came to an end and we decided to marry in northern Italy in a village near Urbino (where Maurice’s Italian mother comes from), before going to work in Tanzania for three years. Neither of us wanted a big fancy wedding.

I composed a poem in English and Italian and hand-wrote the invitations. My dress was handmade with material I bought in Palermo. I was brought up Roman Catholic and we made our vows in a little twelfth century church opened specially for us. Our immediate families drove from England and we had a very small reception in a local restaurant. My mother baked a three-tier wedding cake which miraculously arrived in one piece.

It was a special day. There was no formal photographer – as our wedding photos show – but I think they capture our happiness.

Aw, Angela, before we move on I have to say how much I enjoyed reading your wonderful post. It reads like a classic love story and it made me go in search of the picture I have of the two of you from 2018 (taken just over 41 years after your wedding day)! 

And now I’ve stopped gushing (I do enjoy a love story), I’ll hand back to you, Angela, to tell us a little about the weddings in your best selling Tuscan novels:

In my first book, The Tuscan Secret, the story ends with a happily-ever-after-wedding. In  A Tuscan Memory, there is a hurried wedding and the atmosphere is subdued. On the first night, the young groom “pulled a blanket from the chest and slept on the floorboards”.

I left the ending of The Tuscan Girl ambiguous but a couple of readers were disappointed that there wasn’t a definite happy ending.

If you would like to find out if there is a wedding in my latest book, The Tuscan House, you’ll have to read it.

Having read and enjoyed The Tuscan Memory and A Tuscan Secret I can’t wait to read The Tuscan House which was released on April 7th. HUGE congratulations, Angela (I hope you celebrated in style)! 

For those who would like to know more about Angela’s latest release here is the blurb:

Corbello, Italy, 1947. A woman and a little boy stagger into the ruins of an old house deep in the forest, wild roses overwhelming the crumbling terracotta walls. Since the war, nowhere has been safe. But they both freeze in shock when a voice calls out from the shadows…

For young mother Fosca Sentino, accepting refuge from reluctant British war hero Richard – in Tuscany to escape his tragic past – is the only way to keep her little family safe. She once risked everything to spy on Nazi commanders and pass secret information to the resistenza. But after a heartbreaking betrayal, Fosca’s best friend Simonetta disappeared without trace. The whole community was torn apart, and now Fosca and her son are outcasts.

Wary of this handsome stranger at first, Fosca slowly starts to feel safe as she watches him play with her son in the overgrown orchard. But her fragile peace is shattered the moment a silver brooch is found in the garden, and she recognises it as Simonetta’s…

Fosca has always suspected that another member of the resistenza betrayed her. With Richard by her side, she must find out if Simonetta is still alive, and clear her own name. But how did the brooch end up at the house? And with a traitor hiding in the village, willing to do anything to keep this secret buried, has Fosca put herself and her young son in terrible danger?

An absolutely gripping and heartbreaking page-turner that explores the incredible courage of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen, The Nightingale, and anyone longing to lose themselves in the mountain landscapes and olive groves of rural Tuscany.

Thank you again for stopping by Angela and for sharing your best day. xx

About the author:

Published by Bookouture, Angela Petch is an award winning writer of fiction – and the occasional poem.

Every summer she moves to Tuscany for six months where she and her husband own a renovated watermill which they let out. When not exploring their unspoilt corner of the Apennines, she disappears to her writing desk at the top of a converted stable. In her Italian handbag or hiking rucksack she always makes sure to store notebook and pen to jot down ideas.

The winter months are spent in Sussex where most of her family live. When Angela’s not helping out with grandchildren, she catches up with writer friends.

Angela’s gripping, WWII, Tuscan novels are published by Bookouture. While her novel, Mavis and Dot, was self-published and tells of the frolics and foibles of two best-friends who live by the seaside. Angela also writes short stories published in Prima and People’s Friend.

And finally, here’s five quick questions I asked Angela for fun:

Trainers or heels? Definitely trainers. I love walking. In Italy we explore the mountains and in Sussex, the sea and the Downs. Bliss!
Early morning or late at night? Early, but not too early. That first cuppa and a new start to the day.
Favourite biscuit? My sister’s home-made ginger biscuits. Melt in the mouth.
Full English or Continental? Even though I was once a B and B landlady and had to cook fry-ups for my guests, I prefer a slow continental: crispy warm croissants (in France, they always seem to taste better) and good coffee.
Netflix of cinema? Netflix, by a roaring fire, on a comfortable settee, with a glass of wine.

And you can discover more about Angela Petch and her writing here: Facebook | Twitter | website | Amazon | Apricot Plots