Category Archives: Guest Post

Escape to Tuscany with Angela Petch.

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Over the summer, I am delighted to be hosting authors as they share an escape which is special to them or their novels. And what better way to start than with an escape to Tuscany with Angela Petch.

I’m guessing you are immediately picturing sunflowers, vineyards, olive groves, food and wine. Well, I can offer you some of these in our corner of eastern Tuscany where we live each summer, but not all.

Our old watermill is high in the Apennines where it’s too cold for olives or vineyards to flourish: baking hot in summer but very cold in winter with brutal frosts.

Up until the 1950s our shepherds and herdsmen walked down to the coast in September with their livestock and stayed until May, to find pastures for their animals, as well as to earn money odd-jobbing for their families left behind in the mountains. I wrote about this in a previously self-published book. A Tuscan Memory tells the story of a family with a secret relating back to this long period of separation. It is called la transumanzain Italian.

Our area is known as the Upper Tiber Valley (the source is nearby) or the Alta ValMarecchia – another important river that runs alongside our watermill. It’s not a well-known part of Italy but I love it because it feels very “real”. I’ve spoken Italian since I was a child and this helps me with research for my books. Through speaking to local friends (especially the elderly), I have learned about traditions and history that I probably wouldn’t have discovered in text books or documents.

Evalina is in her nineties and lived through the German occupation of our area in World War Two. She remembers only too vividly that traumatic time and is content to share her stories. Some of those are woven into The Tuscan Secret and The Tuscan Girl. Bruno was a POW in Nottingham during that time and it was fascinating listening to his story. Sadly, he died in June 2020 but some of him lives on in the character of Massimo.

I met him whilst walking along a mule track. He spoke to me in English after we had spoken in Italian and I was amazed. Then, out came his story, which I was honoured to listen to. Walking takes me past ruins of abandoned farmhouses and hamlets with more stories to uncover, such as the horrific accounts I learned about the massacre of thirty-three civilians in the village of Fragheto (pictured below).

My latest published book is set further down our mountain in the area around the handsome city of Sansepolcro. This is where vines, olives and also tobacco are grown. The Tuscan House is really a tall tobacco house and I based my pacifist hero and partisan heroine in this location.

Obviously, we do venture into other corners of Tuscany and cameos of these stunning locations make their way into my books at some stage. It would be hard not to include them.

Discover more and escape to Tuscany with Angela Petch’s wonderful Tuscan novels. 

Here is what people are saying about Angela’s latest release, A Tuscan House:

‘Exciting, romantic, irresistible… captured my interest from page one… loved… beautiful… suspenseful… I really enjoyed reading this story.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Grabbed me and pulled me right in… unforgettable… absolutely loved… addictive. I was captivated… you feel really caught up in the twists and turns.’ On the Shelf Books

‘A beautifully descriptive narrative… haunting story… will remain with you for a long time after you’ve finished reading. Highly recommend.’ Pink Quill Books, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Heartbreaking… beautifully written… My heart ached… kept readers on their toes!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Gloriously intriguing… A tale that tugs at the heart strings… I have nothing but praise for this beautifully written tale.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Purchase links:The Tuscan House | A Tuscan Memory | The Tuscan Secret | The Tuscan Girl

And, while not based in Tuscany, don’t forget Angela’s wonderful charity novel, Mavis and Dot. All proceeds from this novel go to vital research into Cancer.

Thank you so much for the wonderful post, Angela. It is always a pleasure to have you on my blog. 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.

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

#WritingWednesday with Chris Penhall: A Sense of Place.

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This #WritingWednesday, fellow Ruby Fiction author, Chris Penhall, shares her brilliant tips for writing a sense of place.

I read all types of fiction, from romance to crime to historical and everything in between. When I write, however, what comes out of my imagination are contemporary romances set in beautiful places.

Once I started writing my first novel, The House That Alice Built, I knew the physical setting was very important because of the way it affected the main character. That’s why I decided to place her firmly in Cascais near Lisbon because I know that part of Portugal very well as I used to live there, and now I spend a lot of time in the Algarve in the south of the country. If I want to meditate and take myself off to a beach in my mind’s eye to help me do it, it’ll be a Portuguese beach. If I pop into town and smell a barbecue, I’ll be in the square in Cascais in an instant. It feels so real to me that once I started Alice’s quite literal journey, I found it surprisingly easy to take her there.

The sequel, New Beginnings at the Little House in the Sun is located in the same place, but she visits Lisbon more often and also south of the river Tejo. I went on a long weekend break to the city just after I started writing the book and the colours and sounds (and food!) were all very vivid to me when I got home and got to work on it again.

My latest novel Finding Summer Happiness, is based in south west Wales. This time it’s not set in a specific place; I have created an imaginary village by the sea inspired by many visits to Pembrokeshire over the years – most recently when I spent some days walking parts of the glorious coastal path with friends. I was born in Neath in West Glamorgan, so the coast of that part of Wales is somewhere I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy since I was born. My memories of childhood days on the beach can be conjured up in an instant for me because I do the coast!

So, now I’ve written three novels with a real sense of place, I’ve finally worked out how and why I do it.

In all three stories the places my main characters find themselves in are part of the catalyst that makes them want to change, and so in a way the locations are characters in the novels. That is why I feel it’s important to describe them in the way I do.

I write about the locations when I feel it’s crucial to the story. In my first two novels my main character, Alice, is rediscovering her artistic talents and is inspired by what is around her. That’s why the colours and the landscape are so clear to her and help her to find a new way to express herself, which in turn, enables her to move on.

Miriam, the main character in Finding Summer Happiness is looking for her childhood past in a little village on the coast in south west Wales, and her walks along the beaches and the cliffs on the coastal path help her to do that. She is also trying to get some peace away from other people and her busy mind, and there are parts of the path that are very quiet and so provide a contrast to the hubbub she left behind in London.

So, the lessons I have learned whilst writing these three books and my two short stories are:

I love films, and when I’m working on scenes I picture them as if I am watching the characters physically move around in them. I put myself in their shoes in my mind and think about what they are seeing and hearing, whether anyone else is around, even what they can smell – food and flowers and the sea are ever present in my books!

I use things I’ve seen and heard which I have somehow filed away in my memory without realising it. For instance, in The House That Alice Built there is a section in which Alice and Luis watch a ship sail out to sea in the darkness, illuminated by its own lights and the stars above it, so it seemed to be floating in the air. I remember looking out of the aircraft window flying into Lanzarote many years ago, and seeing the lights of a liner down below, near to the island. Our hotel was very close to the airport and when we walked in, the reception opened up to the sea, and I saw the same huge ship almost floating past in the darkness. It was absolutely beautiful and felt incredibly magical and that’s what I describe in the novel as it reflected what the two main characters were feeling having got together for the first time.

When I’m writing the story, although I have it loosely planned ahead, sometimes where the characters physically travel through to affects the action and changes the flow of it. So, when it feels appropriate, that’s what I write.  However, I can also get stuck in a dead end too, so I’ll jump ahead to a particularly vivid scene – which I love writing and therefore motivates me to carry on – and go back and bridge the gap another time.

So, in conclusion, I feel that when writing descriptions of where a novel is located, it’s important to think about whether it’s crucial to the action and to move a story on, or if it’s to scene set. Is it a reflection of how the characters are feeling, and is it affecting them? And also how you do it depends on whether you are writing in the first or third person, and whether the novel is from one character’s viewpoint, or more.

And most of all, once you’ve decided how to write it, just enjoy it!

I loved those great tips, Chris, thank you for sharing. xx

About Chris Penhall’s latest release, Finding Summer Happiness:

You won’t find happiness without breaking a few eggs …

Miriam Ryan was the MD of a successful events and catering company, but these days even the thought of chopping an onion sends her stress levels sky rocketing. A retreat to the Welsh village of her childhood holidays seems to offer the escape she’s craving – just peace, quiet, no people, a generous supply of ready meals … did she mention no people?
Enter a cheery pub landlord, a lovesick letting agent, a grumpy astronomer with a fridge raiding habit – not to mention a surprise supper club that requires the chopping of many onions – and Miriam realises her escape has turned into exactly what she was trying to get away from, but could that be just the thing she needs to allow a little bit of summer happiness into her life?

Publisher: Ruby Fiction
Genre: Contemporary romance.
Purchase here.

About the author:

Chris Penhall won the 2019 Choc-Lit Search for a Star competition, sponsored by Your Cat Magazine, for her debut novel, The House That Alice Built. The sequel, New Beginnings at the Little House in the Sun is published on 25th August 2020.

Chris is an author and freelance radio producer for BBC Local Radio.

Born in Neath in South Wales, she has also lived in London and in Portugal, which is where her two novels are set. It was whilst living in Cascais near Lisbon that she began to dabble in writing fiction, but it was many years later that she was confident enough to start writing her first novel, and many years after that she finally finished it!

A lover of books, music and cats, she is also an enthusiastic salsa dancer, a keen cook, and loves to travel. She is never happier than when she is gazing at the sea.

You can find out more about Chris and her work here: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook 

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

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