Tag Archives: Angela Barton

Angela Barton joins my Christmas Countdown!

Guest Post, Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , ,

Today, I am delighted to welcome fellow Apricot Plotter, Angela Barton, to my Christmas countdown!

With just a month to go until Christmas Day, Angela, I would love to know how your characters will be spending the festive season…

In Arlette’s Story, my characters’ are living through WW2 in France, so their Christmas’s are frugal with limited amounts of food.

Discover more about Arlette’s Story:

An emotional and beautifully written debut you will not want to put down.

One woman’s struggle to fight back against the enemy in order to protect the ones she loves.

When Arlette Blaise sees a German plane fly over the family farm in 1940, she’s comforted by the fact that the occupying forces are far away in the north of the country. Surely the war will not reach her family in the idyllic French countryside near to the small town of Oradour-sur-Glane?

But then Saul Epstein, a young Jewish man driven from his home by the Nazis, arrives at the farm and Arlette begins to realise that her peaceful existence might be gone for good …

Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Ruby Fiction an imprint of Choc Lit

Link to buy the book.

In Magnolia House, my protagonists spend Christmas with friends and take a snowy walk in Hyde Park.

Discover more about Magnolia House:

When you open up your home and your heart …

Rowan Forrester has it all – the happy marriage, the adorable dog, the good friends, the promising business and even the dream home after she and her husband Tom win a stunning but slightly dilapidated Georgian townhouse in London at auction.

But in the blink of an eye, Rowan’s picture-perfect life comes crashing down around her and she is faced with the prospect of having to start again.

To make ends meet she begins a search for housemates, and in doing so opens the door to new friends and new beginnings. But could she be opening the door to new heartbreak too?

Publisher: Choc Lit
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Links to buy the book Amazon UK | Amazon.Com | Kobo |

However, in my work in progress, my protagonist helps my hero to organise an art exhibition at The Rookery, which doubles as a Christmas party too.

“In the darkness, the marquee had turned from an enormous white tent, into a magical world of make-believe. The pathway leading from the gallery to the marquee was lined with dozens of silver lanterns, showering yellow beams along the coconut matting. An arch of fairy lights spanned the pathway, twinkling a warm welcome at the entrance. The band was now singing Sade’s Diamond Life, the singer’s voice flowing like warm treacle around the enclosure.”

Exciting to have a sneak peak of your WIP, Angela!

With plenty going on for your characters, I’d love to know how you will be spending Christmas…

I will just have moved back to England with my husband, having spent 20 months in France. I’m excited about making our house in Nottingham all Christmassy and maybe we’ll even get a little ‘help’ from our five-year old twin granddaughters. I love cosy evenings by the fire with the tree twinkling in the corner and the scent of cinnamon and mince pies wafting around the house. It’s also so special to catch up with family who live in different parts of the country. Oh, and bread sauce! Who could forget bread sauce and sprouts? Yum!

I hope you are soon settled and cosy in your new home. Before you go, I’d love you to answer five quick questions from my Christmas selection:

Real or artificial Christmas tree? It has to be real and smell of pine.

Favourite Christmas film? I watch The Grinch every Christmas.

Multi-coloured decs or co-ordinated Christmas tree? Multi-coloured lights and baubles.

First Quality Street flavour to disappear from your tub? Plain chocolate orange creams.

Sprouts or no sprouts? I love sprouts!

I love the smell of pine too!

Thank you so much for joining my Christmas countdown and I wish you and your family a fabulous festive season back in England! xx

About the author:

Angela Barton was born in London and grew up in Nottingham. She is married with three grown up children and adorable five-year-old twin granddaughters. She is passionate about writing both contemporary and historical fiction and loves time spent researching facts for her novels. Having signed publishing contracts for three of her completed novels with Choc Lit’s new imprint, Ruby Fiction, Angela is excited to be working alongside such a lovely team.

Angela relaxes by making landscapes using free motion sewing on a machine and also designs and makes jewellery. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and Nottingham Writers’ Studio.

Discover more about Angela Barton here: Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Ruby Fiction | Angela is also a member of Apricot Plots.

Don’t miss children’s author, Lexi Rees, up next on my Christmas Countdown! xx

Author Angela Barton is #SharingTheLove

Book Review, Guest Post, , , , , , , ,
As February is the month of love, I have a host of wonderful romance authors stopping by my blog to share flirty extracts from their novels! Well you know, any excuse 😉 

Today, I am excited to welcome fellow Apricot Plots author Angela Barton back to my blog #SharingTheLove with an extract from her new novel, Magnolia House … over to you Angela!

Magnolia House

“Before she had chance to start working, Rowan heard someone knocking on her apartment door. Ace would be at work at this time so she wondered if Nora needed something. Jet barked and scampered from the bottom of her bed and out of the bedroom. Subconsciously smoothing her hair with her hands, she pushed the chair away from the workbench with the back of her knees and went to answer the door.

She felt the heat rise on her cheeks when she pulled the front door open and saw James standing there. He wore loose jeans, an oatmeal T-shirt and a sheepish smile. He pushed his hair out of his eyes.

‘Morning,’ he said, bending to stroke Jet.

‘Is everything okay?’

‘Fine, thanks. I’m just after the newspaper that Ace left outside your door this morning. It had a jobs page in it and I’ve been threatened with eviction if I don’t find work.’

‘Come in and I’ll see what I’ve done with it.’

James stepped inside the lounge. ‘How’s your new workbench?’

Rowan smiled. ‘The bench is wonderful but it doesn’t help if the creativity isn’t kicking in.’ She crouched to look on the shelf under the coffee table. ‘Here it is.’ She pulled out the newspaper, dropping it before handing it to James. Why was she so flustered?

‘I know the feeling. Just because I have a circular saw at my disposal, doesn’t mean a table will make itself.’

Rowan stood in front of him, arms folded through shyness. It unnerved her to have such an sexily dishevelled man who she didn’t know very well, standing so close.

‘I was wondering if having the workbench in front of the window was such a good idea,’ she said, making small talk to break the silence. ‘I seem to be doing more daydreaming and curtain twitching than anything else at the bench.’

‘Well, the time to worry will be when you start facial twitching,’ he said, tapping the folded newspaper against his cheek. ‘Can I give you a hand moving it somewhere else?’

‘Oh no, thank you. You’ve already been such a great help getting it upstairs. I think it’s me that’s the problem. I can’t seem to get motivated despite feeling lucky to have found someone who wants to buy my jewellery. It doesn’t help that the weather can’t make its mind up what it’s doing.’

Rowan cringed inwardly. Was she really standing here discussing the weather and her lack of motivation? She’d have him backing out of the doorway in desperation to escape from her and her maudlin conversation. ‘I’m sure I’ll feel a lot better when I’ve had some fresh air. I was just about to take Jet for a walk.’

‘Want some company?’

Rowan was taken aback. She’d been expecting him to use the dog walk as an excuse to leave. How could she say no without appearing rude and ungrateful?

‘Are you sure?’

‘Of course. Hasn’t Ace told you that I’m a gerbil whisperer? Dogs aren’t so different: four legs, whiskers and a cold nose. Besides, it’s called delaying tactics.’ He grinned, holding up the newspaper and shaking it. ‘Putting off the inevitable. I’ll just drop the paper downstairs and meet you at the front door.’

With that, he ran downstairs leaving Rowan to put Jet’s harness on. How had that happened?”

Thank you for sharing your wonderful extract Angela, I’ve had the pleasure of reading Magnolia House and fell in love with the warm characters and wonderfully detailed settings.

Find my review and a recent interview with Angela here.

Discover more about Magnolia House:

When you open up your home and your heart …

Rowan Forrester has it all – the happy marriage, the adorable dog, the good friends, the promising business and even the dream home after she and her husband Tom win a stunning but slightly dilapidated Georgian townhouse in London at auction.

But in the blink of an eye, Rowan’s picture-perfect life comes crashing down around her and she is faced with the prospect of having to start again.

To make ends meet she begins a search for housemates, and in doing so opens the door to new friends and new beginnings. But could she be opening the door to new heartbreak too?

Publisher: Choc Lit
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Links to buy the book Amazon UK | Amazon.Com | Kobo |

About the author:

Angela Barton was born in London and grew up in Nottingham. She is married with three grown up children. Passionate about writing both contemporary and historical fiction, Angela loves researching for her books and is an avid reader. Having signed publishing contracts for three of her completed novels with Ruby Fiction, Angela is excited to be working alongside such a friendly and supportive publishing team. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and Nottingham Writers’ Studio.

Having recently moved to France, Angela (alongside her husband, Paul) is now a lavender farmer, creating products from the oil that’s distilled. Angela says she’s looking forward to spending more time writing in the company of her two spaniels while sitting on her veranda overlooking the breath-taking countryside of Charente.

 

Discover more about Angela Barton here: Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Ruby Fiction | Angela is also a member of Apricot Plots.

Don’t miss author Kathryn Freeman #SharingTheLove with an extract from her romantic comedy novel, Oh Crumbs, on my blog tomorrow. xx


Carol Thomas writes contemporary romance novels, with relatable heroines whose stories are layered with emotion, sprinkled with laughter and topped with irresistible male leads. Discover more here.

Reflections on 2018

Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As 2018 draws to a close I’d like to say thank you so much to all of those who have made my year by buying, borrowing, reading and reviewing my books. Your kindness and support are hugely appreciated!

Thank you also to all those who take the time to read my blog. It has been a year since I started it and what a great year it has been.

As well as having my first book published with Ruby fiction, and gaining my first Amazon Best Seller badge,  I have met new people, travelled and tried new things.

A big thank you to the Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction team for making this  dream come true!

In June I had the privilege of going to the Arte Umbria writing retreat with Sue Moorcroft. It turned out I was the only other writer booked, and so I had Sue all to myself for a week. It was a lot of fun, with a great many words written. Sue and I shared chats on the terrace (as well as the odd glass of wine and slice of cake!). I learnt a lot, but I think one of the most valuable lessons was how much you can achieve by putting your bottom in a seat, focusing and cracking on with your work in progress. Without that trip, my new book wouldn’t have been finished by the end of the year.

Umbria with Sue Moorcroft

In July I went to the Romantic Novelist’s Association Conference in Leeds. Despite knowing a few people who were also going, I was very nervous. When I arrived, I had missed the start of my first seminar due to traffic and so decided to get a cup of tea, and gather my bearings.

As I stood making my tea Katie Fforde, Jill Mansell and Milly Johnson walked in! They set about making their drinks, while I felt awestruck and more out of my depth than when I arrived late. But I didn’t need to worry. They took time to say hello and Katie Fforde came and chatted to me as she made her tea, about – well, to be honest, I can’t remember what because I was busy thinking – “Oh my goodness, I am talking to Katie Fforde!” What a fantastic start to a wonderful weekend. The conference was informative. The main highlight, for me, was the opportunity to speak to so many writers and to spend time with fellow Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction authors.

Meeting the lovely Katie Fforde, Milly Johnson and Jill Mansell at the RNA conference.

From the conference came the spark of an idea and later in the year eight of us joined forces to create Apricot Plots, a group in which we work together to promote our writing and the romance genre. It is a lot of fun having fellow romance authors to work and promote with, and we have already formed some lovely friendships within the group. We’ve also been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received so far.

With fellow Apricot Plotters Angela Barton, Caroline James, Morton S Gray and Jane Cable. (Looking forward to meeting Tora Williams and Mariam Kobras in the future.)

Towards the end of the year, I stepped down as a director of the Chindi Authors, to make way for new authors and ideas. I am still an active member of the group and am ever grateful to my Chindi friends for their wonderful support, whether it be with fundraising or fathoming Amazon, they are always there.

Chindi Authors raising money for Cancer Research UK

Finally, on the cusp of December, I sent the sequel to The Purrfect Pet Sitter off to my publisher. It is currently with their reading panel, and so I am awaiting their response. Eeeek! I’ll let you know how that goes. All being well it means I’ll have a new book out in the first half of 2019. What a way to start the year.

I won’t be going to Umbria this year as my cheeky nephew has booked his wedding for the same time, but I will be off to the RNA conference again. Exciting times ahead and a new book promised to my publisher for July. Wish me luck. xx

Remember, Remember … Bonfire Night Memories with Angela Barton

Guest Post, Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , ,

Continuing the celebration of a special bonfire night in my novel The Purrfect Pet Sitter, I am delighted to welcome fellow Apricot Plots author, Angela Barton to my blog to share her bonfire night memories. 

Angela Barton shares her bonfire night memories:

For many years my Topsy and Tim’s Bonfire Night would be read to me for a week before and after November 5th. Looking at the images of the book now makes me feel so nostalgic. I absolutely loved the pictures and the colours and can so clearly remember sitting on my dad’s knee, excitedly anticipating the moment when he’d turn to the page which was full of fireworks lighting up the sky. Dad’s not with us any more, but this book makes him feel close. Thank you for the opportunity to reminisce.

Thank you for sharing your lovely bonfire night memory, Angela. Topsy and Tim are a family favourite in our household too, but we’ve never read the Bonfire Night book.x

About Angela Barton:

Angela was born in London and grew up in Nottingham. She is married with three grown up children. Passionate about writing both contemporary and historical fiction, Angela loves researching for her books and is an avid reader. Having signed publishing contracts for three of her completed novels with Ruby Fiction, Angela is excited to be working alongside such a friendly and supportive publishing team. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and Nottingham Writers’ Studio.

Having recently moved to France, Angela (alongside her husband, Paul) is now a lavender farmer, creating products from the oil that’s distilled. Angela says she’s looking forward to spending more time writing in the company of her two spaniels while sitting on her veranda overlooking the breath-taking countryside of Charente. Angela is also a member of Apricot Plots.

Discover more about Angela Barton here: Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Ruby Fiction

Angela’s debut novel, Arlette’s Story, was published by Ruby Fiction in 2018.

One woman’s struggle to fight back against the enemy in order to protect the ones she loves.

When Arlette Blaise sees a German plane fly over the family farm in 1940, she’s comforted by the fact that the occupying forces are far away in the north of the country. Surely the war will not reach her family in the idyllic French countryside near to the small town of Oradour-sur-Glane?

But then Saul Epstein, a young Jewish man driven from his home by the Nazis, arrives at the farm and Arlette begins to realise that her peaceful existence might be gone for good …

Genre: Women’s Fiction | Publisher: Ruby Fiction
Read my review | Buy the book.

Don’t miss more fabulous firework memories from fellow authors between now and November 5th, and as always, do get in touch. I’d love to hear your firework memories too. x

Strictly Come Dancing with Carol Thomas

Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , , , , ,

All this week on our Apricot Plots Facebook page we have been giving our readers a Strictly fix with a bookish twist by sharing dance extracts from our novels. Today it is my turn and I am delighted to share this extract from my contemporary romance, Crazy Over You.

In this scene Abby, who has split up from her husband after discovering he has had an affair, is at a friend’s wedding and finds herself in the arms of her rather lovely work colleague, Bradley Hunter. Their dance is the culmination of several flirtatious months, but with Abby still in a quandary about being in love with Simon and whether to take him back, how far will she let her intimate moment with Brad go?

As Rule The World began and Brad’s arms slipped around her like a safe, comfort blanket Abby relaxed too easily into them. If he had asked if she wanted to slow-dance she probably would have declined, but he hadn’t and once she felt herself so close to him it was too late. She succumbed too easily to feeling herself entwined with him.

Oh God, it felt so good to be held in his arms. She knew she should set her hands somewhere appropriate and safe but she couldn’t help herself. She slipped them inside his jacket and traced along the top of his belt line. She felt his taut muscles flex at her touch and inhaled when her fingertips came to rest on the dimples at the small of his back. Those dimples, the ones she had seen just above the line of his shorts, the ones she had imagined touching and trailing small kisses over just before she had dropped the hot chocolate. Blinking away how flustered she had been on that day, she allowed herself a moment to enjoy the feel of them. Beneath the thin cotton of his shirt she traced small circles around them with her manicured nails and heard his intake of breath.

She looked up; his eyes were dark and focused intently on her. She was affecting him. She could feel heat rising to his skin. She smiled a not-so-terribly-innocent smile and he bit his bottom lip. Heat rising to her cheeks, Abby wondered how it would feel to bite that lip. Unable to trust herself she looked away; focusing on his lips was not a good idea. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on his shoulder. She could feel the smooth, warm skin of his neck and the rhythmic hint of his pulse that had quickened there. He smelt delicious, of something familiar she had smelt before. She felt warmth spreading inside, awakening her nerves and causing her heart to beat faster. What are you doing? A small, sensible part of her mind was calling to her; attempting to get her to think this through. But she didn’t want to. She needed this moment. She needed him.

With her eyes closed Abby’s senses seemed to heighten. She felt Brad’s hand touch her neck and trace slowly down her back. She swallowed as his fingers hitched over her bra strap before continuing to slide down her spine and coming to rest with his other hand at the small of her back. He sighed into her, a deep, soft groan that turned her insides to liquid. They were swaying together. Abby felt the need for him building inside her and she knew he felt the same. She could feel him warm and firm up against her. Everyone and everything else in the room melted away as all Abby could think about was how much she wanted Bradley Hunter.

As they danced she could feel his muscles rippling and couldn’t help but imagine how they looked beneath his shirt. Without thinking she slowly traced her fingers along the top of his belt, allowing just her fingertips to slip slightly into the warmth at his waistband. He sucked in a deep breath and the air caught her neck as he exhaled slowly; goosebumps tingled down her side. She shuddered and moved closer into his warmth.

“Abby, you’ll have to stop, or I won’t be responsible,” he whispered. She could hear the effect she was having on him in the quiver that rippled through his deep voice. It didn’t make her want to stop. It made her want more.

Her conscience whispered “Simon” into her mind, while the word “Brad” slipped breathlessly from her mouth.

Hearing her speak his name in that tone was more than he could take.

Abby felt Brad’s muscles ripple as she spoke and swallowed as she imagined what more she could do to him. Kissing her gently on the forehead, Brad stepped back. Abby looked at him, panic in her eyes, not wanting it to end.

Sigh! Oh I am a little bit in love with Bradley Hunter myself. I hope you enjoyed the extract. If you would like to read more about Abby and discover what happens next, why not treat yourself to a copy of Crazy Over You.

And if you’ve missed the other great extracts from Apricot Plots’ authors this week, you can catch up here with extracts from: Tora Williams, Angela Barton, Morton S Gray and Caroline James.

Best wishes and happy dancing! x