Welcoming Caroline James as she shares an uplifting extract from her latest novel, Hattie Goes to Hollywood.

How are you keeping in this strange new world? Do you have a top tip to promote wellbeing?

I work from home, so in many ways nothing has changed on the work front other than not being able to undertake any public speaking events or host workshops, but I’ve really struggled not seeing my family and friends. We live quite rurally so are lucky that there is space around us and my daily exercise has been to go out on my bike. But this has been different. To experience the countryside with no cars, trains or planes and to hear nature in its pure form is wonderful. Exercise is a great source of wellbeing for me, as is baking and we’ve been having the odd treat with comfort foods such as cakes and scones (and my favourite tipple of raspberry gin). I think we all need a treat in these uncertain times as we find our individual route through this difficult journey.

Tell us a little about your latest novel:

My novel, Hattie Goes to Hollywood was published recently and it is the first in a new series of mysteries. The main character is retired hotelier, Hattie Mulberry who has inherited her aunt’s dilapidated cottage in the village of Holllywood in Cumbria. She envisages a quiet life but when her neighbour asks her to investigate a suspicious suicide, Hattie’s career takes a new direction and her private sleuthing business is born. During the hottest summer in years, Hattie discovers there have been three recent suicides in Hollywood and she determines to find out why. There are plenty of shenanigans, mischief and even romance as temperatures and tempers rise and Hattie has her work cut out to discover the truth. The book is available in all formats including audible and has received some great reviews, which makes all the hard work of writing so rewarding and I hope that readers enjoy Hattie and her further escapades.

Could you share an uplifting extract?

Having been called away, Hattie returns to her run-down cottage to discover that her handyman has been busy…

Hattie parked in Lovers Lane and climbed out of her car. She left her luggage on the back seat but picked up her handbag and deposited various bits and pieces accumulated during her journey. A half-eaten sandwich and a glossy magazine joined the remains of a packet of sweets.

 She stood at the gate and looked at her cottage. After a three-week absence, everything looked the same. The front garden was neat, the lawn trimmed, and the last trailing fronds of wisteria hung heavily around the front door. But as she stepped onto the path, she peered curiously around the side of the cottage and, doing a double take, she stopped in mid-stride.

 Gone were the many piles of bricks and Alf’s debris and, as if by magic, a building had emerged. It adjoined the kitchen, overlooking the back garden.

 Hattie gasped. How on earth had they finished it so quickly?

 A neat little conservatory with a brick base, pretty windows and a roof made of attractively wrought iron and glass, stood proudly with views of the pond and fields beyond.

 She moved cautiously forward. There was no sign of Alf but there was every indication that while she’d been away, he’d worked tirelessly with his team. Hattie ran her fingers over the smooth sill of the conservatory and slowly guided herself to the entrance. The door was unlocked, and she turned the handle and gently pushed. The interior was bright and inviting and Hattie’s eyes were wide as she took in her new surroundings. A two-seater sofa lay along the furthest wall. Covered in cushions, it matched a colourful rug, that lay on polished stone flags. In the centre was a low circular table with a mosaic patterned top, was home to a collection of scented candles and various succulent plants, arranged attractively in a stone tray. A comfortable looking armchair was tucked beneath the window and Hattie crossed the tiled floor to sit down. Her fingers fumbled beneath the arms of the chair until she found a small control panel. As she pressed a button, her feet began to rise, and the back of the chair lowered.

Hattie sighed with pleasure and couldn’t contain the wide grin that spread across her face. It was heaven! She nestled a soft cushion into position behind her head and closed her eyes. After a few moments, she reached out to pull a cord on a window blind and watched as the view on the other side was magically revealed.

 Beyond the garden and fields, the setting sun hovered above the trees that surrounded the holly wood, the fading rays shimmied across the surface of the pond and, as the day began to diminish and darkness descended, the garden suddenly came to life. Hattie was enchanted as she watched hundreds of tiny twinkling lights dance along the boundary walls, their rays reflected on the inky pool. A movement on the water caught her eye and she leaned forward to see the shadowy shape of a duck creating tiny waves as it paddled along. Hattie watched Drake commandeer his pond and when she realised that a smaller figure was paddling in his wake, tears came to her eyes and she smiled.

 Her duck had company and, by the look of things, the hen was making herself at home.

Such a lovely moment in the book, for Hattie and Drake (who I loved). I think we could all do with a lovely conservatory like Hattie’s to relax in right now – do you think she’d send Alf round for me?

My review and links to buy:

Having read previous books by Caroline James, I was delighted to see that Hattie, a larger than life character of earlier novels, returns in this, the first of what promises to be an entertaining, cosy crime series.

Hattie is as wonderful and feisty as ever, as she moves to the Cumbrian village of Hollywood, where some suspicious deaths pique her curiosity. Being naturally nosy, she soon finds herself taking on the role of private investigator.

I love Hattie’s no-nonsense approach to life. She certainly says it how she sees it when it comes to dealing with those around her. Though, I did feel for her love interest and hope we see more of their relationship in future books. I also enjoyed her friendship and banter with Harry the Helmet, the local policeman.

The characters are all well-drawn, with individual personalities and their own secrets to come to light – some I loved and some I deplored for their actions (as is the author’s intention). I adored Drake, a duck that adopts Hattie and her home, soon after her arrival. For me, his presence even overshadowed the dog in this book, and that’s saying something coming from me!

While there are some references to previous stories, this can definitely be read as a standalone book, and I look forward to the rest of this new series.

Available in ebook, paperback and audio, click to buy, here. Also available nationwide from all good book shops.

What can we expect from you next?

I am currently finishing the follow up to my novel The Best Boomerville Hotel. The manuscript has been on my desk for some time and during Lockdown, I have had an urge to finish it. I have also got the outline ready for Hattie & the Heirloomwhich will be the next novel is the sleuthing series.

About the author:

Caroline James has owned and run businesses encompassing all aspects of the hospitality industry, a subject that 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, consultant and food writer, Caroline is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association and writes articles and short stories and contributes to many publications. In her spare time, Caroline can be found trekking up a mountain or relaxing with her head in a book and hand in a box of chocolates.

Find out more about Caroline James and her novels here: Website|Twitter|Facebook | Blog

 Thanks so much for stopping by Caroline. My reviews are added to Amazon UK and Goodreads. Don’t miss Jan Baynham up next on my blog, sharing an extract from her debut novel. xx