Tag Archives: Caroline James

Book news, Apricot Plots and more!

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Wow, I can’t believe it is September and the summer holidays are over already. I love having my children home from school and for our days to be free to indulge in whatever we fancy. It does, however, mean that less writing gets done. So, now the new term is upon us, it is time to get down to it!

To encourage me on, I have some exciting things to focus on.

Firstly, I am working on a sequel to The Purrfect Pet Sitter, which I have said will be ready by the end of October, not published then, but off to the publisher by then. I am really enjoying writing it, and as I am now towards the end, I am excitedly typing towards that end scene I’ve had in my head all along. While it is a sequel, I have written it so it could also be read as a stand-alone novella (shorter than my other books), which I hope even those who haven’t read The Purrfect Pet Sitter will enjoy.

Having said that, if you haven’t read The Purrfect Pet Sitter (shock horror, what have you been waiting for) the good news is you can currently get it for 99p in the Choc Lit / Ruby Fiction autumn sale:

Amazon | Kobo

As it is set between September and New Year’s Eve, now is the purrfect time to read it, too!

Secondly, I am preparing, with fellow authors Angela Barton, Jane Cable, Caroline James, Morton S Gray, Mariam Kobras, and Tora Williams, for the official launch of @ApricotPlots. Inspired by a talk at the Romantic Novelist’s Association conference, this is a romance cross promotion group, which we hope will be a lot of fun for readers and writers alike. We intend to offer competitions and giveaways, there will also be exciting book launches and more, so why not give us a follow on Twitter or Facebook.

Finally, I am intending to launch an audio version of my first novel, Crazy Over You, and to give it a boost with a new cover. I love my original cover for the book and it won Cover Wars with a fantastic 611 votes when it was first released. But as I write and release more books, I need to ensure it represents my current brand (oo get me!). So watch this space.

Thank you as ever for reading my ramblings. Right, back to that writing business.

Oh and before I really do go, if you haven’t seen the new Christopher Robin movie, you should. It is such a sweet, lovely film that made me laugh and cry. It was another of those fab films we could go and see as a whole family. I have always had a soft spot for Winnie the Pooh (my husband thinks I get my attitude to life from the bear, but that’s another story) and I loved it!

Best wishes and remember as Christopher Robin said to Winnie the Pooh: “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think!” xx

An interview with Caroline James.

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Today, I am delighted to welcome fellow Ruby Fiction author Caroline James.

Thank you for agreeing to join me on my blog Caroline and for answering my questions, aimed at discovering more about you and your novel, The Best Boomerville Hotel.

An absolute pleasure and many congratulations on the publication of your fabulous book, The Purrfect Pet Sitter, I loved it!

That’s very kind of you, and I am so pleased you enjoyed it. Congratulations to you too on recently getting your ‘Best Seller’ badge for the Best Boomerville Hotel. For those who haven’t yet encountered your fabulous novel, give us your elevator pitch:

Thank you for the lovely compliment. I’m not good at elevator pitches – my elevator always heads the wrong way. But here it is:

Let the shenanigans begin at the Boomerville hotel …

Jo Docherty and Hattie Contaldo have a vision – a holiday retreat in the heart of the Lake District exclusively for guests of ‘a certain age’ wishing to stimulate both mind and body with new creative experiences. One hotel refurbishment later and the Best Boomerville Hotel is open for business!With an array of colourful guests there’s bound to be laughs aplenty, but could there be tears and heartbreak too and will the residents get more than they bargained for at Boomerville?

Your characters are all a touch eccentric, can I cheekily ask which you most identify with, and why?

People who know me say I am a ‘Jo’ – the owner of the hotel who likes to people please and make everyone happy. But I think there is a touch of ‘Hattie’ in me too. She is the hotel manager, larger than life and extremely naughty.

The Boomerville Hotel encourages its residents to be open-minded and try new things. What three things have you tried in life that you would recommend to others?

Trekking the Inca Trail for days then climbing, exhausted, on my knees up a steep incline to the Dawn Gate to watch the sun rise over the hidden city of Machu Pichu. Magical, spiritual and quite simply amazing.

Zip-wiring across a damn in China. Seriously dangerous, as the harness appeared to consist of a leather belt belonging to the elderly Chinese gentleman who hooked me onto the wire. A once-in-a-lifetime thrill – the thrill being that I was still alive and breathing as I hurtled head first into the water at the other end.

Sushi. I always hated it until I was taken to a lovely restaurant in Barbados, to a table by the water’s edge and as the Caribbean Sea rolled over soft white sands the chef made the most delicious platter of fresh seafood sushi and I was completely and totally hooked. Like a love story in my mouth.

I adored Bunty, and know she was based on your own dog. Tell us a little about her:

Many years ago, a partner gave me a chocolate brown Labrador puppy called Meg. He disappeared not long after, proving the point that a partner is not for life nor just for Christmas. But Meg became my new love and we were inseparable. I decided to breed her and eight gorgeous puppies arrived. Meg was a terrible mother and I had a real job on my hands. As the puppies were rehomed there was one who stayed glued to my side. Bunty was the naughtiest of the bunch and always causing mischief. I fell head over heels for Bunty and she stayed with me and Meg. Thirteen years on, two years after we lost Meg, we said our final goodbyes and I vowed I’d never have a dog again. It was just too painful.

Adorable Bunty!

Cumbria makes a beautiful setting, was there a reason for choosing it as the home for the Boomerville Hotel and as a foodie, have you visited L’Enclume?

I used to own a country house hotel in Cumbria and this was the setting for my fictional hotel, Boomerville. I loved that hotel and spent some of the happiest years of my life there. Writing about it is easy, stories soon come. A hotel is a revolving door and there are always multiple scenarios that trigger the imagination. L’Enclume is a lovely restaurant and I have been fortunate to dine there. Such a talented chef and imaginative food.

I saw on your recent blog post that you are working on a sequel – how exciting! Was Boomerville always going to be part of a series and what can we expect from the next instalment?

I am very fortunate to have received some cracking reviews for The Best Boomerville Hotel and readers who contact me say they want more of the same. I am currently writing another ‘Boomerville’ and this time we travel to Southern Ireland where Jo has bought a new property to create an Irish Boomerville. Expect lots of Irish craic and shenanigans as the guests get on board. I never intended this to be a series but if something works, why change it?

Five for fun:

1) Tea or coffee? Coffee, strong and black.
2) Cinema or theatre? Theatre, I love a live show.
3) Paperback or Ereader? Ereader – I like reading in bed with all the lights out.
4) High heels or pumps? High heels, Carol, we girls must strut our stuff!
5) Starter or desert? Tricky, I’ve changed my eating habits drastically in the last six months and after a lifetime of sugar addiction now astonish myself by saying, ‘Starter please’.

I recently had the pleasure of reading The Best Boomerville Hotel; here is my review:

Light, easy reading with likeable characters, and laughs along the way!

Set in the beautiful countryside of Cumbria, the newly refurbished Best Boomerville Hotel is the ideal location for this eccentric cast of fifty-somethings looking to revitalise their lives. And with courses ranging from life drawing to sessions with the Shaman, there is never a dull moment.

It took me a few chapters to get to know the characters, but as their individual (and often quirky) personalities became established I had no problem distinguishing who was who. I loved Hattie, who was a formidable woman with a big heart and a close eye on the action at the hotel. She certainly added to the fun and provided many laugh out loud moments. Bunty was an absolute bonus, I have a soft spot for chocolate Labradors, and she sounded Labradorable (pardon the pun)!

By the end of the novel, the characters felt like old friends, and I was willing them towards their happy-ever-after. The Best Boomerville Hotel is a story of friendship, drama, love and laughter, it was my first Caroline James read, but it won’t be my last.

Links to buy The Best Boomerville Hotel: Kobo | Ibooks/Google | Itunes | Amazon

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

Thank you so much for joining me, Caroline. I loved reading your answers and hearing about the amazing adventures you’ve had. Your words about Bunty were very moving, and reminded me of my gorgeous boy, Benson. Your sequel sounds like lots of fun, I look forward to reading it.

My reviews are posted on Amazon and Goodreads x

 

Happy publication day, Caroline James!

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I’d like to start this post by saying a very big congratulations to my fellow Ruby Fiction author, Caroline James, whose book The Best Boomerville Hotel is released today (13th March 2018)! I can’t wait to read Caroline’s book, which is already getting some great reviews, and I hope she has a day of celebrations planned. With a book described as a fabulously funny read – think The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel but in the Lake District – I’m sure it will be a great success. Discover more here.

Caroline’s novel is available for £1.99 across all ebook formats. If you don’t have an e-reader, there is no need to miss out. You can download the free Kindle or Kobo reading app on your phone or tablet and simply order the book via your chosen platform. How easy is that!

Also on this special day, I would like to say cheers to all of the authors who have signed with Ruby Fiction to date, Caroline James, Angela Barton, Hannah Pearl, Wendy Dranfield and me … we are off ladies, with an exciting year ahead, whoop whoop!

Mother’s Day

I hope you had a good Mother’s Day. I was very spoilt. Amongst my goodies were a Kindle voucher, a Costa voucher, a Cineworld voucher and cupcakes spelling out Mummy – I think my children have me worked out pretty well! As always, my favourite things were the gorgeous cards, messages and pictures my children and grandchildren made for me – such little treasures (the children and the gifts).

I recently connected with a group of new mums, when I asked for a little research help on my Facebook page. I was overwhelmed by offers and by the generosity with which everyone was willing to share their pregnancy and birth experiences with me. Responses to my questions came in through the night, as clearly the volunteers were awake with their little ones. The answers I received were great and inspired me to crack on with planning a novel I am really looking forward to writing. They also proved how diverse, difficult, happy and sometimes sad the path to motherhood can be. To all the mum’s out there you are amazing, and to all those who want nothing more than to be a mum, I truly hope you get your happy ending.

Out and about:

I will be at the Lyminster Primary School Craft Fair, in Littlehampton BN17 7JZ, Saturday 17th March, 11-2pm, selling my children’s book Finding a Friend and my contemporary romance novel, Crazy Over You. I will also be promoting The Purrfect Pet Sitter and my daughter is hoping to offer some crafty colouring fun for the little ones too.

It promises to be a lovely family event. There will be a range of local crafts on sale and entry is free. Come along and say hello.

Size doesn’t matter (any length review will do):

My current read is Lucy Diamond’s On a Beautiful Day. I am a big Lucy Diamond fan and have read all of her books. I enjoy her engaging style, down to earth characters and relatable storylines. I will add my review next time as I have just over a quarter of the book to go – but it is safe to say, I’m really enjoying it.

Cinema-wise, just lately I’ve seen:

LadyBird – A good story, very well acted and an interesting exploration of the mother-daughter relationship. Definitely worth a watch!

I-Tonya – Margot Robbie is great. I knew a little of the story but not the details. It really is a fascinating film, where you feel the plight of Tonya Harding who is gifted and talented with the odds of success strongly stacked against her.

Red Sparrow – Jennifer Lawrence is great in this spy thriller in which seduction and double-dealing are the predominant weapons of choice.

You Were Never Really Here – this was violent, dark and well paced to suit the mood of the film.

Thanks so much for reading my blog, don’t forget to raise a glass for Caroline today, and let me know what you’ve been reading and watching lately. x

Book Boyfriend Blind Date 2

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With Valentine’s Day nearly upon us, and so many lovely heroes still to choose from, Book Boyfriend Blind Date continues!

Once again the lovely authors from Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction have been answering these two, all important questions to help you find the perfect Valentine’s date:

If I went on a blind date with the hero from your book, how would I recognise him and where would he take me?

And so it is with very great pleasure, that I invite you to get a drink, sit back and enjoy, as you join me, in considering which of these heroes you would choose from book boyfriend blind date round two:

Josh Owens from The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight by Christina Courtenay

Josh Owens – you’d mostly recognise him by his delicious New Zealand accent, but you can’t really miss him as he’s tall and has the kind of looks that could sell millions of bottles of aftershave if he stared moodily out of an advert – clear green eyes, black tousled hair and dark stubble.

Where would he take you? To a little country pub somewhere near the Welsh border, where you could sit in near the open fire and feel as though you’d known him forever, time had stood still for centuries and the past was only a breath away …

Marc Peterson from Little Pink Taxi by Marie Laval

Marc Petersen, the hero of Little Pink Taxi, is half French but he has fallen in love with Scotland. Therefore he would definitely take you there for a blind date. It would be in a hotel in a beautiful old castle, with roaring fires in the massive stone fireplaces, a cosy lounge where you would enjoy a dram of whisky or a locally brewed pine needle beer (rumoured to put you in the mood for romance), and a restaurant serving delicious and heart-warming dishes. There would also be four-poster beds, atmospheric views of a loch and perhaps even a ghost or two…

You would recognise him straight away by his sexy French accent, of course!

William James Austen from Dance Until Dawn by Berni Stevens

Will is a vampire, so he’d probably be the very pale man lurking in the shadows. Tall, dark and devastating with a wit as sharp as his teeth, and very hypnotic green eyes.

He would almost certainly take you to his club, Dusk, which has live bands playing several nights a week, a very trendy DJ and a werewolf as manager. I hope you like to dance because he’s very fond of dancing – and dancers.

Bill Blythe from Follow A Star by Christine Stovell

Bill Blythe would be fairly easy to spot as he’s tall, strapping and red-haired. His idea of showing a woman a good time would probably be to take her to see the Foo Fighters, but his heart’s very much in the right place. As one happy reader said, ‘Oh my goodness … wouldn’t we all like a Bill in our lives!’

The hero from The Best Boomerville Hotel by Caroline James in her Ruby Fiction debut

The hero in my story (I can’t giveaway a spoiler by telling you who he is!) would wine and dine you in the gorgeous, private, candlelit restaurant in the 17th century panel room at Boomerville. You will recognise him as soon as you walk into the room for he stands, to smile warmly; his handsome face glowing in the light from flames dancing from a fire which burns in a cast-iron grate. The discreet corner table will have an arrangement of red roses and a bottle of chilled champagne. He holds out his hand and as you walk forward he pulls out a chair and you slip your legs under the white linen cloth. He pops the cork with ease and fills your glass and as the deliciously cold bubbles explode in our mouth you gaze at your hero and wonder, ‘Where have you been all my life?’

Nathan Baker from The Purrfect Petsitter by Carol Thomas in her Ruby Fiction debut (well I had to let Nathan join in the fun!)

Nathan has fine stubble and blond, ruffled hair. At around six foot two he is tall and has a muscular physique. If he isn’t in uniform (he’s a fireman) then he’ll be smart casual in his favourite, Timberland does lumberjack, jeans, t-shirt and open checked shirt, style. Being an extreme sports enthusiast Nathan would happily take you on a date that thrills. But if what you fancy is cuddling up in front of an open fire, sharing a bottle of wine and getting to know each other better, he’s pretty good at that too.

I am so going to miss my inbox filling up with these fabulous answers. I hope you’ve found someone to spend a bit of quality time with this February. I think I am just going to read all of the answers one more time before I make my final choice 😉 Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Thank you so much to all those who took part. You can find all of these lovely authors on Twitter: Christina Courtenay | Marie Laval | Berni Stevens | Christine Stovell | Carol Thomas | Caroline James | Choc Lit | Ruby Fiction |

Haven’t discovered Book Boyfriend Blind Date 1? Don’t miss out, check it out here!