Tag Archives: #SharingTheLove

Stories that will make you smile: Kirsten Hesketh

Author Interview, Guest Post, Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , , ,

A big welcome to Kirsten Hesketh, as she shares an uplifting extract from her exciting debut novel, Another Us. 

Hello Kirsten, how are you keeping in this strange new world? Do you have a top tip to promote wellbeing?

Hello Carol. We’re all OK thank you and I hope you are too. I’ve found myself in the slightly strange position of having a fuller house than normal as daughter’s A levels have been cancelled and my son is home from university. Also having my debut come out next week in this very strange new world takes some getting used to. Part of me wants to celebrate this lifelong dream coming true and part of me feels that that is so totally inappropriate with everything else that is going on – so I flip between the two.

I don’t have any real tips to promote wellbeing save to say that as emotions and moods can change so quickly, it’s best to take it one day at a time. I have also found my daily walks in the beautiful Chilterns to be a life-saver.

Can you tell us a little about the story?

My latest novel is also my debut novel and it is being published by Canelo on May 14th. Another Us is the – hopefully – ‘funny, compassionate and poignant’ story of a marriage under pressure. Emma and Daniel’s son, Jack, has just been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and Emma is horrified to discover that 80% of such marriages are doomed to fail. Can she save her own marriage against the odds?

It sounds a great read, could you share an uplifting extract?

Sure. This is the beginning of the book – which I hope fits the bill:

‘Mum?’ Jack stopped stirring his Coco Pops and stared at the plumber. Chocolate milk dripped from his spoon and Jack blotted it with the forearm of his sweatshirt. ‘Mum, why is that man so ugly?’

The moment hung, poised, like the one droplet of brown milk about to plop off the edge of the table. 

Of course, it had to happen now; on a Monday morning when I hadn’t engaged my brain and there was breakfast to finish, teeth and hands to clean and bags to gather before school. And it would be thisparticular Monday morning, September 14th. The date that had been eyeballing me from the calendar for weeks. At least Freddie, our teenager, had already taken himself off to school. He would have cackled with loud, delighted laughter and made the whole thing twice as bad.

If that was possible. 

What were the options?

Think, Emma.

Think!

Plan One: ignore the question and move on. But eight-year-old Lily was rigid with appalled fascination and the plumber was staring at me in mute humiliation, so this was unlikely to do the trick.

Plan Two: the whispered apology. ‘So sorry. Jack tends to blurt stuff out. Tells you how it is.’ No. No.Definitely not an option. Jack was right; the plumber was – how could I put this nicely? – aesthetically challenged. Bald pate. Receding chin. Protruding teeth. How on earth could I say anything without making it twice as bad?

Plan Three: ‘Jack, sweetie,’ I said. ‘You must stop calling everyone ugly. It’s getting very boring.’

That was quite clever.

But Jack just screwed up his face. ‘Don’t lie, Mum,’ he said. ‘I’ve never said it before.’

The plumber gave us all a ‘look’ and went upstairs without a backward glance. 

There was no Plan Four.

With a teenager with Aspergers I think it sounds a great read. We’ve had this situation when my daughter told a close family member they were fat 🙂 I’ve preordered my copy and can’t wait to read it. Find out more and preorder Another Us here.

What can we expect from you next?

Something quite different. I’m thrilled to have signed a two book deal with Hodder for a story set in London during the First World War. The first will be published in 2021.

Oh Wow! Congratulations, how exciting.

Thanks so much, Kirsten, for stopping by and best of luck with Another Us and your WWI story.

About the author:

Kirsten Hesketh has a background in advertising and now runs her own consultancy specialising in psychological interviewing and focus groups. Over the past 25 years, she has interviewed the Great British public on everything from Rolos to razors.

Married with a teenage son, daughter and two exceptionally fluffy moggies, Kirsten is also a keen amateur archaeologist and loves to spend her weekends hacking through the mud on a local Roman dig. She is also a staunch supporter of Wycombe Wanderers – especially when they are winning!

Another Us is her debut novel.

Discover more about Kirsten and her work, here: Facebook | Twitter | website | Sister Scribes.

Don’t miss author Lucy Keeling, sharing an extract from her latest novel, on Friday 15th May! xx

Author Jane Cable is #SharingTheLove

Guest Post, , , , , , , , ,
As February is the month of love, I have had a host of wonderful romance authors stopping by to share flirty extracts from their novels! 

Today, I am pleased to welcome Jane Cable to my blog, who is #SharingTheLove with an extract from her novel, The Cheesemaker’s House … over to you Jane!

The Cheesemaker’s House

“When newly divorced Alice moves to Yorkshire, she meets her neighbours from the present and the past…

My mental image of a Yorkshire builder was a rotund man in a cloth cap who would exhibit a great deal of sucking of teeth when confronted with my barn. I certainly didn’t expect Richard Wainwright to be tall, dark and handsome with a couple of days of designer stubble and a gold hoop in his left ear. But then I didn’t expect a naked swimmer to be reading the lesson in church either. It’s clear I’m going to have to abandon my southern prejudices sooner rather than later if I’m going to fit in here. But I still can’t help feeling we should all be running around downing mugs of tea you can stand a spoon up in, not drinking skinny lattes.

In this aspect of his behaviour Richard doesn’t disappoint. I am already making the second pot when he reappears from his prodding and poking in the barn, drapes his long body against my kitchen doorframe and says “I can do it, but it’s going to cost you.”

“I expect it to cost me,” I grin at him. “It’s a wreck I want to turn into a luxury holiday pad – I know that won’t come cheap.”

He wanders into the kitchen and sits down at the table. “I’ll need to do a proper quote, but I reckon in the region of twenty grand. It’s a lot of money – take you a while to get it back.”

“I’ll get it back when I sell though.”

“Oh, so that’s your game is it; buy – do up – sell – quick buck.” He looks disapproving.

“No. It’s not my game. It’s my insurance policy in case I don’t like it here.”

He stretches back in his chair and picks up his tea. “So why did you come? I’m curious.”

“Well, you mustn’t tell anybody, but I’m on the run from an international drug smuggling cartel and I thought they’d never find me in Great Fencote.”

“Hmm… I wouldn’t be so sure. You don’t know what evil walks the streets of Northallerton. Only last week someone was prosecuted for putting the wrong sort of yogurt pot in their recycling bin – it was all over the papers.” We both burst out laughing.

“Seriously, love,” he carries on, “if you don’t want to say then that’s your business. No-one around here’s going to mind.”

“I was just trying to make it sound more exciting than it is. My husband ran off with his secretary, that’s all.”

“It happens. My wife left me for a pen pusher at the council. Said she’d had enough of muddy boots all through the house. Each to their own, I suppose.” He shrugs.

“The funny thing is,” I continue hesitantly, “that when it happens to you, you feel like it’s never happened to anyone else. When someone else says it, you realise just how common it is.”

“Human nature, love. We’re not cut out to be monogamous. We get bored and we move on, that’s all there is to it. Still, if you get lonely and fancy a shag…”

“Let’s see what sort of builder you are first,” I snap. Maybe a little too tartly, so I put on a smiley face and continue “I want to know if the muddy boots are worth it.”

Richard roars with laughter.

Thank you for sharing your extract Jane, The Cheesemaker’s House is on my to be read list! And as my mother-in-law is a BIG fan I am happy to have gained daughter-in-law points just by knowing you 🙂 

Discover more about The Cheesemaker’s House:

When Alice Hart’s husband runs off with his secretary, she runs off with his dog to lick her wounds in a North Yorkshire village. Battling with loneliness but trying to make the best of her new start, she soon meets her neighbours, including the drop-dead gorgeous builder Richard Wainwright and the kindly yet reticent café owner, Owen Maltby.

As Alice employs Richard to start renovating the barn next to her house, all is not what it seems. Why does she start seeing Owen when he clearly isn’t there? Where – or when – does the strange crying come from? And if Owen is the village charmer, what exactly does that mean?

“I desperately want to find out about Owen; a fascinating character… the gift here is to make you want to read on.” 
Jeffrey Archer

Publisher: Matador
Genre: Romantic Suspense 
Buy the book Amazon UK | Amazon.com

About the author:

Jane Cable has writing in her blood. Her father, Mercer Simpson, was a poet; her cousin, Roger Hubank, a novelist; Roger’s uncle, John Hampson was also a novelist and fringe member of the Bloomsbury Group. And it’s even rumoured that John Keats is somewhere back in her family tree.

She has always scribbled. But it took until she was in her forties to complete a full length manuscript. And then another, and another… Writing stories became a compulsive hobby. She could lose herself in her characters, and longed for readers other than her mother and close friends to be able to do the same.

It was reaching the final of The Alan Titchmarsh Show’s People’s Novelist competition, with The Cheesemaker’s House, in 2011 which made her take her writing seriously. The novel went on to win Words for the Wounded’s independent book of the year award in 2015.

Jane’s second book, The Faerie Tree, also published by Matador, is a second chance novel revolving around a couple who meet twenty years after a brief affair only to discover that their memories of it are completely different.

Jane is over the moon to have recently signed a contract with Sapere Books for two novels to be published in 2019. The first will be a re-issue of her novel Another You, which disappeared when Endeavour Press went into liquidation. The second is a new romance slipping back to World War Two,  set in the Lincolnshire heartland of Bomber Command.

Discover more about Jane Cable here: Twitter |  Facebook | website

I am hugely grateful to all of the wonderful romance authors who have stopped by my blog #SharingTheLove.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the extracts as much as I have and that in amongst them you’ve been able to discover some new romance reads. 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.

Author Carol Thomas is #SharingTheLove

Guest Post, Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , ,
As February is the month of love, I have had a host of wonderful romance authors stopping by my blog to share flirty extracts from their novels and today it is my turn! 

The Purrfect Pet Sitter

“Nathan turned off the lamp, to improve the view out into the darkness, and joined Lisa by the window. Her body responded to his, her nerves enlivening. She could smell his aftershave – tones of amber and sandalwood – mixed with the scent of the bonfire and evening air that hung upon them both. She felt him trace a line down her side with the lightest touch, sending shivers down her spine. She didn’t move; she didn’t attempt to stop him.

His hands moved to her sides, only the cotton of her T-shirt separating their skin, and his arms, more muscular than Ben’s, slipped round her. She could see their reflections in the window looking back at her, with the two of them framed in a perfect moment – an image of what might have been. She looked beyond to the fireworks as she felt Nathan shift position. His right thigh rested against hers as he mirrored her stance.

Lisa attempted to maintain steady breathing while they watched the last of the fireworks burst into the sky – their sound made more dramatic by the ricochet from the glass. Heat spread through her body, while her mind whirred with anticipation.”

I hope you enjoyed this flirty extract. It is one of my favourites from The Purrfect Pet Sitter. Having recently finished Maybe Baby, the sequel due out on April 2nd, my mind is still a little too preoccupied with the lovely Nathan Baker. 

Discover more about The Purrfect Pet Sitter:

Introducing Lisa Blake, the purrfect pet sitter!

When Lisa Blake’s life in London falls apart, she returns to her hometown rebranding herself as ‘the purrfect pet sitter’ – which may or may not be false advertising as she has a rather unfortunate habit of (temporarily) losing dogs!

But being back where she grew up, Lisa can’t escape her past. There’s her estranged best friend Flick who she bumps into in an embarrassing encounter in a local supermarket. And her first love, Nathan Baker, who, considering their history, is sure to be even more surprised by her drunken Facebook friend request than Lisa is.

As she becomes involved in the lives of her old friends Lisa must confront the hurt she has caused, discover the truth about her mysterious leather-clad admirer, and learn how to move forward when the things she wants most are affected by the decisions of her past.

Publisher: Ruby Fiction
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Buy the book here.

Exciting news! If you like the sound of spending a little quality time with Nathan Baker, don’t miss Maybe Baby, the sequel to The Purrfect Pet Sitter, now available for pre-order!

#Book 2 in the Lisa Blake series coming April 2nd!

About the me (Carol Thomas):

In the summer of 2017, I was delighted to gain a publishing contract with Ruby Fiction, a new imprint of the award-winning publishers Choc Lit, for my latest novel The Purrfect Pet Sitter.

I live on the south coast of England with my husband, four children and lively Labrador. I have been a playgroup supervisor and taught in primary schools for over fifteen years, before dedicating more of my time to writing. I am a regular volunteer at my local Cancer Research UK shop and have a passion for reading, writing and people watching. I can often be found loitering in local cafes working on my next book, when I should be in my office.

Discover more about me and my books here: Twitter | Ruby Fiction | Facebook

Thank you so much to all of the wonderful authors who have taken part #SharingTheLove so far. It has been so much fun to read all of your extracts. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone and don’t miss, an extract from Jane Cable’s The Cheesemaker’s House 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.

Author Hannah Pearl is #SharingTheLove

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 Hannah Pearl, who is #SharingTheLove with an extract from her novel Evie’s Little Black Book … over to you Hannah!

Evie’s Little Black Book

“‘You’re beautiful.’

I laughed and pretended that my heart wasn’t beating at a million miles an hour. He leant forward and kissed me, gently and sweetly, on the lips. ‘There. Now you can go home knowing that you’ve remembered how attractive you are,’ he said.

‘I didn’t make the first move. Last time I had the confidence to kiss him. It’s been a while since I felt able to do that without worrying that I was misreading the signs.’

‘Then kiss me first,’ Jake suggested. ‘I don’t mind, if it’ll help you with your mission I mean.’

He smiled, and for a moment I forgot how many people were crowded around us. I forgot all the men I’d met before and, most importantly, I forgot all those who came
after. Leaning forward, I kissed Jake, just for the briefest of moments, and it felt perfect.”

Thank you for sharing your lovely extract Hannah, Evie’s Little Black Book is on my to be read list!

Discover more about Evie’s Little Black Book:

Is hunting down every man you’ve kissed the answer to finding Mr Right?

When Evie is invited to the wedding of the guy she’d fancied throughout her teens, it’s the final straw. What’s wrong with her and why can’t she keep a man?

In between consoling herself with ice cream and chocolate, and sobbing her heart out to her cousin Chamaine, Evie has a brainwave – and it all centres around her ‘little black book’ (well, more floral patterned notebook really) – which contains the details of every man she’s ever kissed or dated. Perhaps the cure for her disastrous love life has been nestled within its pages all along …

Does Evie’s little black book really hold the answers, or will she learn that exes are exes for a reason?

Publisher: Ruby Fiction
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Buy the book Amazon UK | Amazon.com

About the author:

Hannah Pearl was born in East London. She is married with two children and now lives in Cambridge.

She has previously worked as a Criminology researcher, as a Development Worker with various charities and even pulled a few pints in her time.

In 2015 she was struck down by Labrynthitis, which left her feeling dizzy and virtually housebound. She has since been diagnosed with ME. Reading has allowed Hannah to escape from the reality of feeling ill. She read upwards of three hundred books during the first year of her illness. When her burgeoning eReader addiction grew to be too expensive, she decided to have a go at writing. In 2017 she won Simon and Schuster’s Books and the City #heatseeker short story competition, in partnership with Heat magazine, for her short story The Last Good Day.

Hannah is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association.

Discover more about Hannah Pearl here: Twitter |  Blog | Ruby Fiction

Don’t miss me (Carol Thomas) #SharingTheLove with an extract from The Purrfect Pet Sitter, 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.

Author Angela Petch is #SharingTheLove

Guest Post, , , , , , , ,
As February is the month of love, I have a host of wonderful authors stopping by my blog to #ShareTheLove as they discuss their novels, and share a few cheeky extracts! 

Today, I am pleased to welcome Chindi Authors’ Author of the Week, Angela Petch, who has recently released Mavis and Dot – a book of humorous tales about two eccentric ladies who form an unlikely friendship. To #ShareTheLove Angela talks about love for the older generation and the special bond between best friends. Over to you, Angela.

Mavis and Dot

The two main characters in my new book are baby boomers, ladies “of a certain age”. But that doesn’t mean love is a thing of the past for Mavis and Dot.

Mavis is prone to infatuations with Italian men. At the beginning of the novella, we learn about her Italian lover,  who is married to another woman. He owns a string of famous restaurants and when Mavis and Alessandro occasionally meet in the flat that he bought for her in Worthington-on-Sea, they make love and afterwards enjoy “morsels that Alessandro brought from his restaurant kitchen. The twinkling lights along the promenade provided a festive backdrop to their feast. As usual, Mavis had eaten with gusto, feeding her lover with garlic mushrooms and slivers of sweet red oily capsicum from her own fork.”

I won’t tell you how their relationship ends, but a few months later, she falls for an Italian café owner who teaches the tango in his spare time. Mavis comes to an undignified end when she tries his dance class and rapidly falls out of love with Mario.

A couple of days later, Dot consoles her friend, as they share tea and friendship in the Marks and Spencer cafeteria.

“He was really nasty to me, Dot… I was a little off-balance, that’s all. I’ve never done the tango before – what did he expect? He left me lying in a heap on the floor.”

Her friend tries to sympathise. “Falling in love is like catching mumps. It’s tricky,” said Dot, stirring her lapsang.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s fine catching mumps when you’re young but it’s tricky when you’re older. It hits you harder.”

My mother-in-law picked up a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey in the supermarket and asked me if it was a manual about hair dye. I’m afraid I sniggered but her comment also made me think. Love and romance is not restricted to the young. We all need love… and friends. Mavis and Dot are very different from each other and form an unlikely friendship. Newly retired to the Sussex seaside, they are both lonely. As they begin to learn more about each other, they provide mutual help and support.

I wrote Mavis and Dot in memory of my best friend who died thirteen years ago from ovarian cancer. Yes, it has taken me all those years to develop the original short story I wrote for her when she was gravely ill! We enjoyed hunting around charity shops on our days out and we used to nickname ourselves Mavis and Dot. I miss her.

My friend drew this sketch for me when she was very ill. The illustrations in Mavis and Dot, created by Gill Kaye, Editor of Sussex Magazine, Ingénu/e, are inspired by it.

All profits from sales of Mavis and Dot are going to Cancer Research and I hope to raise as much as possible! You can find out more, and buy the book here.

Thank you for sharing the humour, love and warmth of Mavis and Dot with us Angela, and for all you are doing to raise money for Cancer Research in memory of your dear friend.

Angela is delighted to have received love and encouragement from the reviews so far on Goodreads and Amazon, and has had many requests for a sequel:

 “This book was a total joy from beginning to end…a perfect reminder of the power of friendship.” (Welsh Annie – Top 500 Reviewer)

“Mavis and Dot is a warm-hearted exploration of life and friendship that I found beguiling and engaging. It’s a super read. (Linda’s Book Bag)

“Absolutely perfect for an afternoon’s reading, just before your belly dancing class, fish and chips supper or the nude modelling! Completely uplifting…” (Stardust Book Reviews)

“What a cast! I loved Mavis, I want to be her when I grow up…” (The Midnight Review)

“One of my top three reads of 2018” (Book addiction UK – Wrong side of forty)

“10 * It’s not often I go above a 5* ranking but Mavis and Dotabsolutely stole my heart…utterly charming.” (Dash Fan Book Reviews)

About the author

Angela Petch lives in the Tuscan Apennines in summer and Sussex in winter.

Her love affair with Italy was born at the age of seven when she moved with her family to Rome. Her father worked for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and he made sure his children learned Italian and soaked up the culture. She studied Italian at the University of Kent at Canterbury and afterwards worked in Sicily where she met her husband. His Italian mother and British father met in Urbino in 1944 and married after a wartime romance.

Her first book, “Tuscan Roots” was written in 2012, for her Italian mother-in-law, Giuseppina, and also to make readers aware of the courage shown by families of her Italian neighbours during WW2. Signed by Bookouture in 2018, this book will be republished in June 2019. Another Tuscan novel has been commissioned for 2020.

“Now and Then in Tuscany”, a sequel, was published in April 2017 and features the same family. The background is the transhumance, a practice that started in Etruscan times and continued until the 1950s. Her research for her Tuscan novels is greatly helped by her knowledge of Italian and conversations with locals.

Although Italy is a passion, her stories are not always set in this country. “Mavis and Dot”, published at the end of 2018 and sold in aid of Cancer Research, tells the story of two fun-loving ladies who retire to the Sussex seaside. They forge an unlikely friendship and fall into a variety of adventures. Ingenu/e Magazine describes it as: “Absolutely Fabulous meets Last of the Summer Wine… a gently hilarious feel-good book that will enchant and delight…”.

A prize-winning author, member of CHINDI independent authors and RNA, she also loves to travel and recently returned to Tanzania, where she lived at the start of her marriage. A keen tennis player and walker, she also enjoys spending time with her five grandchildren and inventing stories for their entertainment.

Angela’s short stories are published by PRIMA and the People’s Friend.  Her historical novels Tuscan Roots (available for a limited time only) and Now and Then in Tuscany are available as ebooks and in paperback.

Discover more about Angela Petch and her writing here: Facebook | Twitter | website | Amazon

Don’t miss author Hannah Pearl #SharingTheLove with an extract from Evie’s Little Black Book, 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.