Monday 30 March 2015

Treading on Dreams by Jeff Gardiner


 
Blurb for ‘Treading On Dreams’

Donny is obsessed with his housemate, Selena – but his love is unrequited. He enthusiastically accepts her willing friendship, which only fuels his deepening fantasies.

Jaz is their crazy landlord who likes sleeping with women – lots of them. He takes pleasure in educating the once innocent Donny in the hedonistic pleasures of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. It blows Donny’s mind.
 
Selena is engaged to Melvin – the perfect man – but is also keen to befriend the ever-demanding Donny ... until she falls pregnant and her wedding looms.

Donny expresses his true feelings at the wedding, causing mayhem and anger. But there remains a chink of hope: perhaps Selena’s marriage to Melvin is not quite as perfect as it seems.
 

Extract from ‘Treading On Dreams’ by Jeff Gardiner

The marriage service seemed to go on forever.

Long, monotonous choruses accompanied the strumming of two guitar chords. The prayers began with ‘Lord I just wanna…’ followed by the obligatory praying for the bride and groom with laying-on-of-hands. When the bearded elder pressed his hand on Selena’s bosom, it occurred to Donny it was an excuse to touch the bride.

Then the photographs took days to complete, while the guests, ensconced at a nearby posh hotel, starved to death with only small glasses of Schlöer to stop them from dehydrating.

The dreaded speeches followed.

‘Thank you, so much, everyone, for sharing our special day,’ said Melvin, the groom.

Donny couldn’t help staring at Selena. She looked stunning in the simple ivory dress. It showed her magnificent figure in all its glory, unspoiled yet by the swell of pregnancy. Her hair curled in ringlets at the side of her face, falling from her veil and framing her lovely cheeks. Donny continued his gaze as her hand caressed her lips. The desperate urge to touch her became an overwhelming feeling of sorrow and loss.

The people at his table laughed at Selena’s father’s comments.

‘Does anyone remember that time my new son-in-law nearly burnt my house down last year when he lit the barbeque?’ Everyone laughed politely. ‘But anyway, we’re here to celebrate the love this couple clearly feel for each other. I can see how much they are in love from the joy in their eyes.’

Donny swallowed bile.

Then Melvin stood up to speak. ‘God has blessed me today by letting me marry the most wonderful woman in the world. With Jesus beside us, we aren’t so much a couple as a threesome.

A few guests sniggered.

Donny looked around with narrowed eyes. Scowling, he wrung the tablecloth as if it was wet.

The best man took his turn. ‘As a doctor, Melvin saves lives every day; as a Christian he works tirelessly for charity. He also finds time to help lead our church, preaching and ministering to the sick and infirm…’

Why did nobody mentioned Selena’s baby? As if it wasn’t why they were there today. Did they not know or were they ignoring it? He wanted them to know Melvin wasn’t the great shining example they assumed, but a total hypocrite—shagging his girlfriend whilst preaching morality. Could no one else see the hypocrisy?

Once the speeches were over, the servers poured more wine while the happy couple mingled. Donny sat back and listened to the clamour of myriad conversations. Voices buzzed around him until the hubbub became a grating irritant. Every sound intensified behind his eyes, which he momentarily closed.

‘Melvin truly is a holy man of God.’

‘Amen.’

‘They make such a perfect couple—so young and in love.’

As Donny sat listening to the inane conversations around him, they began to reverberate in his head and squeeze his temples like a pincer. Something uncomfortable stirred, churning his insides.

‘I was feeling quite depressed and then I remembered Melvin prophesied about Jesus healing the sick and that afternoon I made an amazing recovery.’

He didn’t know how much more he could take. The cacophony of voices became a crashing wave of atonal sound. Every sound was a spike hammering through his brain.

‘…Isn’t Melvin just the best…?’

‘…I’ve never seen a couple so in love…’

‘…and they’ll have such beautiful children…’

With a roar, Donny stood, his chair crashing to the floor. He grabbed the table with all his strength and knocked it on its side. The dishes hit to the floor, shattering. He had their attention.

Fatuous bullshit! You’re talking absolute, fucking bullshit. Can’t you see what’s going on? Melvingoody-two-shoes got her pregnant, and you still think he’s wonderful. Selena doesn’t love him, but she’s too scared to say.’

His sister, Hazel, tried to stop him. He pushed her away. ‘I can’t bloody stand it any longer. I’m in love with you, Selena.’

People sat, speechless.

Some other guests got up, moving quickly towards him.

‘You can’t marry him…what’ll happen to me?’ He stopped, breaking down completely and slowly melted into an indistinct blob on the floor. ‘Who the fuck am I kidding? Why would she ever love me?’

Melvin, his father, and a few other men grabbed Donny. They carried him like a rolled up carpet. He kicked and struggled to no avail as they took him from the room.

‘Leave me alone, you bastards!’

Where the hell were they taking him?

His head ached. He was getting hotter and hotter while the world outside burst into flames. Finally, he tipped into a burning abyss.

Treading on Dreams is currently 99p/99c and can be bought: here at Amazon.co.uk & here on Amazon.com

Wednesday 18 March 2015

A Jersey Affair - New Version Out Now

I'm thrilled to let you know that A Jersey Affair: The Jersey Scene series book 2, has been published by Accent Press and has a brand new cover.

A Jersey Kiss: The Jersey Scene (book 1) is FREE at the moment, so it was doubly exciting to wake up this morning and discover the following when I looked at the Kindle Bestseller Chart:  
                                                            
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #34 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
Georgina X

Book 1 - Free Now!

It's sunny, a little warmer here in Jersey, and I'm looking forward to summer while I work on book 4 of my Jersey Scene series.

Book 1, A Jersey Kiss, is FREE on Kindle for a short time right now!

*Whispers* Book 2 is out tomorrow...

So, if you want to grab a copy for free, you can here.

 
Georgina X

Friday 6 March 2015

My Recipe for a Romantic Suspense in Provence

Marie Laval, author of A Spell in Provence, has given me her recipe for a romantic suspense in Provence.
I have always loved reading romantic suspense novels. They are a fascinating genre, having to combine action and romance, mystery and passion. They have to keep the reader guessing until the end, not only about the resolution of the romantic conflict between the hero and heroine, but also about the resolution of the mystery. I usually write historical romances but during a family holiday in the South of France I started thinking of a plot for A SPELL IN PROVENCE. I knew I wanted to write a contemporary romance between an English heroine and a French hero, but I soon realised that I wanted to include danger and mystery too, drawn from the captivating ancient history of Provence. The more I read and researched the area of Lubéron, where the story is set, the more I learned about the Salyens - the Celtic tribes who lived there before the Roman invaded the region - the darker the mystery became ... Juggling the love story and the suspense element was an exciting novelty to me - a little like trying a new recipe! 

So how did I write A SPELL IN PROVENCE? Here is the recipe I made up as I went along...

Take these essential ingredients:

A naive, but determined, English heroine who buys Bellefontaine, an old provençal farmhouse to pursue the life-long dream of running a guesthouse.

A handsome, enigmatic French hero, the owner of Manoir Coste, a vast estate and luxury hotel nearby, who keeps telling our heroine she is an amateur and is bound to fail.

An ancient spell binding the lives and the hearts of the ladies of Bellefontaine and the dukes of Coste.

Mix well then add a large spoonful of Provence's ancient history, including tales of a long lost temple and cryptic inscriptions in Latin on village fountains.

Add a sprinkle of hostility by locals and a drizzle of passion.

Whisk the mixture until the heroine has fallen head-over-heels in love with the hero.

Then add a few drops of doubt and a soupçon of fear, caused by  reports of gruesome murders and eerie sightings of lights in the forest.

Simmer on slow heat until tension sizzles and bubbles.

Pour the mixture into a heart-shaped tin and bake under the watchful eye of Bona Dea, an ancient Salyen goddess from Provence. When ready, enjoy with a cup of strong, black coffee or a glass of rosé wine!

A Spell in Provence is published by Accent Press and out now.

Blurb: With few roots in England and having just lost her job, Amy Carter decides to give up on home and start a new life in France, spending her redundancy package turning an overgrown Provençal farmhouse, Bellefontaine, into a successful hotel.
Though she has big plans for her new home, none of them involves falling in love – least of all with Fabien Coste, the handsome but arrogant owner of a nearby château.  As romance blossoms, eerie and strange happenings in Bellefontaine hint at a dark mystery of the Provençal countryside which dates back many centuries and holds an entanglement between the ladies of Bellefontaine and the ducs de Coste at its centre. As Amy works to unravel the mystery, she begins to wonder if it may not just be her heart at risk, but her life too. 

Monday 2 March 2015

Chick Lit Lovers Vol One - Publication Day

Chick Lit Lovers Vol One boxset.

If I said I was excited that A Jersey Kiss had been included by my brilliant publishers, Accent Press, in this incredibly gorgeous box set - Chick Lit Lovers Vol One - it would be an understatement of how thrilled I am to be in such great company.

I love reading books by Christina Jones, Jane Wenham-Jones, Jenny Kane and Lynne Barrett-Lee, and if you'd told me a year, or even a few weeks ago, that one of my books would be in a box set with theirs I wouldn't have believed you, but here it is - *whispers* and it's only £2.49 on Kindle at the moment.
Georgina X