Thursday 19 November 2015

Jersey Writers' Books at Christmas Fayres

Jersey Xmas Fayres.

I've been contacted by lots of locals and holidaymakers to the island who've tried to buy my books in the shops here - many thanks to them for trying - but at the present time they aren't available. So when the opportunity arose through the Jersey Writers to sell my books at a couple of the local Xmas Fayres, I jumped at the chance.

Thanks to Shelagh Marrett for arranging for us to be represented at these Xmas Fayres, my fellow Jersey Writers and I will be able to sell our books in the island - that is, if they arrive here in time! The printers have sent them to Accent Press head office instead of to me... So, I'll be waiting, hoping, and willing them to arrive here in time for the first Christmas Fayre where we'll also be selling our Once Upon An Island anthology.

The Jersey Writers' anthology offers a glimpse into Jersey's history and the people who have lived it. 'Once Upon an Island' contains stories from prehistoric to contemporary times with tales of murder, love, wartime and peace. 25% of profits will go to Jersey Heritage.

You can find the Jersey Writers here:

Saturday, 28 November at the Central Market from 8am - 4.30pm

Saturday, 19 December - Central Market 7.30am - 5.30pm

If you can't make it to one of these fayres the books are available on Amazon. Here's the link to my author page where you'll find my books, together with the anthology.

You can follow the Jersey Writers on Facebook and Twitter (@JerseyWriters1) follow us and we'll follow you right back.

Georgina X

Tuesday 17 November 2015

The Importance of Researching for my Novels by Judith Barrow

As part of the blog tour for her latest book, Living in the Shadows, Judith Barrow has popped over to my blog today to let us know the importance of researching her novels. Over to you, Judith.

I don’t think it occurred to me not to research for any of my novels. For them to come alive for my readers I needed the world that my characters lived in to be believable; to be real. How could I write Pattern of Shadows, a story set during the war, if I didn’t know what it was like to live with the hardship, the fear, even the attitude of the great British “stiff upper lip” and the determination to live life to the full against the background of a World War? Or portray realistic characters unless they were shown to exist in an authentic, convincing world of rationing and “make do” that was Britain in the nineteen fifties; the background of the sequel, Changing Patterns.

So, when I set out to write this last book of the trilogy, Living in the Shadows, I started with a whole raft of research under my belt that had taken me months to collect and study.

Set in 1969, the background for Living in the Shadows, had a particular fascination for me. I grew up in a small village in the Pennines; well away from the excitement and razzmatazz that the sixties brought; the music of the Beatles, the fashions and lifestyles of Twiggy, Mary Quant, Jean Shrimpton, Mods and Rockers, and the concept of the culture of “free love”, brought about by the emergence of Hippies. It was a world I viewed from a distance. In a household where newspapers were banned and televisions came and went back to Radio Rentals at the drop of a hat and on my father’s whim, I only read about these things in covertly bought magazines. It was some years before it all became a reality for me. 1969 to be exact!

Consequently researching for Living in the Shadows was as time consuming and absorbing as it was for the first two books.

To imagine the places that my characters move between, I made maps of both Ashford, the Lancashire town, and Llamroth, the Pembrokeshire village. Each location is complete with street names, pubs, churches and parks. Ashford also has the railways, the canal and the Granville; the Prisoner of War camp that is, in one way or another, the backdrop of all three novels.  By pinning the maps on the notice board in my study, I can see each scene in my mind.

I also have files for all three novels, sub divided into various topics such as: World News, Politics, Laws, Current Culture, Money, Fashions (for men and women), Hairstyles, Houses (in this I include household equipment/ styles/ furniture etc.), Food, Education, Shops, Entertainment (cinema films, dances  etc.), Transport, Children, Toys, Names.

I think names are so important; think of characters called Bertha or Hilda and then one of Kylie – conjures up a whole new image doesn’t it?

And talking of images, I’ve collected photographs from every era I’ve written about. Having a picture of a street, a house, or a fashion, makes it simpler to describe every time. A detail here, a feature there, all add to the realism of a setting, of an event.

It’s beguiling stuff, this research. And that’s the danger; sometimes, before I realise it, I’ve spent hours, drifting from one enthralling area of study to another.

My books are family sagas. I like to think of them as life stories; they cross other genres: crime fiction, romance, historical fiction. Whatever they are, they’ve needed research. Taken as stand-alone books or as the trilogy, I always know when I've done enough research to bring my characters to life in their setting. And it’s only then that I start to write.

BUY LINKS: AMAZON UK & Honno https://twitter.com/barrow_judith

GIVEAWAY: 3 copies of the book (open internationally) 
 
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Monday 16 November 2015

Death Before Decaf by Caroline Fardig

Out today!

 

Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich and Diane Mott Davidson, Caroline Fardig’s captivating new mystery novel takes readers behind the counter of a seemingly run-of-the-mill coffeehouse . . . where murder is brewing.
 
After her music career crashes and burns spectacularly, Juliet Langley is forced to turn to the only other business she knows: food service. Unfortunately, bad luck strikes yet again when her two-timing fiancé robs her blind and runs off with her best waitress. Flushing what’s left of her beloved café down the toilet with her failed engagement, Juliet packs up and moves back to her college stomping grounds in Nashville to manage an old friend’s coffeehouse. At first glance, it seems as though nothing’s changed at Java Jive. What could possibly go wrong? Only that the place is hemorrhaging money, the staff is in open revolt, and Juliet finds one unlucky employee dead in the dumpster out back before her first day is even over.
 
The corpse just so happens to belong to the cook who’d locked horns with Juliet over the finer points of the health code. Unimpressed with her management style, the other disgruntled employees are only too eager to spill the beans about her fiery temper to the detective on the case. Add to the mix a hunky stranger who’s asking way too many questions, and suddenly Juliet finds herself in some very hot water. If she can’t simmer down and sleuth her way to the real killer, she’s going to get burned.




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Twitter:  @carolinefardig

Wednesday 4 November 2015

Seized By Love by Melissa Foster Blog Tour


YOU FELL IN love with Blue Ryder and Lizzie Barber in Seaside Summers, now follow their journey to find true love in SEIZED BY LOVE, the first book in the Ryder series. 
 
Lizzie Barber runs a successful flower shop by day and secretly hosts the Naked Baker webcast at night to help pay for her younger sister’s education. To keep friends and family from finding out about her sexy secret, she’s put her social life on hold until her sister’s education is paid off and she can stop filming the webcast.

Blue Ryder fell hard for Lizzie Barber when he met her a year ago, and he hasn’t been able to get her off his mind since. Everything about the feisty little brunette, from her tight bod to her seductive smile, cuts straight to his heart. Though Lizzie has turned down every invitation he’s extended—Blue is not about to give up trying.

Renovating Lizzie’s kitchen brings Blue further into Lizzie’s life, and the oven is not the only thing heating up. One night and one powerful kiss changes everything. But when Lizzie’s secret is revealed and the safe bubble she’s hidden in shatters, true love may not be enough to put the pieces back together.

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About Melissa Foster

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the  World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on  Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine. 

Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.

Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

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GIVEAWAY

2 ebooks – Seaside Dreams
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