Thank you for dropping by my blog. I post about a variety of topics including book reviews, my author journey, the writing craft and more. All my blog posts are listed below, but if you fancy looking at a particular topic, you can check the drop down menu on 'blog' on my main site menu. New blog posts added weekly, Monday or Tuesday afternoons GMT. Hope you enjoy!
Hi everyone, this week I’m reviewing Battle for the Black Queen by Niamh and Rebecca Schmid. It’s the latest in their TetraWorld series combining medieval fantasy, steampunk and sci-fi. I love this series, so it’s no great surprise I loved their latest entry! You’ll see my review below but for now, here’s the blurb to give you a flavour of the book: The Blurb Astra is safe in Litash….Or is she? After her presence is revealed to the Court of Litash,
Hi everyone, this week I’m reviewing The Last Act by Deborah Klee. Needless to say I really enjoyed this book, but before I get into the review, here’s a blurb to give you a flavour: The Last Act – The Blurb It is 1980 and Jojo Evans is living the dream. Perfect job, perfect man, perfect life – but is it all an illusion?Jojo doesn’t think so – she cannot believe her good fortune, working as magician’s assistant to her charismatic boyfriend, The
Hi everyone, this week I thought I’d update you on the author goals I set way back in January 2023. How I’m doing with them all, how many I’ve met or whether I’ve got any goals left to meet now we’ve hit September. 1. Publish my 3rd novel in my series Excitingly, just over two months ago, I hit this goal! My small press published The Reckoning of Rheged, back at the end of June. The publication process ended up being
When my husband and I went on holiday a couple of weeks ago to Northumberland, I didn’t realise it would become a research trip! Northumberland is a place I’ve always wanted to visit. I’ve mentioned visiting Cumbria a lot. Not just because of it is a stunning location, but because it is the modern-day equivalent of Rheged, the setting of much of my historical fiction series. Northumberland, then, is where much of the enemy kingdom, Bernicia, was based. A big battle
Hi, everyone, today on the blog I’m interviewing romance author Elizabeth Holland! Elizabeth Holland’s Writing Journey Introduce yourself! Tell us where you are in the world and what you like to write?EH: Hi! I’m Elizabeth Holland from England and I write romance. Specifically, I like to write escapism romance. My debut novel was The Vintage Bookshop of Memories and has a sequel Christmas at the Vintage Bookshop of Memories. I also have another vintage-themed book, The Cornish Vintage Dress Shop (this
Hi everyone, this week I’m reviewing ‘A Spring Fling at Hotel Mayfair’ by Elizabeth Holland. I was delighted to receive a free copy of this novel in exchange for giving an honest review. Before you hear my thoughts, here’s the blurb to give you a flavour: A Spring Fling – The Blurb Carrie loves her job as a patisserie chef at Lachlan McLeod’s castle, but she’s restless and feels suffocated by the remote location. She craves the excitement of London and
Hi everyone, today I’m discussing success as an author and how we can measure it in different ways. In particular, I thought my recent book launch would be an apt time to talk about it. Book 3 in my Dark Ages historical fiction series, The Reckoning of Rheged, came out just over two weeks ago. (You can check it out here!) It had been a long time coming – I’m small press, so my the publication process took about two years.
Hi everyone, today on the blog I’m reviewing Surviving the Last Refuge by R.R. Hutchinson. This was a really unique and enjoyable fantasy. More of my thoughts below, but for now, here’s a blurb to give you a flavour. Surviving the Last Refuge – the blurb What are you to do when the world freezes over? Survival is all that matters. Only the lucky few from around the world who found their way through a honeycomb of caves and stumbled upon
Hi everyone, today I’m giving you more of a glimpse of The Reckoning of Rheged, due to be published 29th June! You can check out the book trailer a bit later on too. The Reckoning of Rheged is the third novel in my Dark Ages historical fiction series. The series is set in the real historical kingdom of Rheged, which is the modern equivalent of Cumbria. (If you’re interested in more about the history, you can check out this blog post).
Hi everyone, this week I’m thinking about planning a book launch. It’s quite timely for me, since my third novel The Reckoning of Rheged is coming out on 29th June! (So excited! Why not start The Boy from the Snow, book one in the series today?) We had a great discussion about book launches at #FriSalon, a weekly writing chat 5group. There’s a lot that is involved in launching a novel, so I thought I’d share some thoughts. 1. Plan your