Introducing…

Introducing Lynn Forth.

/ lizziechantree / 5 Comments

Welcome to today’s introducing post, where I introduce your to some amazing authors and creatives I have met over the last few years. Lynn Forth is a wonderful romance writer and her books make you want to keep turning page after page. I absolutely love the photo she has sent me to show us her personality. You can’t help but smile, as she really is such a flamboyant character! I enjoyed reading Lynn’s first book, Love in La La Land, as it’s beautifully written and packed full of fun and romance and can’t wait to find out more abut her latest book.

Lynn silly pic

Over to Lynn:

Although I’m a northern girl from Accrington, I have lived in Worcestershire for many years with my husband and family. But having gone to university in Yorkshire, I find it’s my northern roots that have inspired both my books.

My first book, Love in La La Land is a romantic comedy set in the glitzy world of Hollywood, where a down-to-earth Yorkshire lass, Jane Jones, is excited to see her novel being made into a film. But in this City of Stars, will she come to earth with a bump? Or can she write her own happy ending? As she negotiates this sleazy world of glittering parties, hovering paparazzi, and powerful movie tycoons, she has to decide who can be trusted and who can’t.

My latest book Love, Lies and Café au Lait was inspired by my first trip to Nice many years ago. I was sitting in a café delighting in all the sights and sounds of the famous Nice market when I had one of those blissful, goose-pimpling moments thinking about what’s a girl from Accrington doing in a swanky place like this. And years later, Annie’s story emerged from those imaginings.

At first, in Love, Lies and Café au Lait, when Annie has a chance to go to live in  cosmopolitan Nice, it seems like a dream come true, even if it does involve dog-sitting a pampered pooch for the winter.

But, once in France, despite trying to adopt a classy persona, Annie attracts the attention of all the wrong people: from Jacques, an attractive waiter, to Reen, a perma-tanned expat from the Costa del Sol.

And just who is the charming Monsieur Xavier who is so keen to befriend her? Dare she enlist his help to solve the mystery left behind by her France-obsessed mother?

Can Annie find her way through all the lies, intrigue and deception or is she just too nice for Nice?

Main cover pic

 

Website: lynnforthauthor.wordpress.com.

Twitter: @lynnforth

Facebook Page: Lynn Forth

Author Page: Lynn Forth Author

Lynn’s books are available as both eBook and paperback from Amazon

 myBook.to/LoveinLaLaLand1

mybook.to/LoveLiesandCafeauLait

 

21366824_1652990931407375_2015034935783565468_o

Introducing author Val Penny.

/ lizziechantree / 2 Comments

I have introduced you to the work of author Val Penny before, but today I’d like to let you know about her new book, Hunter’s Revenge. It’s the sequel to Hunter’s Chase and both are published by Crooked Cat Books. They follow the life of DI Hunter Wilson and once you start reading, you’ll want to keep going until you get to the last page.

Click the book photo to be taken to the Amazon, buy me now, page.

About Hunter’s Revenge:

Hunter by name – Hunter by nature: DI Hunter Wilson will not rest until his friend’s death is avenged. DI Hunter Wilson is called to the scene of a murder. He is shocked to find the victim is his friend and colleague, George Reinbold.

Who would want to harm the quiet, old man? Why was a book worth £23,000 delivered to him that morning? Why is the security in George’s home so intense?

Hunter must investigate his friend’s past as well as the present to identify George’s killer.

When a new supply of cocaine from Peru floods HMP Edinburgh and the city, the courier leads Hunter to a criminal gang, but Hunter requires the help of his nemesis, the former Chief Constable, Sir Peter Myerscough, and local gangster, Ian Thomson, to make his case.

Hunter’s perseverance and patience are put to the test time after time in this taut crime thriller.

Hunter’s Revenge is the second in Val Penny’s gripping crime series featuring DI Hunter Wilson.

Also in the series:   Hunter’s Chase

 

Author photo:

MacMillan Charity Danc Photo

Val Penny is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and two cats. She has a Law degree from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer. However she has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels. Her crime novels, ‘Hunter’s Chase’ and Hunter’s Revenge are set in Edinburgh, Scotland, published by Crooked Cat Books.

 

Author links:  

www.authorvalpenny.com

www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739

www.facebook.com/groups/296295777444303

https://twitter.com/valeriepenny

myBook.to/HuntersChase

myBook.to/HuntersRevenge

Introducing author Tom Halford.

/ lizziechantree / 10 Comments

Today it’s my great pleasure to introduce fellow Crooked Cat author Tom Halford to you. Tom has sent me a great photo and it looks like he’s really enjoying his book reading. If you grab your own copy, you will find out why! I have this book on my kindle and can’t wait to begin the first page now. Tom’s YouTube channel is worth visiting if you are a reader or writer as he posts lost of informative videos there too.

Jonathan's Picture

Meet Tom:

Tom Halford sandwiches his writing time between a busy work and home schedule. He and his wife, Melissa, have two kids, both of whom are also storytellers. Their daughter, who is 5, has had a play performed by The Story Pirates in New York City. Their son, who is two, can recite all of The Three Little Pigs.

Crime fiction with a twist of black comedy is Tom’s passion. His novel Deli Meat is a dark and disturbing work that features serial killers, a cult, and unexpected twists at every turn. His short-stories have been short-listed and long-listed for the CBC Literary Prizes, which is a national competition in Canada.

Holding a PhD in English Literature, Tom also studies fiction. He is currently working on a nonfiction piece about how the Scottish filmmaker Tom Gentle has adapted a short-story titled “In the Fall” by the Cape Breton author Alistair MacLeod. 

Tom lives on a remote island in the North Atlantic, where it begins to snow in October and doesn’t stop until May. That island is called Newfoundland. It’s home.

Link to Deli Meat

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FF5ZDKW?pf_rd_p

Link to my Twitter

https://twitter.com/tomhalfordnovel

Link to my Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/CyrilTrout

deli-meat

Introducing, Emma Jackson.

/ lizziechantree / 8 Comments

This week I’m thrilled to be able to introduce you to Essex Life Magazine’s book reviewer, Emma Jackson. I thought it would be really interesting to find out more about how she chooses books to review, what the pressures of her job are and what surprises her about the books she’s sent to read. I’ve been lucky enough to have two of my most recent books reviewed in this wonderfully glossy and popular magazine, so I asked Emma if she could share some insights with other authors, to help with their writing journey.

20180904_155843.jpg

1-How did you become a book reviewer for a magazine?

I was very lucky when I became a book reviewer, I had emailed a few magazines and the Essex Life was one that got in touch and I’ve been doing it for about four months.

 

2- What are the biggest pressures you face in your job?  

The biggest pressures I have in my job is reading and reviewing three books in a month as well as holding down a full time job and doing my coursework!

 

3- Do you have to read genres you don’t enjoy?

I’ve actually been lucky with the genres as I’m happy to read anything. I struggle more with history but I’ll still give it a go.

 

4- What makes a book stand out to you?

The books that stand out for me is when the front cover catches my eye with the captions on them, it gets my attention and and I’m instantly intrigued with the book.

 

5- What would make you put a book down and stop reading it?

The only things that make me want to put a book down is if it’s slow pacing and doesn’t flow, or if it’s got too much swearing in it. I know sometimes it’s if a character is portrayed that way and I understand that bit if it’s for the sake of it I’ll put it down. 

 

6- Have you got any tips for other writers for submissions to magazines? 

When you submit your submissions to a magazine, my tips are to write it and leave it for a couple of days, then go back to it and do the finalizing. Make sure that the guidelines, word count and genre etc are what they’ve asked for. 

 

7- How do you find time for other writing projects?

Finding time for my other writing projects is a nightmare! Though I did get told to spread my work out a bit and to set an alarm so I’m not over doing it.

 

8- What are your plans for your future writing career?

My plans for my future writing career would be to write and sell my own book/books and to carry on book reviewing.

 

9- Have you ever been really surprised by a book?

I’ve been surprised by many books but the ones that surprise me the most seem to be rom-coms as I’m not a particular big fan of them. 

 

10- What qualities do you look for an author to be showcased in a magazine? 

The qualities I look for in an Author to be showcased in a magazine is someone who is genuine, friendly and approachable. 

Not only do the book reviews Emma writes go in The Essex Life Magazine, but  she very kindly puts them on her Facebook page which is called Loulousbookpage. They also go on goodreads and Amazon. You can also find Emma on Twitter: Emma-Lou @loulousbookpage

Introducing author Paula Williams.

/ lizziechantree / 7 Comments

INTRODUCING…..  PAULA WILLIAMS

Paula Williams has been writing for as long as she can remember.  As a child she churned out plays and pageants, which she would then bully her unfortunate younger brothers into appearing in, something they still claim to be traumatised by to this day!

PWLyme.jpeg

For the last ten years she’s had a very successful career writing short stories and serials for magazines.  But her great love is crime fiction, both writing it and reading it.  She has done so since the age of 12 when her mother first introduced her to Agatha Christie.  She lives in Somerset, (UK), where her debut crime novel, Murder Served Cold, (the first in the Much Winchmoor Mystery series) is set.  In fact, the village of Much Winchmoor bears an uncanny resemblance to the village she lives in – although none of her neighbours are ruthless murderers… as far as she knows!

 

Paula Williams 6

BOOK LINK:

mybook.to/murderservedcold

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/paula.williams.author.

Twitter @paulawilliams44

Blog   paulawilliamswriter.wordpress.com

Website www.paulawilliamswriter.co.uk

Check out Paula’s blog at paulawilliamswriter.wordpress.com

Murder Served Cold. Crooked Cat Books. October 2018

 

 

 

 

Introducing Christie’s Crafts.

/ lizziechantree / 4 Comments

Today I’d like to introduce you to Christine. I met her via Twitter and she’s a regular visitor to my creative networking hour there called #CreativeBizHour She’s a talented designer and is here to tell you more about her beautiful work.

image1.jpeg

Meet Christine:

Hi there, I’m Christine and I’m the fairy ‘behind the scenes’ of Christie’s Crafts. I create custom-made fairy doors and accessories that give children a doorway into their very own Fairy Wonderland to start them on a magical, inspiring and creative journey!

Children have the most amazing imaginations and their creativity should always be supported and encouraged. Fantasy or pretend play is a fabulous way of doing this whilst at the same time giving them useful and amazing skills for their future so in 2016 I came up with the concept of a fairy doors and accessories business in order to give them the opportunity of developing these skills.

On my website you will find many of my custom-made fairy door designs, even some for teens and adults. Some of them even have 3D brick effect textures on them and I also create themed doors to cover any occasion. Each and every door, along with a wide choice of accessories is personally hand-painted by me and can also be personalised to suit. I hope you like what you see but on the off-chance you don’t, I do also take custom orders.

image2.jpeg

Reasons why fairy doors are great for kids and part of the reasons why I do this! 😀

Imagination – children can develop their imagination through fantasy or pretend play.

Creativity – fantasy or pretend play can help a child to develop creative thinking.

Self-expression – children are encouraged to make up stories or to even draw pictures for their fairies.

Language skills – children develop these skills though writing notes for their fairies and reading the fairies replies.

Recognition – fairies recognise children’s efforts and hard work and love to praise them and sometimes even give them a reward along with a little note – “I love it when you keep your room tidy as it makes it so much easier for me to come in and out through my fairy door” – “Well done for all your hard work at school”.

Fairies love to praise children’s efforts and hard work and sometimes give them a reward  – well done for all your hard work at school.

Emotional Support – fairies love to listen to and try to take away children’s worries and sometimes even grant children’s wishes.

Christine’s Website and Social Media Links –

https://christiecrafts.com

facebook.com/christiecrafts

twitter.com/christiecrafts

instagram.com/christie.crafts

pinterest.co.uk/christiescraft

image3.jpeg

Introducing Val Penny.

/ lizziechantree / Leave a comment
Today I have an author who writes crime novels that will make you have to keep turning the page to see what happens next. Introducing Val Penny.
MacMillan Charity Danc Photo.jpg
From Val:
I took early retirement when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. While I was being treated I had little energy to take part in my usual interests, swimming, yoga and travel. However, I did have energy to read and began my book review blog Val Penny’s Book Reviews . I then took the further step of beginning to write my first novel, ‘Hunter’s Chase’. It took me a long time to write, largely because I was so ill, but I had a great sense of achievement when I completed the work and had it published by Crooked Cat Books.
Since then, I have been keen to repay some of the kindness and support my husband and I received from Macmillan Cancer during my recovery. I have arranged annual charity dinner dances in our village with two of my friends and we have raised money for the charity. The photo I have included is of one of these events. on that occasion our guest of honour who handed out the raffle prizes was Miss Teen Scotland.

 

Author contact details

www.authorvalpenny.com

www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739

www.facebook.com/groups/296295777444303

https://twitter.com/valeriepenny

Book buy links

myBook.to/HuntersChase

myBook.to/HuntersRevenge

Introducing… Sarahlyn Bruck

/ lizziechantree / 1 Comment
Today it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Sarahlyn Bruck, who writes contemporary women’s fiction and lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter. She is the author of DESIGNER YOU, published by Crooked Cat Books on August 31, 2018. She has an MA in English from Cal State Los Angeles and teaches writing and literature as an associate professor at a local community college. She also coaches writers for Author Accelerator.
DESIGNER YOU is Sarahlyn’s debut novel, and she is hard at work on her next book.
sarahlyn_bruck
SARAHLYN BRUCK

 

Author of Designer You
Crooked Cat Books, August 31, 2018

Book buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DH6B38H

designer_you.jpg

Introducing… Heidi Catherine.

/ lizziechantree / 6 Comments

I can’t wait to introduce you to the wonderful lady who is joining me on my introducing page today, author of the Soulweaver series of books, Heidi Catherine. I must also say that this is my favourite author photo so far!

Bungy

Hello, my name is Heidi Catherine and I’m the author of The Soulweaver series. When Lizzie Chantree asked me to find a photo of myself that hasn’t appeared anywhere else and tells you something about my personality, I knew exactly which one to dig up. This is me back in 1998 when I was a bit younger and whole lot crazier! I was in Cairns in Far North Queensland, Australia, and decided to conquer my fears by jumping off a bridge. Totally normal, right? It may look like I’m smiling in this photo, but that’s actually me gripped with terror. I’ve always liked this photo as conquering fears is something that I think is really important in life. Whether it’s getting up in front of a large group to speak, going to a party where I don’t know anybody or writing a book and sharing it with the world, I’ll give most things a go at least once if I think I can learn something from the experience. My debut novel, The Soulweaver, was published earlier this year and was quickly followed by the second and third books in the series. It’s a fantasy romance about loving the same souls over many lifetimes. Having these books published has been a thrilling ride (far preferable to bungy jumping!). I live in Melbourne with my husband, two sons and two furry daughters and can be found lurking on all the usual social media channels. Please stop past and say hello!
Trilogy.jpg

The Blurb for the first book is:

She’s loved and lost him a hundred times across a thousand years. She can’t bear to lose him again.

Lin’s dreams are haunted by faces of people she’s never met. Unable to shake the feeling she’s lived before, she’s drawn to Reinier—a stranger whose soul is heartbreakingly familiar from a time gone by.

Reinier helps Lin unravel the mystery of her past life as Hannah, a girl who sacrificed herself for her true love, Matthew. As Lin falls hopelessly in love with Reinier, her memories of her life as Hannah sharpen and she finds herself unable to let go of Matthew.

With her heart torn in two, Lin must decide whether she should stand by Reinier’s side or track down Matthew and fight for his love. What she doesn’t know is that her decision will ripple across our troubled planet, affecting far more lives than just her own.

Winner of Romance Writers of Australia’s Emerald Pro award, The Soulweaver is a story that will change the way you see the world.

Links:

Introducing… Awen Thornber

/ lizziechantree / 7 Comments

Today I am welcoming author and poet Awen Thornber onto my introducing blog. Awen has had rave reviews for her work and I can’t wait for you to find out more about her.

Meet Awen

Awen Thornber

Awen is formerly a textile artist and design consultant for a craft company, she produced craft projects and articles for magazines, and had a regular craft column in the UK magazine ‘Northern Life’. She is always looking for inspiration to spark her creative mind and currently devotes her time to writing novels. Born and bred in Lancashire, England, Awen also loves walking, painting, ballroom and ballet dancing.

Foxtrot in Freshby, book blurb:  (My note: I have just read and reviewed this book and it’s fabulous!) 

When dance teacher Gina Pendleton throws her cheating boyfriend out of her house, she must find a way of earning extra money to pay the bills. The obvious answer is to offer dance classes at her home, even though she knows this will incur the wrath of the owner of the local well-established dance school.

Her life becomes even more fraught when she is targeted by vandals and intruders.

After she meets Chris Jackson, it doesn’t take her long to realise that he is the man of her dreams, especially as he’s also a wonderful dancing partner.

But can she really trust him when it appears that he is hiding something from her?

 

Threads of Awen, book blurb:

This anthology is a collection of supernatural, uncanny or mysterious short stories and both comic and serious poems, all interspersed with short flashes of fiction.

Threads of Awen showcases the author as storyteller and entertainer.

Threads of Awen.png

Foxtrot in Freshby.png