Daily smiles.

Hello everyone. How are you? I’ve finally sent book two back to my editor for the second round of edits and am starting book 3 in my most recent series, which is based in Cherry Blossom Lane. I’ve been trying to be more active on social media and have been making lots of Instagram, Facebook and TikTok posts, which has been a learning curve. It’s given me the chance to chat to some new readers and subscribers, so I’m really enjoying it too.

The next writing buddy session I’m hosting with fellow author, Chris Penhall, at Fete cafe in Chelmsford, Essex, will be on the 16th March. Details can be found here.

Here are some memes I’ve made to hopefully make you smile today. Feel free to drop me a message or comment to let me know what you’re working on, or reading, at the moment. Have a great week! From Lizzie. x

February word count.

Hello everyone. I haven’t posted here for a while. How are you all? I’ve been working on the second book in the Cherry Blossom Lane series and have just received the first edits back from my editor. The book is called, The One That He Wants and is the second book in the series to My Perfect Ex. It’s always exciting and nerve wracking to open that email to see what she says! Luckily she loves the story and is looking forward to book three. Phew! Here are some gorgeous reviews from book 1: ‘Loved it!’ ‘A wonderful read.’ ‘Beautifully written and thoroughly enjoyed.’

I’m trying to be more organised this year, so I bought myself two huge wall planners for my office and home and I’m using it as a visual prompt to get on with book promotion and stop procrastinating. I’ve held a couple of writing buddy sessions that I run with fellow romance author, Chris Penhall, recently and the daytime session was fully booked, which was exciting. It warms my heart to hear about the different ways people write, what they are working on and also that writing buddies might help them to get words onto paper in some way. We hire the top floor of a gorgeous coffee shop and encourage people to write with two 30 minute writing sprints, a coffee break to network and a chat at the end about how people are. There are no word count pressures and we don’t check anyone’s work, it is purely to write alongside other creatives for a couple of hours. We have people writing books, comedy, short stories, poetry, articles and more. The weather has been dreary, so it’s always a mad dash to keep our computers and manuscripts dry if we are going to the coffee shop. I tend to write by hand at first, so I always have pages and pages of paper with me.

I’ve been chatting to people on social media a lot recently and I’m enjoying hearing about what everyone is reading. I’ve just started reading a lovely book called Patches through time by Sian Turner, who is a member of my book group, Lizzie’s Book Group, on Facebook. I’ve also just finished a book by Sue Moorcroft, called An Italian Island Summer, which is a beautiful read.

Have a great week everyone! From Lizzie. x

 

Free and bargain romance reads.

Hi everyone. I have some deals for BlackFriday and Cyber Monday, that i’d love to share with you. Finding Gina is free for a couple more days and  If you love me i’m yours, Babe Driven and The woman who felt invisible are all 99p/99c  until Monday evening. Usual price: £2.99/$3.99.

Researchers at the University of Sussex found reading for just six minutes may reduce stress by up to 68%!

If that’s not an excuse for some ‘me time’, I don’t know what is! 🙂

Universal book buy link: Finding Gina: viewbook.at/FindingGina
Book blurb:

If you enjoy irresistible humour, warmth and romance, you’ll love this gorgeous magical adventure. From the international bestselling author of, My Perfect Ex.

After taking a wrong turn in the road, Gina parked her little campervan on the front lawn of a beautiful English manor house and sighed in relief. No one knew her here, so perhaps she could stop running from her past and give her heart time to heal.

Fledgling wedding events owner and heir to the estate, Toby, needed someone to help him run the business and fast. If he didn’t make money this year, then his aunt’s legacy might crumble to the ground, around him.

From his little cottage on the estate grounds, Lewis read another provincial story about a ‘guardian angel’ who had been helping families across the country and his reporter’s nose began to itch. He was sure that is he could track down the girl they were talking about, he would unearth an even bigger story. He just had to work out how to locate her and then find out what it was she was running from.

‘A SWEET ROMANCE FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO BE SWEPT AWAY BY A GOOD CHICK-LIT READ WITH A CAST OF COLOURFUL CHARACTERS AND SATISFYING HAPPILY EVER AFTERS.’

★★★★★ ‘Magic! This book is like a warm cup of coffee with some magic stars sprinkled on top.’ – Heidi Reads

Universal book buy link: If you love me, I’m yours: mybook.to/IfYouLoveMe

Universal book buy link: Babe Driven: viewbook.at/BabeDriven

The woman who felt invisible: viewbook.at/InvisibleWoman

 

 

 

New book release, by M J Mallon.

Thank you Lizzie, today I would like to share my latest release – Do What You Love  – Fragility of Your Flame, Poems, Photography & Flash Fiction.

 

 

 Blurb

 Do What You Love Fragility of Your Flame Poems, Photography & Flash Fiction is a personal poetry collection celebrating how the fates may have a part in all that we do.

With special poems and short reflective moments inspired by family, flowers and nature, love, scrumptious morsels, places I’ve visited, lived and intend to live in, the friendships and hopes I have for the future.

The overarching theme is to live a life well lived… And to do what you love.

float along with me

create clouds of sweetest joy

to do what you love

hold fate’s hand as we venture

near and far on life’s journey 

Release Date: 25th November 2022, currently on preorder until then. Available to buy via the following links. 

Buy Links Do What You Love:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BKLC9DYY/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/What-You-love-Fragility-Photography-ebook/dp/B0BKLC9DYY/

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/What-You-love-Fragility-Photography-ebook/dp/B0BKLC9DYY/

Excerpt – This one is especially for you Lizzie as I know you love dogs… I had the pleasure of looking after this little fellow, Zog. Just one of my reminiscences that I share in Do What You Love.

ZOG THE GENTLEMAN DOG


Zog spiced up the days

warming our hearts with his charm

he sugared our attention

making friends, leaving presents,

such a gentleman dog, Zog. 

© 2022 M J Mallon

I am thrilled to say that two of my poetry collections, (Mr. Sagittarius and Lockdown Innit,) have been requested by prestigious libraries in the UK: The British Library, The Bodleian Library Oxford University, the Cambridge University Library, National Library of Scotland, National Library of Wales and Trinity College Dublin for Legal Deposit.

Add the book to your TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63114445-do-what-you-love

The cover of the paperback and kindle have been designed by Colleen Chesebro who has a new service for authors which I can highly recommend. Colleen also designed the interior and cover of The Hedge Witch And The Musical Poet.

https://unicorncatspubservices.wordpress.com/my-services

Portfolio:
https://unicorncatspubservices.wordpress.com/portfolio

https://wordcraftpoetry.com/unicorn-cats-publishing-services/

Other poetry/flash fiction collections:

Kyrosmagica Publishing

The Hedge Witch And The Musical Poet

https://books2read.com/u/mv1OeV

Mr. Sagittarius Poetry and Prose

http://mybook.to/MrSagittarius

Anthology – This Is Lockdown, (poetry, diaries and flash fiction – kindle)

http://mybook.to/Thisislockdown

Poetry during Lockdown – Lockdown Innit

 http://mybook.to/Lockdowninnit

Poetry also features in my highly acclaimed YA Fantasy series.  Each chapter begins with a short poem. The Curse of Time Book 1 Bloodstone and Book 2 Golden Healer are published by Next Chapter Publishing.

https://www.nextchapter.pub/books/bloodstone

https://www.nextchapter.pub/books/golden-healer

https://www.nextchapter.pub/authors/mj-mallon

Author Bio

M J Mallon was born in Lion city Singapore, a passionate Scorpio with the Chinese Zodiac sign of a lucky rabbit. She spent her early childhood in Hong Kong. During her teen years, she returned to her father’s childhood home, Edinburgh where she spent many happy years, entertained and enthralled by her parents’ vivid stories of living and working abroad. Perhaps it was during these formative years that her love of storytelling began bolstered by these vivid raconteurs. She counts herself lucky to have travelled to many far-flung destinations and this early wanderlust has fuelled her present desire to emigrate abroad. Until that wondrous moment, it’s rumoured that she lives sometimes in the UK, and often times in Portugal.. Her two enchanting daughters have flown the nest but often return with a cheery smile to greet her.

Her motto is to always do what you love, stay true to your heart’s desires, and inspire others to do so too.

Guest author – Rachel Brimble.

Books by Rachel Brimble

It’s my great pleasure to introduce today’s guest author, Rachel Brimble.

Rachel lives in a small town near Bath, England. She is the author of 29 novels including the Ladies of Carson Street trilogy, the Shop Girl series (Aria Fiction) and the Templeton Cove Stories (Harlequin). Her latest novel, Victoria & Violet is the first book in her new Royal Maids series with the Wild Rose Press and released 17th October 2022.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association as well as the Historical Novel Society and has thousands of social media followers all over the world.

   

Inspiration – settings/characters/plots…

The most common question authors get asked by readers and interviewers is how or where we find inspiration for our stories.

The simple answer is…Inspiration is everywhere! Snippets of conversation, news articles, TV programmes and movies, your experiences/others experiences, places, history. I could go on, so how about I talk about one aspect at a time??

Setting

Setting is where the majority of my stories begin to take shape in my imagination. I love visiting modern and historical places, looking for new story ideas. I’m lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the UK. Wiltshire is rich with history, phenomenal countryside and beautiful villages. I am also lucky enough to live just a short thirty minute drive from the famous Georgian city of Bath.

There are so many places that inspire me – from churches and cathedrals to the tiny hidden hamlets which hold an abundance of secrets in my imagination. I love wandering around Bath and contemplating the generations of people who have lived in such a wonderful city, the struggles they faced and conquered. I ask myself, “Who lived here?” “Who fought here?” “Who fell in love here?” “Who lost a loved one here?” And then, “Why?” “When?” “How?”

Characters

Many writers start their stories with a character or two, especially in romance, but the characters are rarely my starting point. Occasionally, I will hear a voice or a line of dialogue and have to explore who said it and why, but it is usually a case of me finding the characters to fit my story idea.

I trawl the Internet looking for pictures of famous actors or models who will be my hero and heroine (and villain if I have one!). Once a face catches my eye, I know I’ve found my character. Then I complete a full character sketch looking for how they will fit into the premise of my story. The sketches usually produce their goals, internal motivation and conflict. Then comes the plotting…

Plot

I try to make the hero and heroine’s goals conflict to provide solid obstacles for them to overcome during their journey and romance. The most important element of storytelling, and the aspect that runs throughout the book, is the characters’ internal conflict/their biggest fear or pain point. Whatever is difficult for the characters to get past is usually what is holding them back from reaching their full potential and/or happy ever after. Everything revolves around finding a way for these characters to grow and change.

So, there you have it! That is a whistle-stop tour of story inspiration.

In my latest novel, Victoria & Violet, I have included real characters and events so certain aspects of the story were already written in history, but it is really the romance between my hero and heroine, Violet and James that makes up the crux of the novel. These two were entirely drawn from my imagination and were an absolute joy to write.

I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Rachel x

Blurb & buy link for Victoria & Violet:

It should be a dream come true to serve the Queen of England…

When Violet Parker is told she will be Queen Victoria’s personal housemaid, she cannot believe her good fortune. She finally has the chance to escape her overbearing mother, a servant to the Duchess of Kent.

Violet hopes to explore who she is and what the world has to offer without her

mother’s schemes overshadowing her every thought and action.

Then she meets James Greene, assistant to the queen’s chief political adviser, Lord Melbourne. From entirely different backgrounds and social class, Violet and James should have neither need nor desire to speak to one another, yet through their service, their paths cross and their lives merge—as do their feelings.

Only Victoria’s court is not always the place for romance, but rather secrets, scandals, and conspiracies…

BUY: https://geni.us/u0GmS5

To sign up for her newsletter (a guaranteed giveaway every month!), click here: https://bit.ly/3zyH7dt

Website: https://bit.ly/3wH7HQs

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3AQvK0A

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3i49GZ3

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3lTQZbF

To buy Rachel’s books, click here

That’s the Spirit!

Today we are celebrating the book launch of, That’s the Spirit! by Mallory Pierce which is a brilliant new paranormal cozy mystery.

BOOK BLURB:

He’s on a deadline; she’s just . . . dead.

Brought back from the other side by a séance, Gwendolyn Frink has been roaming the halls of her family’s Victorian house for more than a century. She can’t communicate with the living, she can’t leave the premises, and she can’t stand feeling useless.

Enter Nolan Drake, aka the Guru of Gore. Suffering from a wicked case of writer’s block, the best-selling horror author purchases the empty Victorian, thinking a change of scenery from Manhattan to upstate New York might get his creative juices flowing again.

Gwen is thrilled to have a new housemate even when he turns out to be an antisocial, coffee-guzzling grump—spectral beggars can’t be choosers, right?

Nolan is not thrilled when he discovers his real estate agent’s dead body in the attic of the Victorian along with its resident ghost—a very talkative, opinionated ghost who insists on him helping her solve the murder of Morgan Charles.

Can this unlikely investigative duo crack the case so that the streets of Woebrook will be safe for the town’s annual Festival of Frights? Or will they run afoul of the wrong person, dooming them both to haunt the Victorian, and drive each other batty, for eternity?

If you enjoy sassy sleuths and supernatural shenanigans, That’s the Spirit! is the book for you! It’s similar in tone and content to the works of Paranormal Cozy Mystery authors Angie Fox, Erin Huss, and Annabel Chase.

UNIVERSAL BUY LINK FOR AMAZON. BOOK IS AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK, KINDLE UNLIMITED, AND PAPERBACK: https://mybook.to/ThatstheSpirit

AUTHOR BIO: Mallory Pierce is a third-generation graveyard enthusiast (tombstones tell such interesting stories!), reader of Nancy Drew, player of Clue, devout dissectologist (look it up!), and the owner of several fetching trench coats. So, it makes perfect sense that she spends her days writing stories about a plucky, crime-solving ghost.

Despite having visited haunted houses from San Jose to Savannah, Mallory has yet to have a close encounter with anyone from the Great Beyond and that’s probably for the best because she’s sort of a wimp. Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone.

That’s the Spirit! is the first of what will hopefully be many Paranormal Cozy Mysteries penned by Mallory Pierce, which is a pseudonym of award-winning Romantic Comedy author Tracie Banister.

CONNECT WITH MALLORY:

Author Newsletter: https://paranormalcozyauthor.eo.page/zknn4

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MalloryPAuthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MalloryPierceAuthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mallorypierceauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22864022.Mallory_Pierce

99p deal for one more day!

Hi everyone. I thought I’d post to let you know that the first book in my new series is just 99p for one more day.  I have had a great time at a book group author takeover today and made some posts for the group, which I hope they enjoyed. It’s always such  fun to chat with the members of book groups.  I wrote posts with captions about certain parts of the story and it brought memories back of writing these characters.

The little cupcake shop by the sea, is about Fern. She runs a beautiful cupcake shop and has a rather unusual boyfriend, but after meeting some long lost family, she realises that perhaps there is more to life than waiting at the end of a phone for someone who cares more about himself than about the person he’s dating.

When Fern finally takes a leap of faith and buys her new cupcake shop, it comes with a sitting tenant and a flourishing surf shop next door. The problem is that the owner of the surf shop, handsome local man, Jessie, also wanted to buy the property and Jessie feels that Fern has swept the opportunity out from under is feet and has somehow been underhand.

Book 1, The little ice cream shop by the sea, is in an Amazon Kindle Deal for September, which means the price switches back to £2.99 on the 1st October.  Book 2, The little cupcake shop by the sea,  is available now.

Grab your copy here: 

Universal book buy link: The little ice cream shop by the sea: viewbook.at/IceCreamShopByTheSea

Universal book buy link: The little cupcake shop by the sea: viewbook.at/LittleCupcakeShopBySea

A feel-good romance to fall in love with.

Out today. My first ever sequel publishes today. It has been very last minute and I’m not holding a book launch out of respect for our incredible Queen, who inspired us with her strength every day and who will be sadly missed by so many.

I hope that this book finds its way to my lovely readers and that they enjoy the sandy beaches, delicious cupcakes and gorgeous new characters.  The little cupcake shop by the sea has been written because my readers asked for a sequel. That made my heart soar and I’m so happy that I could continue Genie’s story and introduce you to Fern’s background. Surf shop owner, Jessie, is not impressed by his new landladies when they take over the lease of his shop and film star, Brad, does not take other men vying for the attention of his secret girlfriend very well.

Grab your copy of book 2 in this series here! Book 1 is just 99p in an Amazon Kindle Deal during September, so if you haven’t read that yet, treat yourself to a bargain with one-click. Usual ebook price, £2.99/$3.99

Book blurb:

A seaside escape, filled with new beginnings and magical settings. Will moving to a sun kissed coast lead Fern to love? From the bestselling author of The little ice cream shop by the sea.

When a broken relationship takes Fern on a journey to find out more about her family, it’s a chance to put heartache behind her. She quickly falls in love with a beautiful cove and adjoining shops which awaken her dream of a cupcake and cocktail café by the sea, but an emotional revelation and a handsome but grumpy new tenant make her question her past decisions.

Genie is excited about the new café and the arrival of Fern, but is trying to balance the demands of a famous boyfriend and her unpredictable family.

Jessie wakes up one day to find he has a new landlady for his surf shop, which makes him furious. But the more time he spends with Fern, it’s clear that they have a connection that neither of them can deny.

Can Fern find the courage to tell both Jessie and Genie about her past? And if she does, will she get the lasting love she’s been dreaming of?

I’m running a prize giveaway for this book, which is a beautiful canvas book bag and a signed paperback copy of the little cupcake shop by the sea. There will be two winners, each winning a book bag and a signed book.

To enter, just post a photo of one of my books or ebooks that you own, to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or TikTok and tag me into say hi so that I can see it. If you send the image via Twitter, then i’ll happily retweet the post to my lovely followers. I talk a lot about books and writing on my Twitter page, so it’s a fun place to stop by for a chat. My social media links are here:

Twitter: @Lizzie_Chantree

Facebook: @LizzieChantree

Instagram: @Lizzie_Chantree

TikTok: @Lizzie_Chantree

The winners will be selected by midday on the 2nd October and notified. T’s & C’s are on my prize page. Competition open worldwide.

 

Writing Buddies. Fête Café. Chelmsford.

Happy September everyone. This month I’ll be running my second writing buddy session with fellow author, Christine Penhall, at Fête Café in Chelmsford, Essex. U.K. After a brief introduction, we have a 30 minute writing sprint, then a coffee/cake/water break with pre-ordered refreshments from the café downstairs. This is followed by a further 30 minute writing sprint and 20 minutes to chat about your work or talk to other authors and make connections.

There are only ten spaces remaining for this event. 

It doesn’t matter if you are a new or established writer, it’s just a fun way to write in a relaxed environment. The aim is to bring likeminded people together, to write, support and share creative ideas.

 

It was great fun last time, with lots of words being put onto paper, or computer and contacts being made. If you are in the area and would like to join us, then the session is free to attend, you just need to book a space via the café website and this link: https://www.exploretock.com/fetegraysyard/event/356097/free-writing-buddy-meet-up

Treat yourself to a copy of, The little ice cream shop by the sea, for just 99p this month as part of a Kindle Deal! 

Book two in the series, out soon. 

Hunter’s Chase by Val Penny.

Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog today, Lizzie. I am delighted to have a chance to tell you and your readers about Hunter’s Chase, the first novel in my series of The DI Hunter Wilson Thrillers.

I have been writing and telling stories all my life. When I was a child, I was inspired to make up stories for my little sister after our Mum put the light out and told us to go to sleep. Later, I wrote documents, contracts, and courses as part of my job, but my time was well accounted for, so I did not create any fiction.

However, I took early retirement when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and there were times when I suffered severe side effects from my treatment. I could not go out, spend time with friends or indulge in many of my favourite hobbies, but watching daytime television got very old very fast, so I turned to reading. It was the only thing I had the energy to do and could do safely.

I read voraciously, as I always have. I particularly enjoy reading crime fiction and thrillers. I indulged this interest with many novels including those by Peter Robinson, Ian Rankin, Linwood Barclay and Kathy Reichs.

After a while, I began to feel a little better and decided to start reviewing the books I read in a blog www.bookreviewstoday.info I enjoyed doing that. Then, as I began to feel better still, I got restless, but was not still well enough to do very much and I complained to my long-suffering husband about getting bored. It was then he challenged me: ‘If you know so much about what makes a good book, why don’t you write one?’ I did laugh. However, with the challenge set, the inspiration given, and I have been writing police procedural crime thrillers set in Scotland ever since.

In fact, I have just moved publishers to the stable of Spellbound Books. They will publish the first book in the series The DI Hunter Wilson Thrillers on 20. August.2022. The main character is Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson in Hunter’s Chase. My new series, The Jane Renwick Thrillers and four new books in a multibook deal will published by SpellBound Books in the months ahead. I am very excited to have made the move.

Although Hunter’s Chase, is the first book in a series, it can be read completely independently as a standalone.

I particularly enjoyed writing Hunter’s Chase it marked the end of a period of particularly poor health and so hope that readers will enjoy it too. The next novel in this series, Hunter’s Revenge, will be published by SpellBound Books in November. I’ll let you know more about that in due course!

Author Biography

It is with great delight that Val Penny has accepted a ten-book deal with Spellbound Books.

Val Penny has an Llb degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but 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, nonfiction, and novels.

Val 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 their cat.

Author Contact Details

www.valpenny.com

https://www.facebook.com/Authorvalpenny

www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739

www.facebook.com/groups/296295777444303

https://www.facebook.com/groups/167248300537409

https://twitter.com/valeriepenny

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17300087.Val_Penny

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Val-Penny/e/B07C4725TK?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1611574956&sr=1-1

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/val-penny