Crooked Cat Books

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… Alice castle.

/ lizziechantree / 7 Comments
My guest today is a wonderful author and fellow CC author, Alice Castle!
8C2D5840-C96F-426A-ABFE-05654D88028F

Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, set in Brussels and London, was a European hit and sold out in two weeks.

Death in Dulwich was published in September 2017 and has been a number one best-seller in the UK, US, Canada, France, Spain and Germany. A sequel, The Girl in the Gallery was published in December 2017 to critical acclaim. Calamity in Camberwell, the third book in the London Murder Mystery series, will be published this summer, with Homicide in Herne Hill due to follow in early 2019.  Alice is currently working on the fifth London Murder Mystery adventure. Once again, it will feature Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.

Alice lives in south London and is married with two children, two step-children and two cats.

Screen Shot 2018-04-17 at 10.14.33.png

 

Calamity in Camberwell – blurb

Beth Haldane, SE21’s answer to Miss Marple, worries she is losing a kindred spirit when her friend Jen, the only other single mum in the playground, suddenly gets married and moves to Camberwell.

Soon Beth has to face much more pressing fears. Has something gone horribly wrong with Jen’s marriage? What is her husband really up to? Why is her daughter leading Beth’s son astray? And where on earth IS Jen anyway?

As Beth’s friends push her to start dating again, Beth turns to Met Police DI Harry York for help. But will they solve the mystery in time, or will it turn out that in south east London, not everyone gets to live happily ever after?

 

Outlook-kafzkdwc.png

Costa Del Churros.

/ lizziechantree / 3 Comments

Introducing, COSTA DEL CHURROS by Isabella May.

download.jpg

 

Isabella May lives in (mostly) sunny Andalucia, Spain with her husband, daughter and son, creatively inspired by the sea and the mountains. Having grown up on Glastonbury’s ley lines however, she’s unable to completely shake off her spiritual inner child, and is a Law of Attraction fanatic.

Cake, cocktail, and travel obsessed, she also loves nothing more than to (quietly) break life’s ‘rules’.

Costa del Churros is her third novel.

Muchas gracias for hosting me on your blog today to talk about my brand new novel with Crooked Cat Books! COSTA DEL CHURROS will launch on September 19th and is another romantic comedy which fuses all things foodie, travel and spirituality. I’m keeping my fingers (and paws!) crossed that it’ll have as good a reception as its predecessors…

 

Why write about Spain?

My first two books, Oh! What a Pavlova and The Cocktail Bar centred much of their activity around the quirky and mystical town of Glastonbury, UK.  But in actual fact I live in Spain nowadays and much as I relished the opportunity to write about the place where I spent my childhood through to late twenties, it was high time for a change of scene – as well as to prove to myself that I am not a One Trick Pony. Or should that be Cat?

 

Is Costa del Churros based on a fictional or real part of Spain?

Yes, Costa del Churros refers to the Costa del Sol, here in the gigantic province of Andalusia, where I live. I have traveled all over the country, but nowhere seems to make, eat or embrace churros (fried donut strips, often eaten dipped in a thick, velvety chocolate sauce and/or sprinkled liberally with sugar) with the aplomb of the people in this region. The churros play a central role throughout the book, used as a code word that brings four – very different – women together for flamenco lessons with their highly exuberant teacher, Carmen.

bit of body text.png

Here’s the blurb:

The rain in Spain doesn’t mainly fall on the plain…

Brits abroad Belinda, Julia, Laura and Georgina need more than the sweetness of churros with chocolate dipping sauce to save them from their unsavoury states of affairs.

Cue Carmen Maria Abril de la Fuente Ferrera, the town’s flamboyant flamenco teacher! But can she really be the answer to their prayers?

One thing’s for sure: the Costa del Sol will never be the same again.

 

Are these four women based on people you know?

Not per se!
But Belinda, Julia, Laura and Georgina are definitely a beautiful fusion of some of the kaleidoscopically colourful characters I have met here over the past seven years. I wanted to paint a truthful picture of expat life in Spain (and quite possibly this will extend to other areas of The Mediterranean too). It’s all too easy to assume that a life in the sun is all soaking up its rays, sand, sea and sangria, but in actual fact, we take ourselves wherever we go! There’s absolutely no running away from your problems when you are home from home, be they romantic, financial, self-esteem based, or all of the above. Often, as soon as the novelty of the new lifestyle wears off, those issues are only exacerbated…
I thought it would make for an interesting (and comical) read to throw four women from four completely different backgrounds together, to add a little magic (a la Carmen) and to watch the fireworks – from a very safe distance.

 

Tell us a bit about Carmen Maria Abril de la Fuente Ferrera…

Well, she was a joy to write.
And I think all of us could do with a Carmen in our lives. Not only is she a talented flamenco teacher, but she has watched the way Franco’s repression of the female has gnawed away at her mother, and at the lives of countless women around her. So Carmen’s mission is one of empowerment. And she’s particularly passionate about encouraging women to have their cake and eat it. Truly, I’d love for nothing more than to click my fingers and magic her up every time I witness a female friend or family member declare in a café/restaurant/gelateria ‘Oh! I really shouldn’t indulge… I’ll start the diet again next week!’
For Carmen is the antidote to any and all of that prescribed female behaviour, an advocate for positive body image on beaches and sun-loungers the length of the coast. She’s a breath of fresh air injecting a much-needed confidence boost to all four of the main characters in the story.

If your tummy has started to rumble… here’s that all important Universal Amazon buying link: mybook.to/costadelchurros

You can find out about Isabella May’s other books, and follow her quirky cake and cocktail posts at these places:

www.isabellamayauthor.com

Twitter – @IsabellaMayBks

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaMayAuthor/

Instagram – @isabella_may_author

Introducing… Megan Mayfair.

/ lizziechantree / Leave a comment

MEET MEGAN MAYFAIR.

Megan is an Australian writer who likes her fiction with a dash of romance and a spoonful of family intrigue. Mum to three kids under seven, she writes around her own chaotic family life and job in higher education, fuelled by coffee.

MeganMayfair.jpg

Buy a copy of Megan’s amazing new book here:  https://mybook.to/leaveunsaid

 

Or you can find out more about Megan here:  www.meganmayfair.com

 

 The Things We Leave Unsaid.jpg

THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNSAID

Is it the things we don’t say that haunt us the most?

Ambitious café owner, Tessa has more family drama than a soap opera. While she might be an open book, her parent’s ill-fated marriage has scared her away from long-term relationships.

Her employee, shy and unassuming Clare just wants to create a family with husband, Pete, but finds herself in a family history search that challenges everything she thought she knew about her life.

As both women face untold truths, will they realise the path to true love, happiness and family?

The Things We Leave Unsaid will be published by Crooked Cat books on 22 August 2018.

Introducing… C.J. Sutton.

/ lizziechantree / 2 Comments

I’m really enjoying this new feature on my blog as I am finding out about some amazing creatives. Today I’d like to introduce you to fellow Crooked Cat author, C.J. Sutton. His new book is out soon and I can’t wait to hear more about it.

Dortmund Hibernate

About C.J:

C.J. Sutton is a writer based in Melbourne, Australia. He holds a Masters in journalism and creative writing, and supports the value of study through correspondence. His fictional writing delves into the unpredictability of the human mind and the fears that drive us.

As a professional writer C.J. Sutton has worked within the hustle and bustle of newsrooms, the competitive offices of advertising and the trenches of marketing. But his interest in creating new characters and worlds has seen a move into fiction, which has always pleaded for complete attention.

Dortmund Hibernate is his debut novel, and is released by Crooked Cat Books on July 18. It is available for pre-order now.

 

 

C.J. Sutton

 

Book blurb: 

Psychologist Dr Magnus Paul is tasked with the patients of Dortmund Asylum – nine criminally insane souls hidden from the world due to the extremity of their acts.

Magnus has six weeks to prove them sane for transfer to a maximum-security prison, or label them as incurable and recommend a death sentence under a new government act.

As Magnus delves into the darkness of the incarcerated minds, his own sanity is challenged. Secrets squeeze through the cracks of the asylum, blurring the line between reality and nightmare, urging Magnus towards a new life of crime…

The rural western town of Dortmund and its inhabitants are the backdrop to the mayhem on the hill.

It’s Silence of the Lambs meets Shutter Island in this tale of loss, fear and diminishing hope.

 

Grab a copy of C.J’s new book here: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/C.-J.-Sutton/e/B07CSSG9ZQ

https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B07CSSG9ZQ

 

Social media:

Twitter : @c_j_sutton

Introducing… Jane Bwye.

/ lizziechantree / 2 Comments

Introducing author Jane Bwye:

From Jane:

Although I was born here in the UK, at the age of three I went with my parents to Kenya via Calcutta after WW2. I was brought up in that wonderful country, went to school there, got into Oxford, but left early because I was so homesick; I got married, was widowed with a 6-month old daughter, then I had twins; I remarried, and we brought up our six children in Kenya.

I fulfilled one of my dreams by riding with my family over the hills and far away. Another dream was to travel round the world, which I did for ten months, before my 60th birthday. You can read more about my travels on my blog if you follow this link: https://jbwye.com/category/travels/

However, please be aware that the nature of a blog dictates that the latest post is read first!

Jane Bwye

This photo was taken in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2001, towards the end of my westward journey, during which I walked many miles. The solar hat was the catalyst for several chance conversations.

My third dream was to write a book, and have it published by a REAL publisher. After seven years of searching, Crooked Cat Books and I found each other.

Dreams do come true, if you don’t give up.

Grass Shoots: A tender African Love StoryBreath of Africa: a tale of love and life in a fascinating country

These two books form a family saga, set mainly in Kenya, covering the years from the 1950’s (the Mau Mau emergency) up to present times. They contain love stories and will give you psychological thrills; they explore interactions between people of different races and they address the thorny problems of charity and foreign aid; superstition and Christian faith clash; and the stunning beauty of the country is a major character in itself.

Breath of Africa: https://bookgoodies.com/a/B00BOAK0FA

Grass Shoots: https://bookgoodies.com/a/B01MRAG2F3

My website: http://janebwye.com/

The Secret by Katharine Johnson.

/ lizziechantree / 3 Comments

author pic.JPG

Author Katharine Johnson.

About the author

Katharine Johnson likes writing about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. She’s passionate about old houses and the stories they have to tell. She grew up in Bristol and has lived in Italy. She currently lives in Berkshire but spends as much time as she can in the Lucca area of Tuscany. When not writing you’ll find her exploring cities, drinking coffee, playing netball badly and walking her madcap spaniel

This is the second book set at Villa Leonida, the house at the centre of The Silence which was published last year but it’s a standalone story.

In The Silence some bodies were discovered at Villa Leonida, an idyllic holiday home, during a children’s game of hide-and-seek on a family holiday. They  were found to relate back to the summer of 1992.

A year on, in The Secret, the villa has been put up for sale. Which for elderly resident Sonia can only mean one thing – that the renewed interest and gossip will lead to the discovery of her own secret which relates to that same evening at the villa in 1992.

But while she’s desperate to keep the past hidden another resident, Carlo, can’t leave it alone. He’s determined to discover the truth about a wartime atrocity in which Sonia’s mother and his own played a part.

IMG_6714.JPG

Here’s the blurb:

Love, lies and betrayal in wartime Italy. Two girls growing up in Mussolini’s Italy share a secret that has devastating consequences. Against a backdrop of fear, poverty and confusion during the Second World War friendship is tested and loyalties divided. But a chance encounter changes everything. The girls’ lives diverge when beautiful, daring Martina marries and moves into Villa Leonida, the most prestigious house I their Tuscan village while plain, studious Irena trains to be a teacher.

But neither marriage, nor life at Villa Leonida are as Martina imagined. And as other people’s lives take on a new purpose, Irena finds herself left behind.

Decades later a tragedy at the villa coincides with the discovery of an abandoned baby whose identity threatens to re-open old wounds. While Irena’s son is determined to get to the truth, Martina’s daughter is desperate to keep the past hidden.

The Secret is published by Crooked Cat Books and is available in paperback £6.99 and kindle £1.99 here: http://thesecretjohnson

Find out more at the Online launch on 1-2  June  https://www.facebook.com/events/111942169663863/

Social Links

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

Twitter https://twitter.com/@kjohnsonwrites

Website/blog https://katyjohnsonblog.wordpress.com

Secret cover.jpg