Guest Blog from Verity Bright

A very warm welcome to my fellow Bookouture authors who write together as Verity Bright. Their Lady Eleanor Swift series, set in the 1920's has a new Christmassy edition today with the release of Murder in the Snow available from Amazon! https://bit.ly/2GRtSyc An English Christmas has mince pies, cheerful carols, a twinkling tree… and a murder? Thank goodness Lady Swift is on the scene! Winter, 1920. Amateur sleuth Lady Eleanor Swift is feeling festive. She is playing host to the entire village at Henley Hall for gifts, games and gingerbread. She’s also purchased perfect presents for each of her household – not forgetting the biggest bone in the butcher’s shop for her partner in crime, Gladstone the bulldog – and is looking forward to celebrating her first English country Christmas. As snowflakes fall, Eleanor is cheering on contestants in the traditional Christmas fun run in the grounds of the Hall. But tragedy strikes when one of the runners drops dead at the finish line. Dashing Detective Seldon is convinced it’s just a heart attack, but Eleanor isn’t so sure. When she finds a rather distinctive key where the man fell, Eleanor knows she’ll never rest until she finds out the truth about what happened in her own home. Next the vicar is taken ill with what looks like poison and Eleanor starts to wonder if the two cases are linked. When someone tries to frame her by planting poisoned berries in her own kitchen, she knows speed is of the essence. But the entire village was at Henley Hall for the festivities and Eleanor has enough suspects to stuff a town full of turkeys. Can she nail the true killer and clear her name in time for Christmas?

Guest Blogger - Lisa Chalmers

I'm so excited to introduce Lisa to you. I've known Lisa on line now for years and we used to get together regularly to talk books, swap stories and generally talk about publishing. One day i hope we'll get to meet but since she's across the pond I'll have to save my pennies.

She has a fabulous new book out so I'm going to let her tell you all about it!

Josh Collins has the perfect life—a beautiful girlfriend and a baby on the way, until an accident takes his life and he’s suddenly forced to fight for everything and everyone he loves.

Alone and pregnant, Avery Rhodes is suddenly faced with a painful new reality. Life without the man she loves is turbulent. Nothing feels the same any more without him and she finds herself facing the unimaginable.

With his newfound guide Gabriel, Josh is forced to learn what happens IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES.

Hi everyone,

First a big thank you to Nell for hosting my first ever guest blog  So happy to be here. It took me awhile to figure out what to talk about, since I’m not quite feeling very ‘published’ and author-like yet.

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES has had a very, very long journey, and it’s morphed a lot along the way. I originally wrote the first draft about thirteen years ago. It was less than half the size that the story is now. I’m not sure what the original spark of the idea was, although if I went back and read some emails to my writing friends at the time, I could find something to pinpoint it but I do remember listening to the Garth Brooks song of the same name a lot during writing. My original cast of the hero was Nick from the Backstreet Boys. (I do have a weakness for good looking blondes with blue eyes!) and Gabriel his sidekick/guide, well Gabriel really didn’t have a real world counterpart at that point. He was still a bit of a mystery to me as I wrote him. I knew he was around Josh’s height, soft spoken and had a calm to him that he always seemed to want to direct towards Josh. Josh on the other hand, had a bit of a temper, that fire burning inside of him that fuelled his reckless streak that shows up in the book and causes him some trouble.

When I decided two years ago that this could be the first book I’d indie publish, because I didn’t think it would need a lot of reworking (ha,ha), I took another look at Josh. He’d recast himself a little, he’d done a bit of growing up. He still had a bit of Nick in him, but he’d also picked up bits of Josh Duhamel (especially the hair  ) and Heath Ledger too. Gabriel now had an actual inspiration. If you watch the NKOTB video for summertime, the first time I saw Donnie in the white outfit on the sand, well my mind went ‘there’s Gabriel’.

So with that cast in mind, my muse went happily back to work. 

You can get Lisa's book IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES from Amazon.com and from Amazon Uk Smashwords and other etailers following shortly!

For a chance to win a free copy of IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES leave Lisa a comment telling her your teenage boy crush and I'll get her to pick a winner on Monday!

Guest Blogger - Julie Day

I'm thrilled to be kicking off the New Year by introducing my lovely friend, Julie Day, author of young adult book The Railway Angel. Julie is a fellow RNA member and writes romance and young adult. She kindly agreed to be interviewed and to tell us a bit about her new book.
Julie, how did you become a novelist?
I became a novelist following recurring dreams in the night. This dream stayed in my mind during the day, and I realised the only way to get it out of my head was to write it down. Once I started writing, that was it. Ideas and more ideas came. That was over 10 years ago now.
Tell us what The Railway Angel is about?
The Railway Angel is about fifteen-year-old Lizzie, who becomes an angel after dying suddenly following a dare that goes wrong. She is sent back to Earth for a test, to stop another teenager from self-destructing and ending up like her. Along the way she finds she has magical powers, as well as the school she now belongs to. It is now free from Smashwords.
What inspired this story?
I think what inspired me to write it was reading lots of stories in the papers recently about teenagers and young adults doing silly things like running on tracks and doing other stupid stunts. I thought what would happen if they became guardian angels to other teenagers like them.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
My advice to aspiring writers is to keep persevering. You will find your own voice and what you like writing and when you do, you will find it easier to write those stories. Also, look out for different opportunities to get your work out there.
What do you have planned next?
I am working on the second angel story, which is Danny's story. He briefly appeared in Lizzie's story. I am also planning a series of adult romance ebooks with a touch of magic, both for a digital publisher and as an indie author. You can see what I like writing about, can't you? Magic.

Thanks Julie, the book sounds brilliant!
The Railway Angel
After a game of dare at a train station goes tragically wrong, fifteen year-old Lizzie Hammond becomes a lost angel, until she is tested and sent back to Earth to stop a teenager from risking their life on railway tracks, with persuasion and newly discovered magical powers. Passing her test, Lizzie now becomes a ‘Guardian Angel.”
Available from Amazon UK also Amazon US, Smashwords and other e-tailers. The perfect gift for a teen in your life!

Visiting...

Today I'm being hosted by the lovely Debs Carr.Over Here Drop by to hear what she thinks and for another excerpt.

Guest Blogger - Meet Joselyn Vaughn

Please welcome my guest blogger for this week, one of my fellow Astraea authors, Joselyn Vaughn.

Joselyn, please introduce yourself to everyone;
I live in the Great Lakes State with my adoring husband, three energetic and ambitious toddlers, and two of the laziest beagles. I believe there is nothing better than a warm hug, a good romance novel and chocolate. When not changing diapers or removing a toddler from a precarious situation, I enjoy sewing, running, shopping at thrift stores and reading books longer than thirty pages. I have two other published books: CEOs Don't Cry and Courting Sparks.

Sucker for a Hotrod is a very unusual title, what's the story about?
Bryce Halloway only dates a woman once. No exceptions.
It gives him the reputation of a heart-breaker, but he can handle that as long as it keeps his mother, Dinah, from trying to marry him off. Judi Montgomery and her tempting ponytail finagle their way around official dates with car problems and driving lessons. She worms her way into his heart and entices him to want more from his life.
When health issues cause his father to retire, Bryce inherits the family-owned tractor repair shop. Can Judi’s love and encouragement give him the courage to break tradition and pursue his dreams of owning a custom hot rod shop?

Tell us more about the book, it sounds great, why did you choose to write this book?

The story started out about a car that couldn’t be fixed and then it evolved. Bryce’s story changed so much as I work. I thought he would be a cocky guy who thought he could fix anything and then I found out he wasn’t working on cars and he didn’t like where he was working. The story became much more about him than I thought it would be when I started.

What authors do you like to read?

W.S. Gager. Tanya Eby, JQ Rose, Jillian Grant, Julia Quinn, Meg Cabot, and many more. It’s so hard to remember all the authors I like.

Do you write to music or silence?

Does the Bob the Builder theme song count at music? I’m sure it isn’t silence. The kids are watching Dora right now. It’s my first experience with Dora and unfortunately I don’t think it will be my last. I find I get the most fiction writing done when there’s silence.

Do you have any more books planned?

I’m working on one focusing on the owner of the bed and breakfast in my first book. It’s been a lot of fun as well as a challenge. Minnie is in her seventies and has a lot more history behind her actions than other heroines I’ve worked with. She’s also the feistiest.

If you could take two fictional characters from any book out to dinner, who would you take and why?

Oh I don’t know. I think the main character from Meg Cabot’s Queen of Babble series would be fascinating. I would really like to know how she transformed the Scottish wedding dress. Maybe she’d have pictures. My sister does clothing alterations and has done some really cool transformations, like a men’s sweatshirt into a women’s dress. I think it’s fascinating. I’d like to hear more about this character’s work. And number two? This is so hard. How about Gilbert Blythe from the Anne of Avonlea series? He’s just so cute.

Thanks Joselyn for coming along to chat about your book, Sucker for a Hotrod sounds like a really fun read. It's available now for Nook or Kindle on all the usual sites plus Astraea Press

Guest blogger - Meet Deborah Melanie!

Deborah is a newly published writer from the UK. I've invited her along to tell us about herself and her new book, 'Winter's Spirit' out now from Solstice Publishing
Here is Deborah's bio:
As I child I loved to create my own stories. I entered my first story writing competition at the age of eleven, but didn't return to writing until many years later. In the past I have worked as a reviewer, but my first love lies with creating my own characters. Thanks to the encouragement of my husband, I am making a life long dream come true.

Deborah kindly agreed to be interviewed;

Tell us why you chose to write this particular story? As someone who grew up in a close knit community, I wanted to write a story about a similar place. Batlington (the fictional community in my book) is much more of a town, than my village is, but I wanted to convey the friendliness of the people and their close relationships. This story also encapsulates a lot of the ingredients I enjoy in book. It made sense to write about a subject close to my heart.

And which authors do you like reading? I enjoy a mixture of authors from JR Ward to Suzanne Brockmann. Occasionally I will dip into a thriller or a gory murder story.

Do you write in silence or to music? As for writing in silence, well.... I wish I could find silence in my house LOL. There's always a lot of background noise, especially from the children, but from time to time, I do like to write with some music on.

What are you working on next? Winter McAndrew, my heroine in Winter's Spirit has three sisters, so I do have plans to tell their stories. I'm currently working on something different, but it's still set in Yorkshire, so I get lots of opportunity to imagine all the beautiful countryside.


If you could choose two fictional characters to take out to dinner, who would you choose and why? If I could dine out with two fictional characters, it would be with Edward Rochester from Jane Eyre and Eustacia from Colleen Gleason's vampire stories. I imagine that Mr. Rochester would make some excellent choices from the wine list and Eustacia would provide some fascinating stories from all her vampire hunting experiences.

Thanks, Deborah - Here is the blurb and a short excerpt from Winter's Spirit:
Winter McAndrew is on the brink of divorcing her philandering husband, Philip, when he dies in a car crash. One year later and with unfinished business; Philip is still earth bound and interfering in his wife’s love life. Trying to make amends isn't always easy when you're dead. Not only has Winter fallen for her old crush, Jack Tobin, but he also happens to be Philip’s cousin. With more complications than a woman needs at Christmas, Winter tries to find peace at her holiday home in The Lake District. However, when she finds herself snowed in with Jack; ghosts, old and new cause quite a stir. Will Winter get her man, or will ghostly Philip put an end to all her festive fantasies?


Excerpt:

“That’s why you’re here isn’t it?” he felt ashamed. “You wanted to feel closer to Philip? I’m sorry. You must miss him a whole lot more at this time of year. You need your privacy. I should go.” Turning away, he placed his key on the small table by the door.
“Jack, wait. I’ve a whole bottle of your wine open and I’ve made far too much casserole. The least I can do is thank you with a good meal for looking after things.” Her hand reached out to touch his arm. Even through the warmth of the parker, it felt like a searing hot heat. “At least stay and eat with me. You’ve had a long drive here, you must be tired.”
Every survivalist instinct told him to keep walking. The idea of being alone in The Lake District with her, felt far more than his body could take. If he did stay, he’d either need to keep the parker on all night, or hide behind the dining table. Erections and widowed friends just wasn’t a combination he felt willing to explore. Damn it.
He turned to look at her. She seemed vulnerable; a lonely friend mourning her husband. He had no right. Yet this friend also just happened to be wrapped in a colourful quilt which brought out the green in her eyes, the pinkness in her lips and the slight blush on her cheeks. You’re setting yourself up for a fall, Tobin. “That’d be great. A good meal should set me up for the journey back.”
She smiled. “Great. Now if you’d grab the mop and clear up your snow, I’ll get some clothes on. I’m hardly dressed for guests.”
As she made her way upstairs, he smiled. She looked fine to him. Beautiful in fact.

To order Deborah's book click the link at the top to Solstice Publishing, and thank you Deborah for being my guest here - it's great to meet other sweet writers!