Guest Blogger - Sandy Barker

Please give a warm welcome to my lovely friend, Sandy. Sandy is a writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list, and many of her travel adventures have found homes in her novels. She’s also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover and a coffee snob. Sandy lives in Melbourne Australia with her partner, Ben, who she met while travelling in Greece. Their real-life love story inspired Sandy’s debut novel One Summer in Santorini, the first in the Holiday Romance series with One More Chapter, an imprint of HarperCollins. The series continues in That Night in Paris and A Sunset in Sydney and there are two more to come in 2022. Her standalone novel The Christmas Swap celebrates her favourite time of the year, and next up is The Dating Game, a laugh-out-loud romcom set in the world of Reality TV. Her new release is The Dating Game Here is the blurb! Once upon a time, twelve women joined the hottest reality TV show looking for love. Except one had a secret identity … Abby Jones is a serious writer. Or at least she will be, one day. Right now, she spends her time writing recaps of reality television under a secret identity. When a recap for The Stag – the must-watch dating show – goes viral, her editor thinks she should be on set, writing the drama as it happens. The good news: the next season will be filmed in Sydney. Sun, sea and a glamorous trip abroad, this could be Abby’s big break. The bad news: the producers don’t just want Abby to write the recaps, they want her to be on the show. Abby can’t think of anything worse than being undercover and followed around by cameras. But her career depends on it, and when she meets gorgeous producer Jack, Abby begins to wonder if this job might not be so bad after all … ‘Hilarious and highly original’ ~ Julie Houston, bestselling author of A Village Affair

Grab your copy TODAY You can follow Sandy on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

Guest blogger - Verity Bright

My lovely writery friends Verity Bright has a new book! Summer flowers, warm sunshine, a maypole dance and… is that another murder? A tricky case is afoot for Lady Swift! Summer, 1921. Lady Eleanor Swift, the best amateur sleuth in the country, is delighted to be in charge of the prize-giving at her village summer fair. But the traditional homemade raft race takes a tragic turn when the local undertaker, Solemn Jon, turns up dead amongst the ducks. Jon was the life of any party and loved by the entire village. Surely this was simply an awful accident? But when a spiteful obituary is printed in the local paper, Eleanor realises there may be more to Jon’s death than first thought. Despite handsome Detective Seldon giving her strict instructions not to interfere, Eleanor owes it to Jon’s good name to root out the truth. So with her partner in crime, Gladstone the bulldog, Eleanor starts digging for clues… When another local dies in a riding accident, the police refuse to believe he was murdered. But a second vindictive death notice convinces Eleanor of foul play. Solemn Jon’s assistant, a bullish banker and a majestic marquess make her suspect list, but it isn’t until she finds a dusty old photograph that she knows the true culprit behind both crimes. Then another obituary appears – her own! Can Eleanor nail the killer before she too turns up dead among the ducks? An utterly compelling and charming cozy mystery! Pure delight for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss. Get your copy HERE

The preorder is up!

Murder at the Wedding is now live for preorder with it's gorgeous cover! BUY HERE

UK readers!

Quick reminder for UK readers that Murder at The Dolphin Hotel, the first book in the series is just 99p for kindle for the next few days HERE

Welcome back Lizzie Chantree

I'm delighted to welcome Lizzie Chantree for a return visit to mark the release of her new book! Shh it's our secret is out today! Here's a bit more about lovely Lizzie and her fabulous new book! International bestselling author Lizzie Chantree, started her own business at the age of 18 and became one of Fair Play London and The Patent Office’s British Female Inventors of the Year. She writes books full of friendship and laughter, about women with unusual businesses, who are stronger than they realise.

Thank you for inviting me onto your blog today. I’m thrilled to be sharing details about my latest book, which is called Shh... It’s Our Secret. Have you ever had a secret? Violet has! She works in a rundown café bar in the centre of a small town in Kent, that is at the heart of the community. Having a secret that could change all of their lives and wanting to overcome her feelings of self-doubt and anxiety, means she has loss of sleep, poor focus and irritability with those around her, including her favourite customers, eccentric pensioners, Doris and Esme. Violet will have to overcome the belief that she’s not good enough, to follow her dreams. This means opening her heart to love, finding her voice and stepping out of the shadows. Shh... It’s Our Secret, by Lizzie Chantree Book Blurb: Violet has a secret that could change the lives of everyone she knows and loves, especially the regulars at the run-down café bar where she works. After losing her parents at a young age, they are the closest thing she has to a family and she feels responsible for them. Kai is a jaded music producer who has just moved outside of town. Seeking solitude from the stress of his job, he’s looking for seclusion. The only problem is he can’t seem to escape the band members and songwriters who keep showing up at his house. When Kai wanders into the bar and Violet’s life, he accidently discovers her closely guarded secret. Can Kai help her rediscover her self-confidence or should some secrets remain undiscovered? Get your copy mybook.to/ItsOurSecret Visit Lizzie at LizzieChantree.com

Sound the bargain klaxon!

Yay! Murder at the Dolphin Hotel: A gripping cozy historical mystery (A Miss Underhay Mystery Book 1) is part of the #UK Kindle MONTHLY Deal and only 99p. @bookouture Make sure your grab your copy HERE

Update time!

My apologies for the silence. I've been beavering away on book 7 of the Miss Underhay series which is almost done - hurrah! Murder at Elm House is almost ready for it's June release. The proofs have arrived and it will be on Net Galley soon. My fabulous agent has been busy too and I should have some news to share in a while about another little project that's underway so watch this space - as the cool kids probably don't say anymore!

Happy Book Birthday!

Murder at Enderley Hall is one year old this week! Wow! That has gone so quickly.See it Here So happy that Matt and Kitty are gaining new fans every day. I'm working hard on book 7 and Murder at Elm House will be out in June!

Happy St David's Day

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus.

Happy St Davids Day to all of my Welsh family, friends and readers.

Guest blogger - Georgia Hill

A warm welcome to lovely Georgia Hill talking about her latest book and the inspiration behind it!

Huge thanks for having me on, Nell! Yesterday saw the publication of a book which has held a very special place in my heart for years. I loved writing Janey Trelawney’s Year of Surprising Triumphs. I always fall in love with my hero but this time I fell for the heroine too! A long time ago, a friend introduced me to the idea of snowdrop devotees – galanthophiles. She sent me some articles from a magazine and links to a few websites. Also percolating in my brain was the image of a studious and sexy accountant hero and a heroine who was a bit ‘out there,’ a little eccentric. I wrote the first scene, where Will watches Janey dance under the chestnut trees and then, as often happens, I got waylaid with writing other stuff. That first scene never left me though. Opposite my childhood home were three chestnut trees. I was a bit of an eccentric child, a bit ‘out there’ (probably still am) and loved standing underneath them listening to the breeze seething through the leaves. The sound that trees make in the wind is called ‘susurration’ – isn’t it a beautiful word? A re-watch of one of my favourite films, Calamity Jane, got me excited; I had the inspiration for some of the plot, mainly the bit where everyone is in love with the wrong person. The book wears its Calamity Jane influences lightly but, if you’re a keen film buff like Janey, you’ll have fun spotting them. I’m like Janey in some ways but especially when it comes to dyscalculia, which I believe I have to a mild degree and which ruined large parts of my high school life. I only wish I had her gardening skill; my ability to kill plants is legendary.

It’s funny how things trickle through your life and end up in your writing. All the above – and much, much more – ended up in Janey Trelawney, including a dim-witted and naughty spaniel! I must take this opportunity to add my thanks to Greg Poulos, who was very helpful in reminding me what a wonderful city Boston is, and my friend Debbie who supplied Janey’s ‘bra incident.’ I forgot to acknowledge you both – a terrible habit and I promise to make it up to you next time. I also need to thank my weekly Zoom group. You know who you are. You’ve gave valuable insight along the way and kept me sane-ish during Lockdowns. I wanted to read uplifting fiction during these (groan) unprecedented times and I wanted to write it too. I hope Janey fills that need. Love, Georgia x About the book! - Janey Trelawney's Year of Surprising Triumphs Janey’s life becomes more disaster movie than romcom when the ruthless Becca steams in to manage Cheney House. Her job as head gardener in peril and her self-confidence in tatters, Janey must fight back. Finding an ally in Will, who’s more Clark Kent than Superman, it’s up to them to save the day while owner Clare is away having her Shirley Valentine moment. It doesn’t help that everyone is in love with the wrong people! Why can’t people love the one who loves them back? Will Cheney House survive - and will Janey ever get her When Harry Met Sally happy ending? Find out in this warm-hearted romance from the author of the best-selling Millie Vanilla’s Cupcake Café, full of Gregory Peck look-a-likes, snowdrops, cake, and a cocker spaniel called Camilla. BUY THE BOOK HERE

About the author: Georgia Hill writes warm-hearted and up-lifting contemporary and timeslip romances about love, the power and joy in being an eccentric oldie and finding yourself and your community. There's always a dog. It's usually a naughty spaniel of which, unfortunately, she has had much experience. Her books are firmly rooted in small seaside towns similar to the one she lives in and she loves history especially when it insists on rearing up and battering at the present. As a child she had an invisible friend called Gonky who lived on the third stair from the bottom. As an adult her invisible friends inhabit her head and refuse to leave until she commits them to paper. Readers of her books can escape into a warm bath of words and, no matter what challenges her characters face they will, ultimately, have a happy ending. Find her on Twitter as @Georgia Writes

Best seller

Whoo hoo, thank you to all my brilliant Canadian readers. Murder in the Bell Tower has its lovely best seller fl

ag today again. You can get your copy BUY HERE

Guest blogger - Lizzie Chantree

International bestselling author and award-winning inventor, Lizzie Chantree, started her own business at the age of 18 and became one of Fair Play London and The Patent Office’s British Female Inventors of the Year in 2000. She discovered her love of writing fiction when her children were little and now works as a business mentor and runs a popular networking hour on social media, where creatives can support to each other. She writes books full of friendship and laughter, that are about women with unusual and adventurous businesses, who are far stronger than they realise. She lives with her family on the coast in Essex. Visit her website at www.lizziechantree.com or follow her on Twitter @Lizzie_Chantreehttps://twitter.com/Lizzie_Chantree.

Lizzie's fabulous new book is released on 19th Feb! And it sounds amazing: The Little Icecream shop by the sea: Genie’s family is in crisis. Their seafront business is failing with the loss of Genie’s grandmother and her legendary ice cream flavours. Genie is determined to be the one to save her family’s heritage, but suddenly her mother wants to sell to developers and leave their shared history behind. Buying the business and taking on a sixty-eight year old business partner, Ada, with a mysterious past and a gorgeous but distracting grandson, Genie sets out to prove her parents wrong. Ada’s grandson, Cal, wants to protect his gran from ‘pensioner persuader’, Genie, but soon realises that living in a little seaside town and away from the paparazzi in Hollywood can actually give him time to heal. Hiding in a seafront business with its fiery owner and working as kitchen staff, is the only way he can think of to keep his ex-Hollywood glamour-puss, gran from harm. But his meddling might also ruin Ada’s second chance at love. Hiring a private detective and learning about Genie’s parent’s past makes Cal regret his own impulsiveness. The information he has unearthed could destroy their blossoming romance and turn Genie’s world upside down. Genie soon discovers that friends can become enemies and your closest family can have lied to you for your whole life.

Hmm, icecream and the seaside, what's not to love? Especially with a side serving of romance. Get your copy HEREBest of all its just 99p or 99c for the next 7 days!! Follow Lizzie on Twitter TWITTER Or on Facebook FACEBOOK

Starting Miss Underhay book 7

So, book 7 is officially underway and the first 8k is down on paper! This story takes us out of Torbay and into Yorkshire to a castle no less! Lots of fun to write and research. My first delivery of materials has just arrived. I had planned an in person trip for last summer to coincide with the Theakston Crime festival. Alas those plans bit the dust so I'm relying on memory of previous trips, famly knowledge and my lovely shiny new books and maps.

Murder at Enderley Hall is an Amazon US bestseller!

Huge thanks to my fabulous readers! Murder at Enderley Hall is in the top 50 today on Amazon US. HERE snuggled up next to Julia Quinn's Bridgerton books!!

Sounding the bargain Klaxon!

Whew! Lots of stuff going on here right now! Today is the last chance to get Murder on the Dance Floor for 99p Here But! Murder at Enderley hall is 99p/99c just for a few days so you have the chance to grab that one Here For those of you following Kitty and Matt's adventures, Murder in the Bell Tower is out tomorrow! Eeek!Here And finally Murder at Elm House had a cover release this week and can now be preordered! Here Flipping heck! I'm exhausted just reading all that! My publishers have been very busy bees.

Murder at Elm House cover reveal

Cover Reveal and preorder is live for Murder at Elm House! Order here

One week to go!

One week until release day! So excited now to share this with you all.

Hoping you will all enjoy it. The first reviews have been fabulous. Here is what one reviewer had to say, 'Helena Dixon carefully weaves the tale and the mystery to it's denouement in true Christie style and you could briefly imagine that Poirot was sitting in a corner nodding sagely at Kitty.' Joanne D Netgalley. This made my heart leap!

Book 6 has a title!

Drum roll please! Book 6 in the #MissUnderhay series will be Murder at Elm House. Now I just need to finish polishing it up ready to send to my editor.

Guest Blog - Georgina Cross

Georgina's fabulous book, The Missing Woman is out anytime now. She is the author of the incredible book, The Stepdaughter which came out in September. Here is the blurb!

Erica thought Sabine had it all. The glances Erica makes to the other woman across the pool, envying her life, the looks going unnoticed, until the day Sabine stares back and she holds the stare a little too long. A cold feeling clenches inside Erica’s chest, a fearful warning. And before the sun sets and the pool lights turn on, Erica knows something is about to go terribly wrong. Hooked? Here's a bit more! They live in the big houses on the pretty street. Those other women, as we call them. And to think I used to want to be like them, to have their money and happiness, to live and laugh and play like them. Not any more. It’s the fourth of July and the whole town is gathered at the local pool. Through the sweltering afternoon, we single mothers don’t mix with the other women––the ones with the perfect lives and happy marriages. Women like Sabine Miller. But when Sabine shoots me a desperate look across the water and suddenly disappears, my blood runs cold… Running to the back gate, all I find is a silver charm bracelet she dropped on her way out. I convince myself I’m imagining things until Sabine’s husband Mark appears. When he realizes she’s missing, he phones the cops straight away. “Someone has been threatening Sabine,” he says. “Now they’ve kidnapped her.” Hours later, I wish I’d run faster. The whole town is searching the streets, calling Sabine’s name over and over. On the TV, Mark is begging for someone to bring his wife home. The truth is, I was the last person to see her alive––and it’s killing me inside. Now the cops are at my door asking questions. I’m terrified they’ll find out what happened years ago between me and Sabine. Something I’ve never told anyone. But I need to tell someone. Can you keep a secret? Get your copy Amazon Apple Kobo Google

Happy New Year

Wishing all of you a safe, happy and healthy New Year! To start the year off on a bright note, Murder on the Dance Floor is just 99p today only in the UK HERE