Guest Blogger - Morton S Gray

A warm welcome to this weeks guest - Morton S Gray Morton is a dear friend and the author of the fabulous Borteen Bay series. I asked her to tell us more about herself and her books, especially her new release, A New Arrival In Borteen Bay Morton lives in Worcestershire, U.K. She has been reading and writing fiction for as long as she can remember, penning her first attempt at a novel aged fourteen. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Authors. Morton worked for many years in the electricity industry in staff development and training. She is a qualified hypnotherapist and Reiki Master. She enjoys crafts, history and loves tracing family trees. Having a hunger for learning new things is a bonus for the research behind her books.

Skye knows it’s now or never. It’s time for her to reveal herself to the father she’s never met. So she hops on a plane from Dublin to the English seaside town of Borteen. But between the father she’s just getting to know and her worried mother, Skye realizes thatthe past is never that simple as a whirlwind of secrets turns their world upside down. And now Skye has Adam, the hunky guy next door, to contend with. He’s determined to showher there’s room in her life for love. Skye thinks they’re better off as friends, but Adam has other ideas. Even when she reveals a secret of her own. Will Skye allow history to repeat itself? Or will she let go of the secrets of the past and open herself up to the future? Perfect for romance lovers! I asked Morton to tell us the inspiration behind writing seaside set books... My seven published novels have all been set in my fictional seaside town of Borteen. I am now so familiar with the place that I can easily walk along the streets and go into the shops, pubs and cafes in my mind. It is often as if I am actually there. However, I have lived for all of my life in the UK West Midlands, I even went to university inLoughborough in the East Midlands and yet I love the sea – the sound of the waves, the smellof the air and walking on a beach hunting for sea glass is my idea of heaven. The beach features quite heavily in this new book, A New Arrival in Borteen Bay, as one of my characters, Buzz regularly makes labyrinth walking paths on the beach and asks people todonate money for a homeless charity to walk them. It is on the beach that Buzz first catches sight of another main character, Skye, although at that point he is convinced she is actually her mother, Wynn. As I have never managed to live on the coast, I guess my writing being based in Borteen allows me to indulge my love of the seaside in between holidays. I always said that I’d move to a seaside place when I retired, but now we have our grandson, to whom my new book is dedicated, I’m not sure that I want to move away. I guess I’d better write another book in Borteen! You can get your copy of A New Arrival In Borteen Bay HERE And there are six other books in the series for you to catch up with too!!! You can find Morton on Twitter on Instagram and on Facebook

Guest blogger - Morton S Gray

I know that Helena Dixon loves Devon and doesn’t need much excuse to disappear there. She always says it is about research for her books though ;-). When she invited me to feature on her blog to celebrate the launch of my fourth novel for Choc Lit, Sunny Days at the Beach, I started to think about my favourite places by the coast. I couldn’t live further from the sea if I tried, but always love a walk on a beach to recharge my batteries and my soul. I’ve limited myself to listing four favourite seaside places ... 1. Woolacombe, Devon – My eldest son and I always had an annual holiday in Woolacombe. We didn’t like the main beach, but loved Barricane beach with its rock pools and streams. We loved it so much that at one time I was considering relocating to the seaside town. 2. Llandanawg, North Wales – When my best friend had a caravan at Llandanawg, my youngest son and I used to go and stay with her. The beach is lovely with a bonus view of Snowdon. The guy at the little café writes very amusing Facebook posts about the weather each day, check out Y Maes Café. I have fond memories of beachcombing. 3. Bamburgh, Northumberland – We have had some of our all-time favourite family holidays at Bamburgh. We love the town, love the beach and having a castle to look at makes it even more special. Can’t beat a meal at The Lord Crewe Arms either! 4. Llanbedrog, North Wales – This is our new favourite place! We have only been here once last year, but will return. The beach isn’t as big as Bamburgh’s, but still great for beachcombing and collecting seaglass. The café at the art gallery Plas Glyn Y Weddw is fantastic and the gallery worth a visit or two. We loved wandering across the headland to Abersoch, which has another fantastic beach and town. One of the questions I get asked quite often is where my fictional seaside town of Borteen, where all of my published novels for Choc Lit are set, is located. The honest answer is that it is purely fictional, set on the east coast of England, but a genuine mix of all of the seaside places I have loved over the years. About the Author – Morton S Gray Morton lives with her husband, two sons and Lily, the tiny white dog, in Worcestershire, U.K. She has been reading and writing fiction for as long as she can remember, penning her first attempt at a novel aged fourteen. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Authors. Her debut novel The Girl on the Beach was published after she won the Choc Lit Publishing Search for a Star competition in 2016. This story follows a woman with a troubled past as she tries to unravel the mystery surrounding her son’s new headteacher, Harry Dixon.​ Morton’s second book for Choc Lit The Truth Lies Buried is another romantic suspense novel, The story of Jenny Simpson and Carver Rodgers as they uncover secrets from their past. Christmas at Borteen Bayis Morton’s first Christmas novella. It is set in her fictional seaside town of Borteen and follows the story of Pippa Freeman, who runs the Rose Court Guest House with her mother, and local policeman Ethan Gibson, as they unravel a family secret as Christmas approaches. Morton previously worked in the electricity industry in committee services, staff development and training. She has a Business Studies degree and is a fully qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist and Reiki Master. She also has diplomas in Tuina acupressure massage and energy field therapy. She enjoys crafts, history and loves tracing family trees. Having a hunger for learning new things is a bonus for the research behind her books. You can catch up with Morton with the following links:- Website and blog at www.mortonsgray.com Twitter @MortonSGray Facebook page – Morton S. Gray Author - https://www.facebook.com/mortonsgray/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morton_s_gray/ About the Book – Sunny Days at the Beach From party nights at the pub to sunny days at the beach ... Craft shop owner Mandy Vanes has always enjoyed a commitment-free singleton lifestyle — in fact, she’s well-known for her wild ways in her small seaside town on the coast. But when local teenager, Nick Crossten, turns to her for help, Mandy has the opportunity to prove she can be a responsible adult. Although things get tricky when gin distillery owner Graham Frankley comes to town with some unexpected news. Could this mean that Mandy the party girl is finally ready to grow up? Buying Link for Sunny Days at the Beach - https://www.choc-lit.com/dd-product/sunny- days-at-the-beach/