Words on pages... a few of my favourite books 
published this year (2017)
part two - adult fiction 

So, here is part two ( part one found here ) of the books that "Swallowed me up, heart and soul" 

                               

The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman 

Luna and her sister Pia have lost their mother. Along with their grief they have to grapple with a heartbreaking secret she revealed after her death. When they visit Brooklyn, their mother's birthplace, to settle her affairs, they realise that the past may hold more questions than answers. Suddenly, Luna finds herself pulled into the past, literally. She travels through time and finds herself back in the summer of 1977, at the time the tragedy that destroyed her mother is about to happen. Can Luna change the past and if she does, what will it cost her? 

What would be your moment? The one moment in your past, in your history that you would want to go back and change? What price would you be willing to pay, what would you be willing to lose? 

I love Luna. I love everything about her. I love her mind, her determination, her incredible spirit. She stole my heart. 

This is a beautiful, clever, special book. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading it yet, then please, please do! 


                                                          

How To Stop Time by Matt Haig

Matt Haig is one of my favourite authors. I read The Humans, which is utterly brilliant, a couple of years ago and that my friends, was the beginning of a love affair with each ad every one of his incredible, beautiful books. 

I am old. That is the first thing to tell you. The thing you are least likely to believe. If you saw me you would probably think I was about forty, but you would be very wrong.

How to Stop Time is Tom Hazard's story. It's the story of a man who has lived for centuries. He may look like a 41 year old, but he is much, much older and has had to change identities throughout the years to keep himself safe. Now he is living in London, he's a history teacher and he is trying to live by his one rule, he mustn't fall in love. He's done that before and his heart has never recovered. 

This is one of those books that stays with you forever. It takes up residence inside your heart and before you know it, it's part of you. No words I write will ever do How to Stop Time justice, it is a masterpiece. Please don't take my word for it, grab a copy and find out for yourself. 


                                                          

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman 

When I heard about this book I knew I NEEDED to read it. It is utterly brilliant and I have bought copies for so many people, every household needs a copy. 

Eleanor is completely fine. She goes to work. She has her own apartment. Her life is exactly the way she wants it to be... or is it? When she meets Raymond and together they save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has had a fall, her entire life is turned upside down. As the story progresses we start to see glimpses into her life that she wouldn't want us to see, and we realise that completely fine is the lie we tell others, and ourselves when things are falling apart. 

This book will make you think, it will conjure every emotion and make you feel it. It's fascinating and heartbreaking. Eleanor is such a relatable character, she is quirky, she is different and she is hurting more than she will even admit to herself. As the story progresses so we see the full extent of her psychosis and our heart breaks for her. I don't have the words to describe just how ingenious and powerful this truly is. 

                                         Spare & Found Parts                                                                                            by Sarah Maria Griffin 

What did I love about Spare & Found Parts? Let me count the ways...

Nell 
Nell is an incredible protagonist. She is beautiful, she is strong and in the face of fear and ignorance she shines so brightly. From the first page her emotions became my emotions. She grabbed me by the hand and didn't just pull me into her story but made my heart beat in time with hers. I saw Black Water City through her eyes and it was honest and terrifying. She made me care. 

Nell may seem lost, she is an outsider, she is in her mother's shadow, terrified of her father and grandmother's reactions to her choices, eclipsed by her vivacious best friend Ruby, tentative in rebuffing Oliver's advances but... BUT she is in truth an incredibly strong young woman. Despite the world she lives in, despite the expectations of the people around her, despite the constant onslaught of assumption and demands from Oliver, she rises above it all and shows herself and everyone around her that she is Nell, and being her amazing, unique self is all that she needs to be.

The writing
This story is so beautifully written. It's lyrical. The words dance across the page and into your heart. It's honest. Nell isn't perfect and sometimes reacted in ways that made me flinch, but that's the truth of humanity. We aren't perfect. We make mistakes. We hurt and lash out. We simply are. None of the ugliness is hidden, but is instead a piece of the puzzle, a fragment of what makes us who we are. The writing is enchanting and undeniably brilliant.

The setting
Nell's world is a post apocalyptic one. The city she lives in, Black Water City, has been devastated by an epidemic. Survivors are all missing parts. Her father creates biomechanical limbs that everyone uses. The stark, brutal picture painted of a society living in fear of the past, where everyone has to prove their worth, where suspicion and foreboding are rife is harrowing and yet the perfect backdrop for this story.

Character development
Nell took me through every range of emotions as she went from lost to soaring.
Oliver, oh Oliver, despite my loathing for his obsession with Nell, he remained a constant throughout. Even when he was terrified by Nell's choices, he remained on her side, on the city's side, on the side of truth... and maybe, slightly redeemed himself in the end??? 
Ruby, the confident, vivacious best friend who struggled to see Nell's true self, but undoubtedly loved her throughout. 
Her grandmother, lost in the past, in tradition, in the done thing, but who is formidable and true. 
The parents, Julian and Cora, obsessed, lost in their own glory... 
Io, a mechanical man, a computer brought to life, with emotions, the capacity to think for himself and the ability to make the reader love him. 
All the characters have their part to play, their piece of the puzzle that fits into Nell's life and their performances are perfect. 

Spare & Found Parts is an unusual story, but one that I fell in love with straight away.  A wonderful, terrifying, exciting, captivating book whose main character will stay with me forever. My words cannot possible do this story justice, please read it for yourself

Thank you to Titan Books for sending me this glorious book. 

                           Christmas at Woolworths Blog Tour

I am delighted to be involved in the Christmas at Woolworths blog tour and very excited to say that by reading my review copy in the staff room at work, two colleagues have already said that they are ordering copies for family as Christmas presents!

                                                                         Summary:

Even though there was a war on, the Woolworths girls brought Christmas cheer to their customers.

Best friends Sarah, Maisie and Freda are brought together by their jobs at Woolworths. With their loved ones away on the front line, their bonds of friendship strengthen each day. Betty Billington is the manager at Woolworths, and a rock for the girls, having given up on love . . . Until a mysterious stranger turns up one day – could he reignite a spark in Betty?

As the year draws to a close, and Christmas approaches, the girls must rely on each other to navigate the dark days that lie ahead . . .

With so much change, can their friendship survive?

                                                                         Review:

Christmas at Woolworths is the second book in the series, not having read the first one didn't affect my enjoyment of the book in the least.

The characters all come to life right from the beginning and I cared about their stories, their safety and their friendships. Freda is so feisty and REAL! She is my favourite character and the one I identified with. Each character is very different, and brings their distinctive personality to the story. And the supporting cast are incredibly strong too!

The work women did during WWII was incredible, and beautifully illustrated in this tale. Touched upon is the effect the brutality of the war had on the soldiers on the front line, but this is mainly a story of survival, of honesty, of refusing to be beaten and of taking care of those around you.

A wonderful, heartwarming book that will make you shed a tear but ultimately make you smile and restore your faith in humanity.

I am looking forward to reading The Woolworth Girls and Wartime at Woolworths ( which is published April 2018 )

                                                           Information about the Book

                                                        Title: Christmas at Woolworths
                                                             Author: Elaine Everest                                                                                                                               Genre: Historical Saga
                                                            Publisher: Pan Macmillan
                                                                Format: Paperback
                                                     Release Date: 2nd November 2017

goodreads link

amazon link

                                                               Author Information


Elaine Everest, author of Bestselling novel The Woolworths Girls and The Butlins Girls was born and brought up in North West Kent, where many of her books are set. She has been a freelance writer for twenty years and has written widely for women's magazines and national newspapers, with both short stories and features. Her non-fiction books for dog owners have been very popular and led to broadcasting on radio about our four legged friends. Elaine has been heard discussing many topics on radio from canine subjects to living with a husband under her feet when redundancy looms.


When she isn't writing, Elaine runs The Write Place creative writing school at The Howard Venue in Hextable, Kent and has a long list of published students.


Elaine lives with her husband, Michael, and their Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Henry, in Swanley, Kent and is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Crime Writers Association, The Society of Women Writers & Journalists and The Society of Authors as well as Slimming World where she can been sitting in the naughty corner.

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Introducing: Have It, Haven't Read It Yet Tote Bag



More info and buying link

Faye Rogers ( super awesome person who I adore ) has launched something very exciting!
Check out the amazing tote bag pictured above! 
These are available until 29th October 2017.
After that date, this bag will no longer be available to purchase meaning this bag will be totally exclusive!

However, the bag also has not yet been created. Because I want to make sure that this will work and not fail, I will only be creating this bag if I reach a minimum number of sales. So if you’re REALLY excited for this bag and want to make sure that you get one, make sure to spread the news that it’s available to buy!

So while the button below does say “Buy Now”, what you’re actually doing is pre-ordering the bag. It will then be sent to your address after the 29th October 2017.

You will get a FULL REFUND if the bag does not get made.

I will also let you know if we’re nearing the date and we’re close but not quite at minimum. I will also advise you as soon as the bag is definitely, 100% going to be made!

More info and buying link

                                   Stories for Homes volume 2
                                                  Blog Tour 

Today is my stop on the Stories for  Homes Volume 2 Blog Tour! A fantastic compilation of short stories that are not only a brilliant read, but also are helping to raise money for a worthy cause.

                       Published and unpublished writers come together to create an anthology 
                                                of stories about what ‘home’ means.

55 writers are included in a second charity anthology that brings issues around housing, poverty and crisis to life through the power of storytelling. Volume One of the Stories for Homes Project raised over £3K for housing charity Shelter and raised awareness of housing issues. Volume Two of the anthology includes stories, poems and flash fiction and again all proceeds will be donated to the charity.

                                                                  Review

What does home mean to you? Is it a place or is it the people you are with? What if you didn't have a home or it was taken from you? This collection of stories will entertain, will make you think and a few will make you cry.
So please, purchase a copy, enjoy the stories and help to give shelter to those in need.

I thought I would share a few of my favourite stories from the book.

Maude's Bungalow - A story of an elderly woman who is a hoarder. When the council come to clear her home they find a surprise!

How Wonderful You Are -  A husband revisits some wonderful places full of precious memories.

Straw Houses - This is a genius twist on the tale of the Three Little Pigs.

Day 89 - You'll need a box of tissues when you read this one, a beautifully written and painfully honest glimpse into the life of a refugee.

It Was Only A Patch On The Wall - The vicious cycle of poverty and the heartbreak it causes.

The Tablecloth - A poignant story of abandonment, foster care and triumph.

And my absolute favourite
Safi - a heartwarming story of a young refugee who faces the unforgiving world around him with courage and hope.

Information about the Book
Name: Stories for Homes volume 2
Release Date: 28th September 2017
In Support of: Shelter Charity
In Response to: Grenfell Tower
Format: Ebook
http://storiesforhomes.wordpress.com

Amazon

                                                            Praise for the Book

     Emma Darwin, author of The Mathematics of Love, commented on the quality of writing in the anthology as: “A cornucopia of witty, tragic, elegant, raw, heart-warming and terrifying stories that take the idea of Home, play with it as only truly talented writers can, and all to help those who have no home at all."


    Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat, said: “Stories give our imaginations a home. It's good to see them helping to give people shelter in the real world, too...” reflecting the connection between the immediacy of housing crisis and the stories people tell about their lives around and within it.


    Sally Swingewood, who also edited the collections, commented: “The Stories for Homes collections would not be possible without the generosity of a huge number of volunteers. By working together we have produced a book which will not only delight but also help address one of the biggest humanitarian crises facing modern society. In a world where migration, identity and belonging are in the news daily we have a duty to help everyone have a home in which they feel safe and settled. Stories for Homes is one way we can be part of the solution”

                             The Salvation Project 
                                 by Steward Ross

Check out this awesome cover folks!!! 

The Salvation Project (The Soterion Mission #3) is published on June 20th 2017 by Blean Books and I for one can't wait to get my hands on a copy!! 

Summary:
Humanity’s hope of salvation lies within a single laptop…


A mutation in human DNA means no one lives beyond nineteen. Scientists working to reverse this pandemic died before their Salvation Project was complete, leaving behind the results of their research in a sealed vault – the Soterion.


122 years have passed. The civilisation of the ‘Long Dead’ is almost forgotten, the Soterion has been burned to ashes, and communities of Constants are tormented by brutal tribes of Zeds. Cyrus, Miouda and Sammy flee their burning city with a laptop rescued from the inferno. They believe it contains the key to the Salvation Project. But its batteries are dead, there is no electricity to power it, and murderous Zeds will stop at nothing to get it back…

goodreads

Information about the Book

Title: The Salvation Project (The Soterion Mission #3)
Author: Stewart Ross
http://www.stewartross.com/
Twitter
Release Date: 20th June 2017
Genre: Dystopian YA
Publisher: Blean Books
Format: Paperback

                                       Dreaming of Venice 

                                              by T.A.Williams

Today is my stop on the Dreaming of Venice blog tour and it is my pleasure to tell you about a wonderful, romantic story that will melt your heart. 

                                                                      Summary
Find love, friendship and prosecco – in the magical city of Venice.

Life is tough for Penny. A dead end job in a London café, a boyfriend in Australia (what could go wrong?) and an art career going nowhere. But then Penny is approached with an extraordinary proposition.

It isn’t going to be easy but, if she can pull it off, she will turn her life around and at long last see the fulfilment of her dream – to visit Venice. And, just maybe, find true happiness with the handsome man of her dreams.

But can dreams come true?

                                                                      My Review

This is the first T.A Williams book I have read, and it won't be my last. It was such a lovely read! The main character Penny is so incredibly likeable, I found myself rooting for her from the word go.

The gorgeous descriptions of Venice heightened my desire to visit the beautiful city, although I do feel like I've managed a brief visit with Penny.  I loved her friendships with Olivia, Caroline and Jimmy. and the romance?... be still my beating heart! 

What I really enjoyed about Dreaming of Venice is how charming it was, how quickly it captivated me and how it made me desperate to know what would happen next. 

A fantastic read, one to make you smile and swoon! 

Information about the Book

Title: Dreaming of Venice
Author: T. A. Williams
Release Date: 24th April 2017
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Canelo

Format: Ebook 

Goodreads

Amazon

                                                             Author Information


My name is Trevor Williams. I write under the androgynous name T A Williams because 65% of books are read by women. In my first book, "Dirty Minds" one of the (female) characters suggests the imbalance is due to the fact that men spend too much time getting drunk and watching football. I couldn't possibly comment. Ask my wife...
My background, before taking up writing full time, was in teaching and I was principal of a big English language school for many years. This involved me in travelling all over the world and my love of foreign parts is easy to find in my books. I speak a few languages and my Italian wife and I still speak Italian together.
I've written all sorts: thrillers, historical novels, short stories and now I'm enjoying myself hugely writing humour and romance. My most recent books are the What happens… series. What happens in Tuscany reached #1 in the Amazon.uk Romantic Comedy chart and What Happens on the Beach, the last in the series, came out in July. Chasing Shadows is still romance, but with the added spice of a liberal helping of medieval history, one of my pet hobbies. I do a lot of cycling and I rode all the way to Santiago de Compostela on a bike a few years back. This provided both the inspiration and the background research for Chasing Shadows.
I’m originally from Exeter, and I’ve lived all over Europe, but now I live in a little village in sleepy Devon, tucked away down here in south west England. I love the place.

                             Greatest Hits by Laura Barnett 

Greatest Hits is a biography of the fictional singer songwriter Cass Wheeler, it charts her highs and lows and through the lyrics of her songs, takes the reader on the journey that has been her life so far.

Laura Barnett is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors. Her debut novel The Versions of Us was a superb masterpiece, so when I was sent an arc of Greatest Hits I was both extremely excited, and a little nervous. Eva ( The Versions of Us ) is one of my favourite fictional characters, she made me love her from the first page, and with every chapter of her story I cared more and more, could Cass ( Greatest Hits ) do the same? 


Cass Wheeler - a British singer-songwriter, hugely successful since the early 70s, whose sudden disappearance from the music world three decades later has been the subject of intense speculation among her fans - is in the studio that adjoins her home, taking a journey back into her past. Her task is to choose sixteen songs from among the hundreds she has written since her early teens, for a uniquely personal Greatest Hits record, describing the arc of her life through song.

It has been over a decade since Cass last put out an album; ten years since a tragedy catapulted her into a breakdown. In the course of this one day - both ordinary and extraordinary - each song Cass plays sets off a chain of memories, leading us deep into her past, and into the creative impulse that has underpinned her work.

This is the story of a life - the highs and lows, love and separation, success and failure. Of what it is to live a fulfilled life, and how to make peace with our mistakes.

I was wrong to be worried, Cass jumped off the page, grabbed me by the hand and pulled me heart and soul into her story. I laughed, cringed, gasped in both awe and horror and cried my eyes out. I had a VERY embarrassing moment when I burst into tears whilst reading in the staff room of a school. Trust me to come across the most heartbreaking moment of the entire story when I was in public! 

Each chapter begins with one of Cass' songs and as it plays an avalanche of memories flood Cass' mind. We follow Cass through the years, from restless and creative child to rebellious teenager. From young, talented and in love to successful artist and survivor. Each stage of her life, each chapter of memories exposing the deepest thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears of the person behind the celebrity. 

Certain aspects of the story touched me deeply, her daughter's story especially was a little too close to home and the emotions were overwhelming. And akin to catharsis in a Greek tragedy, my time with Cass took me on an emotionally charged journey, one that ended with me smiling, feeling renewed, faith in humanity and life restored.

Laura Barnett has collaborated with singer songwriter Kathryn Williams on the lyrics and I cannot wait to hear the melodies that accompany the verses of Cass' life and ( insert a loud and giddy squeeeeeee ) there will be a collaborative tour, author and singer, that as you can probably guess, I am incredibly excited about it! 

I absolutely adored Greatest Hits. Sublime storytelling that will shatter your heart. A gloriously wonderful book! 

Greatest Hits
author: Laura Barnett
publisher: W & N
publication date: June 15th 2017
isbn: 9781474600200
Goodreads
Waterstones
WHSmith


I received a copy of Greatest Hits in exchange for an honest review.

                           #BlogTour City of Drowned Souls 
                           (Elisenda Domènech Investigations)
                                    by Chris Lloyd 

Today I am part of the City of Drowned Souls blog tour. I have read all three books of the series so far and will post the summary and a short review of each one below. However, I would like to start by talking about the series as a whole.  

Chris Lloyd brings Girona to life and his characters jump from the page pulling us into their world.

The horror of the crimes the team have to face is in stark contrast to the beauty of the city in which they are committed. Half way into the first book  I found that I could wander through the blend of traditional architecture and new buildings that make up streets of Girona, the delightful aromas of the local dishes on offer tantalising my taste buds. The distinctive thrum of the river flowing through the city a comforting sound, the shadow of the cathedral offering a reprieve from the midday sun... that is how vivid and memorable the authors descriptions are! 

What I absolutely loved from the word go was that these are not books for lazy readers. To begin with, you need to work at remembering the names of the characters and the places as the books are all set in the Catalan city of Girona. Once I'd got to grips with that, and it wasn't hard, it just required a little bit of concentration, I fell in love with Elisenda and her city. 

The crimes are macabre and shake our team of investigators to the core, challenging them to their limits... and us along with them. We never know more than the team investigating, although there are times when the author allows us to make a judgement moments before we turn the page and find the team have reached the same conclusion. 

Truly gripping, the stories twist and turn as we gasp in terror at the evil in the world, grind our teeth with frustration with the obstacles bureaucracy and public apathy cause and sigh with relief when Elisenda and her team take the criminals down. 

If you like crime fiction, you will love this series! 

                                                                      City of Good Death 

A killer is targeting hate figures in the Catalan city of Girona – a loan shark, a corrupt priest, four thugs who have blighted the streets of the old quarter – leaving clues about his next victim through mysterious effigies left hung on a statue. Each corpse is posed in a way whose meaning no one can fathom. Which is precisely the point the murderer is trying to make.


Elisenda Domènech, the solitary and haunted head of the city’s newly-formed Serious Crime Unit, is determined to do all she can to stop the attacks. She believes the attacker is drawing on the city’s legends to choose his targets, but her colleagues aren’t convinced and her investigation is blocked at every turn.


Battling against the increasing sympathy towards the killer displayed by the press, the public and even some of the police, she finds herself forced to question her own values. But when the attacks start to include less deserving victims, the pressure is suddenly on Elisenda to stop him. The question is: how?


This book will make you question yourself.
When people who have caused nothing but harm are being murdered, is it still a crime? 

As Elisenda, who isn't without her own troubles, is pulled deeper and deeper into the killers mind, you find yourself thinking over everything that you know, trying to put the pieces together on the board, hoping to solve the crime too! Sorry to disappoint but you won't!! The city's legends, the corrupt mind of a killer, the elaborate staging of the bodies and the prejudices of the average man on the street all come together to create a mystery that even the most genius of minds would struggle to solve. 

The author captures the hustle and bustle of Girona perfectly, the combination of the traditional and the new that is currently changing every city in the world. The residents going about their business, alongside the tourists who come to absorb the traditions, perfectly written.

My favourite quote, which I see as incredibly relevant to us all today is, 

"That's what our man is feeding on," Elisenda commented. "The pettiness of people who'd describe themselves as normal."


                                                    City of Buried Ghosts 

Still recovering from the tragedy that hit her team, Elisenda takes on a new case. Except it’s not new. On an archaeological dig by the coast a body is uncovered, seemingly executed with a spike thrust through the base of the skull – an ancient tribal ritual. It soon becomes clear that this body is neither ancient nor modern, but a mysterious corpse from the 1980s.

 Assigned to the case along with her team, Elisenda soon uncovers a complex world of star archaeologists, jealousy and missing persons. They find a dark trade in illicit antiquities, riddled with vicious professional rivalries. And even though she’s staying close to the crime scene, Elisenda is also never far from enemies of her own within the police force. 

Just as the case seems to become clear it is blown wide-open by another horrific murder. Elisenda must fight her personal demons and office politics, whilst continuing to uncover plots and hatreds that were long buried. How far will she go to solve the crime? Is her place in the force secure? And can she rebuild her life?


A remarkable second installment in the series, this book finds Elisenda and her team battered and broken. Will they be able to pull themselves together enough to investigate another horrific crime? 

After reading A City of Buried Ghosts I wasn't sure the author would be able to create another story with as grisly a crime, with as breathtaking a backdrop... but Chris Lloyd does not disappoint. If anything, you will find yourself falling even more in love with Girona and your emotional ties to Elisenda and her serious crime unit will strengthen as despite the fallout of the first book they battle on. 


                                                  City of Drowned Souls

When a child disappears, the clock starts ticking Detective Elisenda Domènech has had a tough few years. The loss of her daughter and a team member; the constant battles against colleagues and judges; the harrowing murder investigations… But it’s about to get much worse.

 When the son of a controversial local politician goes missing at election time, Elisenda is put on the case. They simply must solve it. Only the team also have to deal with a spate of horrifically violent break-ins. People are being brutalised in their own homes and the public demands answers. 

Could there be a connection? Why is nobody giving a straight answer? And where is Elisenda’s key informant, apparently vanished off the face of the earth? With the body count threatening to increase and her place in the force on the line, the waters are rising… Be careful not to drown.

Book three is a masterpiece! The characters and the city of Girona are old friends and I quickly found myself immersed in yet another ghastly criminal investigation with more twists, spins and undercurrents than the river running through the city. 

Elisenda, who by the way I would very much like as a best friend, finds herself forced to face her guilt and the visions that haunt her whilst investigating a crime that strikes painfully close to home.

If you think that this time, you might just get there before the team do... well, you'll have to read it and find out. 

Oh and the epilogue will blow your mind! 

Get your copies here:

City of Good Death

City of Buried Ghosts

City of Drowned Souls

Follow Chris Lloyd on twitter

                                          Mary's The Name
                                            by Ross Sayers 
                                                 Blog Tour

I am so excited to be part of the Mary's The Name Blog Tour! Not only do I get to share this amazing book with you all ( review further down the page ) but I also have a guest post from the author.
So without further ado, I'll hand over my blog to the wonderful Ross Sayers! 

I thought I might share some of my ‘firsts’ with Anna’s lovely readers!

First time I had something published: August 2013. 
Octavius Magazine (sadly no longer with us) chose my story ‘Late Kick-off’ for their second edition. This was such a thrill, having never seen my name in a contents list before! My story was told from a wee boy’s point of view, and I’m still using child narrators to this day in Mary’s the Name. I was particularly surprised when I found out, as my tutor at Uni at the time had said the piece didn’t work and I needed to rewrite it. Creative writing can be so subjective, always worth remembering!


First time I won a writing competition: July 2015. 
Cargo Publishing (also no longer with us, I must be a curse!) ran a competition, asking people to respond to the cover of Nicholas Hogg’s Tokyo with a piece of writing. My little story won, and I received a signed copy of the novel. I hadn’t thought I would win, of course, and I had already bought a copy! It was a great feeling though.


First time I signed a publishing contract: May 2016.
I met with Cranachan in late April to discuss the novel I submitted, then titled ‘The Portree Kid’. In May, I signed to published the book in February 2017. I was over the moon. All the work I’d put it over the previous year had paid off. I was going to get to call myself an author. Fair to say, February 2017 seemed so far away at the time…


First time I held my own book in my hands: December 2016. 
I met with Helen from Cranachan at Coffee on Wooer in Falkirk, to read from Mary’s the Name at ‘Wooer with Words’. I didn’t hear much of what she said at first, as I knew she had a copy of the book in her bag and all I wanted was to hold it! Funny thing is, it wasn’t the huge moment you’d think it would’ve been. I’d already seen the cover, the back cover, and a PDF of the inside. Add to that, Helen and my friends looking at me as I held it, really I just felt a bit awkward! My friends and I ended up going on a trip to Oban that night, and I could barely put it down. It may not have made me emotional, but I didn’t want to let it go!

First time I signed a copy of my book: January 2017. 
Helen and I visited Levenmouth Academy in Fife to do a mock launch of Mary’s the Name. As we were leaving, Helen asked the teachers if they would like an advanced copy of the book. They said yes, then asked for me to sign it. I knew I was going to have to sign it eventually, but I wasn’t quite prepared! I sat looking at the title page for what felt like an age, not really sure what I was doing. My hand was genuinely shaky, as if I was graffitiing the book. Hopefully I’ll get used to it soon!

By the time you’re reading this, I can add First time my book was released. I can’t wait for everyone to meet Mary, and I hope you enjoy!

I would like to say a huge thank you to Ross Sayers for his guest post, for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour and for sending me a copy of Mary's the Name. 



Summary 

An eight year-old girl and her granpa are on the run...
"When me and Granpa watched James Bond films, he told me not to be scared because people didn't have guns like that in Scotland. That must have been why the robbers used hammers." 
Orphaned Mary lives with her granpa, but after he is mixed up in a robbery at the bookies where he works, they flee to the Isle of Skye. Gradually, Mary realises that her granpa is involved. And the robbers are coming after him - and their money. 

My review 

To say that I loved this book would be an understatement. Mary stole my heart from the very first and as the story progressed, so my fondness for her grew and grew.  

Ross Sayers has somehow managed to capture the essence of an eight year old little girl perfectly! Mary is smart, feisty, kind, loving, weird ( in only the best ways ), innocent, vulnerable and yet so incredibly strong. 

The whole story is told from Mary's perspective, so we see everything through the eyes and thoughts of an eight year old girl. The genius lies in how we, as adults get to see more than Mary does, how we understand more than her innocent self, and see, before she does, the storm clouds in the horizon. 

Mary and her granpa's relationship is beautiful, touching and so real. I loved Mary's logic, her thought process and the reasons she makes the decisions that she does are so clear and based on the self preservation of a young child not wanting to get into trouble and yet her awareness of consequences is that of a much older child. Her friendship with Grace is again perfectly done... from the "best friends" declaration to the small injustices that seem to a child unforgivable offenses, Ross Sayers captures the vulnerability of a new friendship delightfully. 

The local dialogue helps to transport the reader to the Isle of Skye and brings the island and it's inhabitants to life. I could see the row of colourful houses, feel the spray of the cold sea water on my skin, hear the seagulls cries and smell the sea air and the fish and chips from the chip shop. 

Mary's the Name made me laugh out loud, hold my breath in anticipation of what the next page would bring, and cry ugly tears. If you are looking for a powerful emotional story, then grab yourself a copy and prepare yourself to meet Mary, who will stay with you long after you put the book down. 

I received a copy of Mary's the Name in exchange for an honest review.


Follow Ross Sayers on twitter

Buy the book here : Amazon 
                                    The Book Depository 

Here are the rest of the stops on the tour below. 

                                     Playlist For A Paper Angel                                                                                           by Jacqueline Ward 

Today is my stop on the Playlist For A Paper Angel Blog Tour. I loved the first book in the series, Random Acts of Unkindness and couldn't wait to catch up with DS Jan Pearce and find out what happens next in her story. 

To begin with, I have the privilege of sharing with you author Jacquiline Wards top five crime/detective books. 

Top Five Crime/Detective Books
1. Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty
2. Disclaimer by Renee Knight
3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
4. Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
5. Just What Kind of Mother are You? By Paula Daly

Summary:
One child found, one child missing – what's the connection? DS Jan Pearce is still searching for her missing son. When she finds a little girl, Elise, alone in a pram in a busy town centre, she must unravel a mystery that takes her to the edge of her emotions. Then another child, Dara Price, goes missing. Lisa Connelly, Elise's mother, has been forced into a life of prostitution and has been leaving her little girl alone. Her gangland boss is holding her prisoner but she wants her little girl back.
Jan finds herself balancing her search for her son with finding Dara. Her right hand man, Mike Waring, is on another case so she and her temporary partner, profiler Damien Booth, must solve the puzzle and find Lisa before time runs out for Dara. Playlist for a Paper Angel is the second in the DS Jan Pearce series of novels and is the sequel to Random Acts of Unkindness.

Review:
I read this book in four hours, I picked it up at 10 pm one night, thinking I'd read a couple of chapters and couldn't put it down until I finished the last page just before 2 am. It's that good! From the first page the action begins and it picks up pace through out, my heart raced as Jan and her team raced against the clock to find the missing little girl, terrified of what would pan out. 

The story is told from two perspectives, we meet Elise's mum very early on and the balance between the reality of what is going on in her life and how the police are conducting their investigation is written beautifully. I love the new character introduced in this book, Dr Damien Booth, a profiler, who helps Jan Pearce see things in a whole new way. 

One of the things I love about this author is that she doesn't sugar coat things, the crimes are horrific and she tells it like it is. Honest, raw and at times heartbreaking, Playlist for a Paper Angel is a brilliant read, one that I just can't recommend enough. 

Information about the Book

Title: Playlist for a Paper Angel (DS Pearce #2)
Author: Jacqueline Ward
Release Date: 27th December 2016
Genre: Crime Detective Fiction
Publisher: Kindle Press
Format: Ebook