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In April I was delighted to feature Karen Maitland's new book The Drowned City. Based on true events of a tsunami that put Bristol and much of the west country under water, this is a fabulous story of intrigue set in Jacobean England
"Gunpowder and treason changed England forever. But the tides are turning and revenge runs deep in this compelling historical thriller."
https://karenmaitland.com/
In an April double-bill I also featured "Illicit Deception" by Jack Lench in the form of an audio book. Jack ids also a Devon writer, with a fascinating backstory of his own.
Essentially, ‘Illicit Deception’ is about people not being who they say they are. It takes three tiny pieces of history and adds/ changes one small intrinsic fact. In doing so, changes the course of history.
http://www.jacklench.com/
As April turned to May it was the turn of "Sistersong" by Lucy Holland, a hugely popular choice:
"A tale of three siblings and three deadly sins. In a magical ancient Britain, bards sing a story of treachery, love and death. This is that story.
For fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, Lucy Holland's Sistersong retells the folk ballad 'The Two Sisters.'King Cador's children inherit a land abandoned by the Romans, torn by warring tribes. Riva can cure others, but can't heal her own scars. Keyne battles to be seen as the king's son, although born a daughter. And Sinne dreams of love, longing for adventure."
http://lucyhounsom.co.uk/ Lucy Hounsom
For the late May bank holiday I was delighted to feature Kathy Shuker's new book, "A Crack In The Varnish". As one of our founder members, I follow Kathy's career with great interest and her books are always a pleasure to share with you.
"Hollywood actress, Esther Langley, has a home in the hills of Provence, an old converted abbey where she keeps her precious art collection. Now she has four paintings in need of restoration: one modern work, fire-damaged, and three crumbling old masters. It looks like a straightforward job for an experienced art restorer like Hannah Dechansay, and who wouldn’t relish a few months in Provence?
But living and working on Esther’s estate isn’t easy. It’s a tortured household, haunted by a tragic death. There’s guilt and recrimination in the air and relationships soon start to unravel. Was the death an accident? Everyone has a different version to tell. There’s something sinister going on and everyone, it seems, has something to hide."
https://www.kathyshuker.co.uk/index.html
To end our second quarter of the year, 5 lucky people won a copy of "Dead in Devon" by Stephanie Austin
Who said Ashburton was a quiet and sleepy town?
"Juno Browne is a self-appointed Domestic Goddess. From cleaning to dog-walking to caring for the elderly, she flits around the picturesque town of Ashburton in her trusty van ready to turn her hand to anything. Despite warnings to the contrary, she ventures into the shady world of antiques dealing when she takes on a new client, Old Nick, who has a reputation for conducting business by the back door. When Juno prevents two menacing thugs from giving Nick a beating, it's clear one of his deals has gone horribly wrong - and it isn't long before Nick is found dead. As the police search for answers starts to stall, Juno begins her own investigation. But when one of her suspects is killed and Juno is herself the subject of unwanted attention, she must piece the puzzle together before she becomes the next victim."
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The first of these "Ladies: Let's Get Going" by Teresa Bulford-Cooper aims to strike a chord with those of you who are rethinking your lives and may be considering starting up a business. Teresa takes the view that, whilst the pandemic has brought immense challenges, it can also be a time for renewal and for making real the dreams that have laid dormant, waiting for the right moment.
In "Ladies Let's Get Going", Teresa shares hundreds of practical tips to help you to get started in business. You’ll discover how to lay firm foundations, stay sane, enjoy the journey, and make sure that your wellbeing is at the heart of everything that you do.
“Feel empowered, hear that roar within you, let it out, and unleash that amazing woman that you are.”
... and who can argue with that? You can find out more about Teresa and her work here https://www.teresabulfordcooper.com/
Also in July, courtesy of Tom Vowler I really enjoyed his latest book "Every Seventh Wave" in which Hallam returns from prison to his childhood home – a dilapidated house on the sea-battered north Cornish coast, a place where land and water embrace in perennial, furious exchange, where he ekes out a living repairing nets, the spectral presence of wreckers and smugglers riding the south-westerly. It is a home built on a tapestry of sound: a dozen different winds, waves that growl and pummel, the rark of gulls. A place to heal, to forget.
But when a young Romanian woman strides fully-clothed into the sea one evening, their interlocked fates serve only to marshal all the brutality of Hallam’s past life.
EVERY SEVENTH WAVE is a literary tale of the fates we tether ourselves to, how seemingly benign encounters can provoke both hope and devastation.
For a fabulous Summer read so many of you told me how much you enjoyed our August giveaway - "Charlotte" by Helen Moffett
"Charlotte Lucas is plain, poor and reaching a dangerous age when she accepts the proposal of buffoonish clergyman Mr Collins. Married life will propel her into a new world of secrets, grief, unexpected love and friendship, and a kind of freedom.
This powerful re-imagining takes up where Austen left off in Pride and Prejudice. Charlotte offers a fresh, feminist addition to the post-Austen canon, brimming with passion and intelligence."
Although she is not a Devon writer, Helen has been an active member of our community and I was delighted to share her work with you. More about Helen and her work can be found here https://www.helenmoffett.com/
August was a busy month for giveaways as we also featured The Glass Bulldog by Alison Huntingford
Alison told me that a chance snippet of information in a parish archive about her great-great grandfather, Tom Finnimore, sent her off on a voyage of discovery. Arrested and imprisoned for stealing six chickens at the age of 16, he somehow survived to have a family and a second chance. The more Alison found out about his life the more vivid it became until I was compelled to write up Tom’s story.
"One mistake can change your life…. Exeter 1833
Since the recent cholera outbreak, and the tragic loss of his little sister Annie, young Tom Finnimore has been struggling to cope in a dreadful new job. Following a lovers quarrel he foolishly steals some chickens, but unfortunately is caught in the act."
The story is about how this one act shaped his whole life.
More about Alison here https://alisonhuntingford.com/the-gla...
And that was the Summer gone! 😎 But it paved the way for some wonderful Autumn giveaways - more on that tomorrow
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September saw the launch of Invisible Thread by our good friend Sophy Layzell and Sophy celebrated by offering us 3 copies.
"In response to her mother's call Stella has returned to the world she once knew, to help bring her family back together. Held together by the fragile invisible thread that binds each family together, Catherine, David and Charlie must navigate life without Stella.
But what happens when that thread is stretched to its limit? Will it eventually snap? And if so, how will they find their way back to each other?
From her slumber under the earth, Stella responds to her mother’s call. Convinced she must help unravel the knots in her family’s relationship, she sets out to try and bring her family back together."
https://www.sophylayzell.com/
In October, Jane G. Harlond offered a giveaway of a different kind - her WWII West Country who-dunnit "Local Resistance" having been released as an audio book.
"This is the first in the popular Bob Robbins Home Front Mystery historical crime series (think Foyle’s War meets Dad’s Army and Arsenic and Old Lace). Stories are set in the Bodmin and Looe area, except for Book 2, Private Lives, which features Bideford in North Devon.
Narrator, Lorna Bryant, who is also an actor and singer, lives in Sidmouth which makes it even more special for us locally"
https://wp-harlond.jgharlond.com/
In November I was delighted to celebrate the launch of Elise Valmorbida new book courtesy of Laurence King Publishing Ltd. Elise is a writer and teacher of creative writing and has a fascinating background and a wide canon of work.
"Writers, teachers, diarists, wordsmiths and good-lifers: get a hold of this great book! It's playful, serious, encouraging and rigorous at the same time." Tobias Jones The Guardian
Elise is an award-winning author, designer and film-maker and has taught for over 20 years at Central Saint Martins, Arvon Foundation and in a range of other settings.
The Happy Writing Book: Discover the Positive Power of Creative Writing is a unique guide for those who want to get started and those who want to develop their creative writing practice further.
Her guidance is inspiring, engaging and real and includes elements of memoir, anecdote, science, philosophy, music, film, visual arts, literary criticism, popular culture, meditations, practical tips and exercises.
I also thoroughly enjoyed recording an interview with Elise, which you can find here https://youtu.be/m25SXSJJV74
That closed out our year of giveaways and, I'm sure you'll agree they provided a rich variety to tempt you and, for some of you, to enjoy as a gift from the writer or publisher.
Thanks again to all of them for their generosity.
Our first giveaway in January was Geoff Duck's fabulous "Coat With Long Sleeves", published by Troubador, in which the protagonist is a failed Tech entrepreneur who retreats to the family’s holiday home in rural North Devon when things go pear-shaped; who endures breakdown and seclusion for twenty years until he chances upon the mysterious artefact that he realises has lain untouched for half a millennium.
Early in February, we followed this with "The Soulistic Journey: A pilgrimage to the source of your being" , co written by Lorna Howarth and Genevieve Boast and published by Panacea Books:
"There can come a time in life when you face a crossroads, when it feels as if your existing patterns of behaviour or your lifestyle choices no longer serve you, but you don’t know which way to turn next. You may be experiencing serious illness, divorce, death of a loved one, exhaustion, redundancy, depression or anxiety, or even a loss of faith in life itself. It is at these times, as you begin to question ‘what it’s all about’ – times of crisis and yet of opportunity too – when The Soulistic Journey takes you by the hand and offers a new way of being; a path less travelled to the source of your being"
The connection with Loran also led to a wonderful series The Soulistic Garden, which she wrote for us throughout 2021, releasing a new article each month. You can find the full series here https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
As February came to a close we had a lot of fun with Body On The Island by Victoria Dowd, published by JOFFE BOOKS
"An uninhabited Scottish island.
Ten stranded strangers.
A murderer on the loose.
Ursula Smart, along with her dysfunctional family, heads to Scotland for a gentle weekend of foraging and camping in the Outer Hebrides.
Their boat capsizes. Washed up on an uninhabited island, the Smart women face starvation, freezing conditions, and - worse - no Wi-Fi.
A fun break swiftly turns into a desperate battle for survival. Someone begins killing them off one by one.
Will our gang of Smart women escape, or will they be next?"
Then, in March, I was delighted to support the launch of Ruth Druart first novel (in hardback) "While Paris Slept". Published by Headline Books and repped by Curtis Brown Creative ,we featured Ruth's journey with a series called "Diary of a Debut Writer" - you can watch the series here. Ruth's book has just been published in paperback. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC39S...
"One woman must make the hardest decision of her life in this unforgettably moving story of resistance and faith during one of the darkest times in history.
On a darkened platform, two destinies become intertwined, and the choices each person makes will change the future in ways neither could have imagined.
Told from alternating perspectives, While Paris Slept reflects on the power of love, resilience, and courage when all seems lost.
Exploring the strength of family ties, and what it really means to love someone unconditionally, this debut novel will capture your heart."
More to follow over the coming days