Kid Lit Giveaway Hop 13-19 May 2013

I am taking part in the Kid Lit Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews.

The dates for this hop are May 13th - 19th 2013.

I am giving away a signed copy of my novel New Beginnings which is for 9-12 year olds.

Sam Hendry is not looking forward to starting at her new school. Things go from bad to worse as the day of truth arrives and all of her fears come true... and then some. 

When Sam meets a different group of people who immediately accept her as a friend, she begins to feel more positive. 

With her new friends and interests, will Sam finally feel able to face the bully who taunts her, and to summon up the courage to perform on stage?

You can find out more about the book on Goodreads by clicking here.

To enter, just fill in the rafflecopter form below.


This is an international giveaway.

Good luck and happy hopping!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

#Fridayflash: He Knew, She Knew.

He Knew, She Knew

They knew, they both agreed, they weren’t ready. He, because he never would be; she, because her heart had been ripped out by another and fed to the ravens.

Yet somehow he took her hand for a fleeting second and the void in her began to fill, a trickle at first, then a gradual flow.

Molten heat coursed through her veins the day they climbed that hill and discovered the tumbledown shepherds hut. In its inner sanctuary they placed their tartan blanket on the floor and consumed each other in full view of their unopened picnic basket.

As they ground their bodies together in frantic desperation to feel something, anything, he whispered her name and the sun warmed her face and the tear on her cheek. For a few moments as their cries echoed around the lonely valley, they were alive once more.

As they left the hut and returned down the hillside, the fire within her cooled and turned to stone.

“I care about you, you know that, don’t you?” he said, gazing at her with clear eyes. “I didn’t expect to feel like this but I do.”

She turned away to hide the conflict within her.

A raven flew overhead, casting a shadow across her face. She climbed wearily into her car and drove away, knowing she must never see him again.

A New Blog Post, At Last! And a Special Feature.

Hi everyone

I can't believe I have left my blog untouched for three whole months - the amount of tumbleweed that's built up is horrendous. I seem to constantly be getting busier with work and my family and everything really... but I will be sure to not leave it so long between blogs again.

Throughout this month of April, I have been part of a "Special Feature" over on the wonderful  b00kr3vi3ws blog. Being featured for this means there are five posts during one month and it's been very exciting to read the posts so far.

I've borrowed the banner below from b00kr3vi3ws as I think it looks gorgeous:

There is a giveaway of some copies of my books over on this blog, so please do pop over and say hello.

Thanks, as always, for reading.
x

#Fridayflash: Phoenix Rising

© Mangojuicy | Dreamstime.com

Phoenix Rising

It was the smell of wood smoke on a crisp winter morning that reminded her. The crunch of boots on snow ceased as she stood for a while, eyes squeezed tight, inhaling the scent of long ago.

Or was it so long ago, that day they'd walked together, and he’d brushed snowflakes from her fringe before he kissed her gently and the world around her had disappeared?

The log fire in his cottage had warmed their skin as they’d consumed each other, then relaxed on the sofa under red tartan blankets, fingers entwined.

As the fire died down, he’d reached beside the grate and she'd inhaled sharply as she'd seen the box.

"Forever?" He’d asked.

"Perhaps," was all she could manage.

She opened her eyes and walked on, away from the smell and the memories.

If you enjoyed this story, you may also like my collection A Knowing Look and Other Stories:  

Amazon.co.uk

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Theatre Review: The Bodyguard at the Adelphi Theatre, London

I was very excited about seeing The Bodyguard on stage in London; I went to a matinee performance of this show. Frank Farmer is played by Lloyd Owen who I had previously seen on TV and also in Closer at the Lyric back in the late 90s. It took me a while to get used to hearing him speak with an American accent but he played the reluctant, slightly awkward hero to perfection (and looked very gorgeous, especially in his dark blue suit!).

Gloria Onitiri, the alternate female lead was wonderful in the role of Rachel Marron, and the chemistry between the two leads was good.

Debbie Kurup who plays Nicki Marron, Rachels long-suffering sister sent shivers down my spine every time she sang. And Mark Letheren who plays the stalker in the show does so with such menace; there is one scene when he is alone on the stage and I was on the edge of my seat; I would go back to see this show for that scene alone.

Another highlight for me was hearing the sisters sing Saving All My Love For You.

The set was good with an interesting blend of video in the mix which allowed the action to take place in more locations. The costumes, especially for Rachel Marron, were very eye-catching, just as they should be for her character.

The show doesn't follow the movie to the letter, but it is well adapted and I would recommend it to anyone who likes songs with strong lyrics, gorgeous lead characters, sexy but very evil baddies, or simply a show you can sit and watch to escape from reality for a couple of hours.

Star rating: 4.5 out of 5. I want to see it again and I think it would be a 5 the second time.
(I saw a preview show in November and there were some minor sound glitches but I expect these have been ironed out by now.)

Currently booking to April 2013 (Click here to go to the website.)

Seating tip: I called about tickets a few days before I saw The Bodyguard as the website said the performance was sold out but to call for availability, and I got seat B5 in the Dress Circle which is supposedly restricted viewing but if you are 5 ft 9 or taller the safety rail doesn't get in the way anyway (I'm 5 ft 10 and I had a brilliant view). From talking to the person next to me, I discovered I got a bit of a bargain with this seat.

Seasonal Greetings and a Small Gift From Me

It was around this time last year I did a review of my year but this year has been a bit different for personal reasons, so during the second part of 2012 I haven't written anything at all. I'm now looking forward to the New Year and keen to get on with writing my third novel for children which has been brewing for quite some time now. It will be great to escape into the world of adventure and mystery for a change.

If you celebrate Christmas, have a wonderful time, if not, enjoy the lights and the atmosphere anyway and have a wonderful new year. As a small gift, I have made my books When Dreams Come True and A Knowing Look and Other Stories free for Kindle until Christmas Eve.

Also, over on my Facebook page I am about to start a giveaway of a paperback copy of Deck The Halls (which contains my new sci fi story Twenty Five) to celebrate going over 700 likes (thank you to everyone who likes my page xx) so head over there if you want to be in the hat for that.

Best wishes to all of you for 2013 and thanks, as always, for reading.

 Free for Kindle (via Amazon) 22-24 December

Amazon.co.uk

 Amazon.com

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Amazon.ca

Free for Kindle (via Amazon) 22-24 December

Amazon.co.uk

 Amazon.com

Amazon.de

Amazon.ca

Like my page and enter the giveaway

 

Deck The Halls International Launch

It gives me great pleasure to say that I have a story in Deck The Halls published by eMergent Publishing, and launching worldwide today.

Each of the stories was written to a prompt - a line from the Christmas carol Deck The Halls. I was given Tis the Season to be Jolly and from the deepest depths of my mind came a sci fi story. I don't usually write sci fi so I'd be interested to know what you think of it if you read it.

I am very proud to be published alongside some very talented authors. Many of these people I am also lucky enough to be able to consider friends.

This book would make a fantastic Christmas present for anyone who likes short stories. 

Buy a copy:

 Directly from eMergent Publishing here.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Touched Rowena Specht-Whyte
Drench the School Benjamin Solah
Coming Home Rebecca Dobbie
While You Were Out Sam Adamson
Twenty-Five Rebecca Emin
A Jolly Pair Christopher Chartrand
Gays and Commies Graham Storrs
A Better Fit Jen Brubacher
Salvation Nicole R Murphy
A Troll for Christmas Jo Hart
Modraniht Kate Sherrod
Bosch’s Book of Trolls Susan May James
‘Til Death Do Us Part Emma Kerry
High Holidays Dale Challener Roe
The Headless Shadow Jonathan Crossfield
End of a Tradition Paul Servini
Weatherboy Nik Perring
Not a Whisper Lily Mulholland
Lords of the Dance Janette Dalgliesh
Through Frosted Glass Laura Meyer
Midsummer’s Eve Stacey Larner Yuletide Treasure Rob Diaz II
Broken Angel Jodi Cleghorn
A Golden Treasure Chia Evers
Fast Away Jim Bronyaur
Apprentices to Time Icy Sedgwick
Unfolding Alison Wells
Egg-Ceptional PJ Kaiser
Hail the New Trevor Belshaw
Perfect Light Dan Powell
Softly Sing the Stars Steve Cameron
Through Wind and Weather David McDonald