Gina Henning's Blog

There is no one quite like Kierney Scott, well other than me because we are so similar. Facebook has even said this on several occasions that she is the friend "most like me" and if a Facebook quiz says it then you know it's legit. To begin we both have books with Harper Collins Carina UK, which is how we met. We began writing together last year after a fun discussion on Twitter and have since written several books together. As well as she has chatted out several plot points about my solo projects. 

She is one of my favorite authors of all time, so I shall shout her name as we roll out the red carpet so that she may grace us with her presence in Lucite heels and we are both wearing our matching tiaras. Enjoy this inside scoop from KIERNEY SCOTT!

1. Is peanut butter in this book?

Of course, there is peanut butter in this book. Would you expect any less from the peanut butter queen?

2. If Kate was going to make a special cupcake for Alex what would it be?

Alex is a type 1 diabetic, so all treats come with a side of insulin.

3. If this book were to come with an accessory what would it be?

Handcuffs, a blindfold, and batteries.

4. Are you a member of a secret club?

I am a member of a super secret group. I even dedicated this book to the other members.

5. You're blindfolded and can choose between the sense of smell or taste to find your lover who is trapped in a bakery, which do you use?

Taste. Always taste!

Thanks to the marvelous Kierney Scott for stopping by and please be sure to check out her latest and you can find her at the following locations:

Twitter

Facebook for our CUSH Adventures (Cracking up so Hard)

Amazon

Happy Reading!

~GINA

 

One of my lovely author friends Maggie Le Page has a new novella out just in time for Christmas! She is also a wine lover and created the perfect pairing for her book.

When it comes to love, Becky Jordan’s had some spectacular disasters, but all those Mr Wrongs haven’t put her off. One day she’ll find Mr Right. She just needs to be more . . . selective. 

For example, she’d never get involved with Mickey Madden. He’s cute, and funny, and knows how to warm a girl’s . . . ahem. But he’s a workmate, and all their flirty sex-talk is just talk. 

So when that talk whoopsies into something rather more active, Becky’s left confused. Is this as real as it feels, or is Mickey just another disaster in disguise? 

Warning: contains one sexy Santa suit, one cheeky Rudolph, and plenty of heat in the middle. 

From Maggie this novella is "light and sexy and a whole lot of fun, so I figure this would go nicely with a cheeky Rose. Rose wines from New Zealand (okay, and Australia! ;) ) are very very more-ish. It's summer here, now, so Rose is the perfect wine to have when
you're sitting out under a tree, with a warm summer breeze reading The Fling Thing (my novella). I'd suggest a New Age rose - ie one from Australasia - and *going for best of the best, I*'d say Aspiring Flats Rose Central Otago 2015. It's like a bowl of strawberries in a wine glass - only with more zing."

I not only want to read this sexy book but sip on this delicious Rose while enjoying, who's with me?

Happy Reading!

~GINA

 

Today, I'm welcoming the lovely Daisy James with a character profile and delicious recipe for Sweet Basil Biscuits for New Love Interests, doesn't that sound amazing?

 

The Runaway Bridesmaid

By

Daisy James

Rosie Hamilton Character profile

Have you ever wanted to run away from a situation and never look back? I’m sure most of us have been in that situation when the flight or fight instinct kicks in. But would you run away from your sister’s wedding - when you are holding the bridesmaid’s posy?

Well, that’s exactly what Rosie Hamilton does. A fancy wedding in Connecticut which she has single-handedly arranged for her beloved, but spoilt little sister, the fabulous, floaty dresses, the elegant flowers and the spectacular catering - she leaves it all behind. After finding Freya in the linen closet with her wedding date, she slings her bouquet out of the window and storms away in her hired red roadster. Enough was enough!

And whilst Rosie adores the vibrant buzz of Manhattan, its vertiginous glass buildings, its quirky, cosmopolitan residents and its awestruck tourists, she needs to get away from the overwhelming sense of loneliness that had infused her bones. So she ditches her Louboutins for Wellies and flies off to London - well, Devon to be precise - where she holes up in her late Aunt Bernice’s thatched cottage hoping that her heartache seeps away.

Rosie doesn’t know what to do with herself in the tiny hamlet of Brampton where there’s only the village shop and the village fête for entertainment. She’s uncomfortable with the invasion of privacy masquerading as community spirit and yearns to return to her old life of social indifference. But then she discovers her Aunt’s hand-illustrated recipe journal entitled ‘Bake Yourself Better’. Not only is the diary crammed with beautiful drawings of flowers and herbs from her Devonshire garden, it is also contains recipes to ‘bake yourself better’.

She decides to take her aunt’s advice. The first recipe Rosie tries just has to be …‘Strawberry Tarts for Broken Hearts’ where her aunt has recorded:    

‘Strawberries are often referred to as the fruit of love. When the strawberries in this recipe are sliced as directed they appear heart-shaped, bursting with sweetness and zinging with a luscious rich red, the colour of love and passion. They are nutrient-rich and packed with healthy antioxidants, especially if grown in your own garden! Some believe they possess healing qualities and can alleviate melancholy. And if that isn’t enough to tempt you, darling Rosie, the strawberry plant is part of the rose family.’

And she sets to - to bake, bake, bake until she’s liberally doused in flour and sugar and exhausted from her culinary exploits.

There are many other recipes from her Aunt Bernice’s Bake Yourself Better journal to try out on a wet April afternoon - ‘Fig Delights for Passion-filled Nights’ and ‘Sweet Basil Biscuits for New Love Interests’ - all of which Rosie bakes - with varying degrees of success.

But will Rosie find the solace she craves? Or the love and happiness her aunt has urged her to find?

All will be revealed in The Runaway Bridesmaid!

 

Here is a taster for your lovely blog readers:

‘Sweet Basil Biscuits for New Love Interests

One of the meanings of the herb basil is love and I know we can all do with an extra sprinkle of that in our lives! It is written in some folklore that a young man who accepts sweet basil from a woman will fall in love with her. I love that story so I had to include this recipe for you, Rosie, especially as I have grown basil in my garden since I bought the Lodge. Be careful who you select as a sampler, darling! We wouldn’t want to tempt the fates, would we?

Ingredients

150g butter, softened

75g caster sugar

75g ground almonds

150g plain flour, sieved

Large bunch of basil

Instructions

Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the ground almonds and mix. Fold in the flour and knead gently. Wash the basil and dry with a paper towel. Remove stalks and chop. Roll the basil into the mixture until it resembles a speckled green sausage 8-10 cm in diameter. Wrap in cling-film and refrigerate for ten minutes whilst you clear up. Cut into biscuits approx. 1 cm think and place on a greased baking tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden (gas mark 6, 200˚C). Cool on a wire rack.’

I’d love to hear from readers who’ve tried out any of the recipes in The Runaway Bridesmaid - either via Facebook or Twitter or Instagram - and photos would be a bonus!!!

Thanks ever so much for having me.

 

Here are my links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009889775019

Twitter: https://twitter.com/daisyjamesbooks

Happy Reading Everyone,

Daisy

Thank you to Ms. James for stopping by and please be sure to check out her new book while enjoying some of those tasty biscuits!

Happy Reading,

~GINA

I'm thrilled to help reveal Geralyn Corcillo's newest book cover which has been beautifully created by none other than Sue Traynor.

Hi Gina! I am so happy to sharing the cover of my long-awaited second romantic comedy novel on your gorgeous blog! Queen of the Universe is available on Amazon for pre-order and will be released on October 17. Here is a little more about Queen …

 

TV writer extraordinaire Lola Scott is about to lose her show because she still hasn't cast the role of Sam Destry, the dark, brooding bounty hunter. But then the PERFECT man for the part walks into her office—Arlen Black. One problem, though. He's not an actor there to audition. Nope. He's the handyman Lola hired to renovate her historic Hollywood house.No problem. Lola gleefully offers him the dream job of a lifetime. No dice—the stoic recluse in a tool belt wants nothing to do with Lola and her show. But Lola doesn't give up. She goes after Arlen using every trick she can think of, but her Hollywood machinations just bounce right off him. Why can't she get a bead on this guy?A scrambling Lola is about to get the ax when Arlen surprises her socks off and signs on to play Sam. She has no idea why he changed his mind, but she doesn't have time to stop and think about it. Not when she has to get him camera-ready, suppress her totally unprofessional attraction to him, and hide from the studio exec, her million-dollar leading lady, and the world at large that her ace-in-the-hole leading man is really just her sexy handyman.When the stellar pilot garners media accolades, Hollywood gossip sinks its claws into Arlen. One paparazzi photo threatens to destroy everything he holds dear, and at last Lola understands why he upended his life to do the show and save her career. Now she's got to move heaven and Earth not to save the show … but to save Arlen.

Excerpt:

What happens when TV maven Lola mistakes Arlen the handyman for an actor auditioning for the role of her brooding bounty hunter...

“The image is perfect,” I practically coo. “Very Aragorn meets Wolverine.” I look him up and down, then slowly start to circle him. “I like the beard,” I tell him. “More than five-o'clock shadow, but clipped close enough to see the planes of your face and the cut of your jaw. Good choice.”

He backs away from me, turning to stay face to face with me. “Lady ...”

“You've got that roguish, brooding thing going,” I murmur, getting lost in the intense, bordering-on-angry, look on his face. “Those dark eyes are killer.”

His lips part but he doesn't say anything. Score. The guy can really pull off silence.

“Hmmm,” I say, considering.

“What now? Jesus, what the hell is going on?”

I look up into his face. He seems like he seriously just fell off the truck, making leverage points useless with him. This blade runner with the soul of Pollyanna just dropped into my lap and I have to handle him right.

“I just want to make sure you're okay with partial nudity.” I say.

“What?!”

“Relax ...” I bite my lip, trying not to laugh. “I just mean taking your shirt off. Maybe once in a while. But nothing gratuitous. Only when necessary.”

“Look, I don't care how hot it is, I don't strip at work.”

“When you see how much money is in it for you, I think you'll change your mind. And there's no sex. Not at first, anyway.”

“That's it.” He spins on his heel and heads to the stairwell.

“Wait!” I call, rushing to get ahead of him, blocking the door to the exit. “It's okay if you're afraid you won't look perfect. Colin Firth totally panicked like that on the set of Circle of Friends. We'll get you on a daily fitness regimen so that when the time comes, you'll have nothing to be shy about.”

“Listen,” he begins, his voice galvanized with more authority than I'm used to from auditioning actors. “You need to get out of my way and let me leave. You've clearly got some guy-in-a-tool-belt fantasy, and I'm telling you up front, I'm not interested.”

My head snaps back the tiniest fraction before I stop it. “Tool belt? You mean, like, to carry a gun?”

“A GUN?” His eyes are almost popping out of his head.

“Yes,” I say, wondering what in God's name Ray—or Brian—is telling everyone about this part!

“I'm outta here.” He pushes past me and races down the stairs.

I follow him, my heart racing. I burst through the door into the sunshine and sprint to catch up to him. “I don't get it,” I pant. “You're a bounty hunter. Bounty hunters carry guns sometimes.”

He looks at me, his brows all scrunched like he's trying to figure out a trig problem. “Did you say, 'bounty hunter?'”

“Yes, bounty hunter. Sam Destry, the bounty hunter next door.”

And just like that, relief sweeps the tension right out of his features and he almost smiles. He rubs a hand across his face. “That explains a lot. You've got the wrong guy. My name's not Sam. It's Arlen. Arlen Black.”

Bio:

When she was a kid in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Geralyn Vivian Ruane Corcillo dreamed of one day becoming the superhero Dyna Girl. So, she did her best and grew up to rescue animals and constantly pick up litter. At home, she loves to kick back by watching black & white movies, British mysteries, and the New York Giants. Corcillo lives in a drafty old house in Hollywood with her husband Ron, a guy who's even cooler than Kip Dynamite.

Links:

Link to the book for pre-order:   Amazon

https://twitter.com/geralyncorcillo   @geralyncorcillo

https://www.facebook.com/geralyncorcillothewriter

Thank you to Ms. Corcillo for stopping by and sharing such a fun new book cover. Please be sure to add Queen of the Universe to your to be read stack!

Happy Reading,

~GINA

 

I've lived in twenty different homes and my current abode is my favorite. Which is definitely a good thing since I live here. I love the curb appeal and the layout. I also really appreciate the neighborhood. The people who live next door to me are kind and we keep each other informed when we are going to be on vacation and things like that. It's great to belong to a community that looks out for each other. Which is the way I feel about the writing community. I have "met" so many wonderful authors since becoming published and they are all so supportive and kind. I'm very thankful for all the friends I have met and all of the love they have given me. Including today's Five Question Friday guest. She is a wonderful person with fabulous books, you are sure to enjoy!

If you could have a book fair of your favorite authors, who would be there?

You said, “book fair,” and I flashed back to those amazing school book fairs. Those were the days. The authors I’d pick are: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Judy Blume, Charlotte Bronte, Edith Wharton, Francine Pascal, Ann M. Martin, Erika Tamar, Susan Shapiro, Cathy Cassidy, Leo Tolstoy, and Elizabeth Gilbert.

I did get to meet Francine Pascal (Sweet Valley High, the Victoria series, the Fearless series) at a writing conference and I started to choke up a little. I remember reading the Victoria books in grade school and being in awe of her. Plus, YA literature took on a whole new life because of her Sweet Valley series.

What’s your favorite beauty product?

Lipstick is my favorite because I can put just color on my lips and feel put together. I have this bright reddish-pink shade that feels very 1950’s movie star when I put it on.

What is your go to comfort food?

Chicken noodle soup. I make mine with gluten-free rice pasta and if I’m being lazy it’s just noodles and broth, but sometimes I will throw carrots or other veggies in it.

When is a time in your life where you have had to speak up for what’s right?

I was in a college class and people were taking credit for work someone else had done. I surprised myself doing it because I had to go up against this really tough girl, but I knew the people being taken advantage of wouldn’t speak up for themselves and they deserved credit for all the work they had done. One of the girls I stood up for dropped the class right after that, but the other one came up to me and we became very good friends after that. She was even at my wedding!

Did you participate in any extracurricular activities in high school?

When I was a teen I took dance lessons (ballet, tap, jazz and when I was younger I did baton). I did some modeling and played the piano, too. I was on a lot of committees for stuff, but to be honest that was more of a social thing for me and I’m not sure I got anything accomplished. I vaguely remember trying to do tissue paper flowers on the back of a float and giving up for the sake of the float’s dignity.

http://www.krystenlindsay.com/

https://instagram.com/krystenlindsay/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8298036.Krysten_Lindsay_Hager

 

Thank you to Ms. Hager for stopping by and be sure to check out her books for your Friday Reads!

Happy Reading,

~GINA

Today, I'm sharing the cover for How to Bake the Perfect Wedding Cake! I can't tell you how extremely excited and in love with this cover I am. It truly captures the season and colors of the book and the wedding itself. I'm sure Lauren and Jack are thrilled with it as well. Not much longer to wait as How to Bake the Perfect Wedding Cake releases on September 25th! Which is pretty exciting as this is my anniversary month too. Grab a fork and enjoy some cake! 

A three-tiered cake. A groom to take. Here comes the bride!

After an explosive 4th of July, Lauren Hauser is glad to finally be home with gorgeous fiancé Jack by her side. With only three months to go till their wedding, Lauren needs to get planning. But she can’t even choose a wedding dress, let alone a maid of honour!

And with her job drastically taking a turn for the worse, the wedding quickly approaching and a blast from the past causing problems, Lauren feels like she’s losing the bridal battle.

At least baking their perfect wedding cake together is something she and Jack, as award-winning bakers, are excited about! But when a surprise wedding gift arrives earlier than expected, suddenly Lauren must take back control of her job, her life and her wedding – before she says ‘I do’!

And if you haven't had a chance to read the other books in the series. How to Bake the Perfect Apple Pie is currently on sale for 99 cents!!!

Happy Reading,

~GINA

Hooray today, I've got the multi-talented Trevor Williams sharing a recipe and fun story. Be sure to check out his newest book! 

Happy Reading!

~GINA

When I was writing What Happens in Cornwall I took a few trips down to Cornwall for research purposes. It’s less than an hour’s drive from here and I’ve always loved the place. Cornwall’s still a little chunk of Old England with narrow roads, high hedges, open moorland and, of course, phenomenal beaches and coast. But one thing I was particularly pleased to discover on my travels around the county is that the food is getting better and better.

Traditionally, Britain has had a pretty poor reputation for its cuisine, and Cornwall is no exception to this. Whether it was fatty fried foods, boiled vegetables reduced to a tasteless mess, or the tapioca pudding they used to give us at school, the reputation was well justified. But over the past, say, twenty years or so, things have changed a lot. Ironically, as restaurants in France slowly slip into a morass of fast food and pizzas, British food has come up and up. You really can eat very well indeed here, and nowhere is that more noticeable than in a place like Cornwall.

The most iconic food of Cornwall is the Cornish pasty, also known as a tiddy oggy. These started life as a handy alternative to sandwiches for tin miners in the many mines that stud the county. Diced meat, potatoes and vegetables are crammed into a pastry package and baked in the oven. You can see exactly what they consist of at the official Cornish Pasty website: http://www.cornishpastyassociation.co.uk/

But nowadays, pasties are not the only thing you can find in a Cornish pub. As well as traditional Cornish seafood dishes like Stargazy Pie, with the fish heads peering out through the top of the pastry crust - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargazy_pie - you can now find a magnificent range of dishes, cheeses, seafood and fish. And you don’t need to go to the expensive celebrity chef restaurants to find these dishes. Many local pubs in Cornwall offer an attractive and varied menu to suit all tastes. And, don’t forget, you’ll find the prices in pubs a lot lower than the posh restaurants.

Anyway, all this preamble is to disguise the fact that I am poor on the recipe front. I am married to an Italian and there is no question which of the two of us is better at cooking. The answer is Mariangela, by a mile. We worked that out very early on in our relationship and I have been more than happy to take the role of table-setter and dishwasher since then. The only cooking I do these days is on the barbecue (yes, I know, it’s a man thing) so here’s a simple recipe for a quick and easy meal, all done on the Barbie.

Chicken and bacon chunks. Start off with chicken breasts, boned and skinless. Slice the meat into sausage-sized pieces (say, 3 or 4 inches long) and wrap them in strips of smoked bacon, preferably streaky bacon. Use cocktail sticks to hold the bacon in place. You can also use Parma ham or pancetta for the wrapping if you like. I like to season the chicken with mixed herbs and medium curry powder, but the choice is yours. The bacon gives a lot of flavour as it is. Remember, the bacon is salty so no need to add extra salt. I’ve never tried, but if you can’t eat bacon, you could try slices of Bresaola (air-dried beef). Who knows? It might be better. If you have them, you can slide them onto long skewers for easy of handing on the BBQ. Cook over a not too high flame so that the chicken cooks through and you avoid burning the bacon.

Accompany the meat with skewers loaded with cherry tomatoes, courgette slices, spring onions and red pepper pieces. These need very little cooking. Brush with herbs and olive oil. If you are still feeling hungry, take a couple of aubergines/egg plant and slice them into half inch thick slices, brush with olive oil and grill alongside the meat, but be careful, they burn very easily.

While waiting for the food to finish cooking, grill some slices of bread, rub with garlic, drizzle with olive oil and add a pinch of salt. Munch these with a glass (or several) of good wine.

I hope you don’t poison yourselves by following my recipe. If you read What Happens in Cornwall, you’ll get a bit more information about Cornwall, its dishes, its beers and ciders and its beautiful coastline.

Many thanks to Gina for hosting me on her blog.

Buon Appetito

Trevor

Website: http://www.tawilliamsbooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrevorWilliamsBooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TAWilliamsBooks

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/GRTAWilliams

Amazon Author: http://www.amazon.com/T-A-Williams/e/B00FDVNVMA/
  

    

 

Today, I have the lovely Elaine Spires on my blog and she has written a guest post about reviews. Enjoy!

ROLL WITH THE REVIEWS

I am delighted to have been asked to guest blog for you today.  Thank you!

With the advance of technology in the last couple of years it has become easy for authors, especially self-published authors, to promote themselves.  It has also meant that everyone and his baby brother has become a book reviewer.  Whereas before, a friend would shove a paperback into your hands saying, 'You must read this!  It's fantastic!  I couldn't put it down,' we now only have to click onto Amazon to read what dozens, hundreds and sometimes even thousands of readers have thought of a book before we decide whether or not to buy it.  And, in spite of this appearing to be something that has made things simpler for us as readers, it has, in my opinion, made things far more complicated.

 

You see, it is so, so easy to be mislead by 'reader reviews'.  Let me give you a couple of examples.  Last year I received what I can only describe as a 'panic' message by an author to her circle of author friends.  She was in a state because someone on Amazon had 'only given a three-star review' to one of her books.  She was begging everyone to go onto the Amazon site and click the unhelpful review button.  I was really surprised by this, because I would have said that three stars out of a possible five was a reasonable review.  Curiosity sent me to take a look at the review and it wasn't at all bad, in my opinion.  The reader/reviewer hadn't written anything nasty or mean, just simply that the book was an average chic-lit book.  Having read the book in question, I had to agree with most of the comments.

 

As writers we all want readers to like our books, after all, they mean the world to us as we have spent many months pouring our heart and soul into them, worrying over them, changing them and sweating about them before proudly presenting them to the world.  It's hard to see that someone not only hasn't enjoyed it, but has gone onto Amazon to tell the world they haven't.  But, in the words of the old saying: if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen.  We must never lose sight of the fact that taste in reading matter is such a personal thing.  Some books are the literary equivalent to Marmite.  One reader's E L James is another reader's J K Rowling!

 

But this leads me onto the integrity of the reviewer.  I would never write a review for a chic-lit book because I simply cannot stand the genre.  I do not like fluffy stories where you know by page five when unlikely heroine Francesca bumps into drop-dead-gorgeous-hunky Damian when he rudely knocks all her shopping into the kerb and she thinks him absolutely obnoxious, that they are going to get it together in the end.  I don't like sci-fi, fantasy or horror, either, so for me to write a review on a book in any of these genres would be unfair, unless is was so good that I absolutely loved it in spite of its genre.  Then, I would just have to let the writer and everyone else know just how much I had enjoyed it.  I like books with believable characters, twists you didn't see coming and a good old story to them.  That said, should I find myself in the unlikely situation of reviewing a book I hadn't really enjoyed, I would go out of my way to find something positive to say, because I know how much that would mean to the writer.  Unless, of course, the grammar is awful; that is something I cannot forgive.  Someone who earns their living from writing should hang their head in shame every time they write was stood instead of was standing, amount instead of number, less instead of fewer and gotten instead of got.  That is something I would come down hard on.

 

But writers also have to play fair.  We all want amazing five-star reviews, but isn't it so much more rewarding to get genuine five-star reviews?  I sometimes wonder if reviewers feel somewhat obliged to write a gushing, five-star review simply because they know the author.  Yes, it's galling when someone writes a stinking review - or one such as I had for Holiday Reads last year - three stars 'Nothing special.'  What kind of a review is that?  That isn't a review, in my opinion, yet there it sits on my Amazon page!  However, rounding up my mates to condemn it or to write false five star reviews to counter-balance it would have achieved nothing and would have compromised my integrity, something I'd have to live with.  It is for genuine readers to see it and condemn it, not for me.  And the worst thing a writer can do is strike back at a reviewer.  I recently read a whole thread where a writer had attacked a review - which hadn't been that bad - and the reviewer.  Lots of other people had waded in and the one that came off worse was the writer, because he (it was a man) was made to look thin-skinned and petty.  It would have been so much better to just treat the review with a dignified silence.  That way, few would have noticed it perhaps, yet by getting into a series of defensive rants simply drew everyone's attention to it.

 

I would ask readers/reviewers to be honest but kind; to state if the book is outside a genre they usually read or like and to remember that trashing my book is like writing something nasty about my baby.  (Trolls I ask nothing of; they are sick people hiding behind a screen who need to get a life.) 

 

And writers please remember that one lukewarm review doesn't mean your book is rubbish, simply that it didn't appeal to one particular person.  Don't lose heart!  Just keep on writing and roll with the reviews.

 www.elainespires.co.uk

www.facebook.com/ElaineSpiresAuthor

www.twitter.com/ElaineSpires

Elaine Spires

Elaine Spires is a novelist, playwright and actress. Extensive travelling and a background in education and tourism perfected Elaine's keen eye for the quirky characteristics of people, captivating the humorous observations she now affectionately shares with the readers of her novels. Elaine spends her time between her homes in Essex and Five Islands, Antigua (W.I.).

Books: 

What's Eating Me - Eileen Holloway is an obese mother of two, whose husband went out to see a man about a car one night and never came back, struggling to keep all the plates spinning.  But Eileen becomes a celebrity the day her mother puts her forward for Barbara's Beautiful Bodies, a reality TV show which follows the journey of the seriously overweight as they are put on a rigid diet and exercise routine to change their lives for better and for ever. What's Eating Me looks at what happens to her once her journey to reach her target weight is over.

Sweet Lady - the story with a couple of huge twists, where nothing is as it seems!  East London artist Eleanor West is holidaying in Antigua with her daughter Victoria before her latest summer exhibition.  When beach-bum Tyrone walks into their lives, nothing will ever be the same again.

The Singles' Trilogy:-

Singles' Holiday - Antigua, the Caribbean at its most luscious; cloudless, cobalt skies, silver sand, turquoise sea, and a group of total strangers, with just one thing in common: they're single.  Some have come just to have a good holiday; some for something more.  Some will become lifelong friends; others just won't get on.  But it is, perhaps, their tour manager Eve who has the biggest shocks of all as she takes care of her group through sunny days, boozy, balmy nights and a tropical storm as we get to know each group member, while they, in turn, get to know each other.

Singles and Spice - A singles' holiday to India's Golden Triangle - Taj Mahal, the pink city of Jaipur, tiger-spotting in Ranthambore, the noisy, crowded streets of Delhi - all go to make up a trip that is hot, humid and spicy. Eve Mitchell, Travel Together's tour manager extraordinaire has a couple of familiar faces in her little group of travellers and others that she hasn't met before; sexy man-eating pensioners, a compulsive over-eater, a constant whiner and a man with a personal problem. And there's a big surprise awaiting someone -and Eve! - one morning at dawn. By the end of the tour, which sees our group travelling by plane, coach, rickshaw, train and elephant, she will know rather more about some of their innermost secrets than she'd like.

Single All The Way -  Travel Together Tour Manager Eve Mitchell is planning a quiet Christmas at home to rest and relax before an extra-special New Year. But she soon, very unexpectedly, finds herself in the depths of the Essex countryside looking after a singles' group which contains some old, familiar faces and some pleasant - and not so pleasant - new ones. With its country walks, quizzes, disco and black-tie ball, the Christmas and Twixmas Break passes quickly, but just as they think it's all over the plot takes a twist and we learn some dark secrets...

Short Story Collections:-

Holiday Reads - Short stories for your sun-lounger - or wherever! Seven women, each with a different holiday problem. Meet, Olivia, who wishes she wasn't on a tennis holiday; Estelle, alone on a cruise; Fiona who's flying too close for comfort; Shelley, who shouldn't have got involved with a foreigner; Alison who finds our her husband's off on a cruise - but not with her!; Eloise who's having a rotten time in Ibiza and Karla who's desperate for her family holiday in Corfu to go well

Holiday Reads 2 - More quirky short-stories with a holiday theme for reading on the plane, on the beach or by the pool, your back garden on a sunny afternoon or curled up on the sofa if it's raining.

Two Novellas:-

The Christmas Queen - in which we meet up with Eileen Holloway again. Her whole life through, Christmas for Eileen has always started with loads of work and preparation and ended in bitter disappointment, and involved huge amounts of energy and emotion along the way. But this year, although she knows it will be emotional, she's determined things will be very different. This year she's going to be a Christmas Queen...

Weak At The Knees - Estelle is out and about making her Valentine's Day deliveries. What she discovers as she presents four very different women with an armful of flowers is a real eye-opener ...

COMING SOON - THE BANJO - A trilogy set in Dagenham from 1950s - present day.

Thank you to Ms. Spires for stopping by and please be sure to check out her books!

Happy Reading,

~GINA

I participated in Samantha’s Bohrman’s book launch party last night. This was not my first rodeo, but I did enjoy it very much. During the party I slipped and fell in the kitchen. I’ve written before about my falling and my husband has said that he doesn’t know anyone that falls as much as me. My thigh really hurt and it reminded me of another time that I fell. I was in elementary school on a field trip and we were walking in Washington DC, and I ran into a street pole. I hit my head and fell on the ground. Not only was I physically injured but so was my ego. Alas, that is the reality of falling public.

Today’s Five Question Friday guest has delivered some shiny answers for us to slip on like a pair of ruby heels.

1. I love this blend of Oz and current day, are you a huge fan and have you seen Wicked?

I was about to answer that I’ve never been a huge *Wizard of Oz* fan, but that’s not entirely true. I remember belting out “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” at age five when I tried out for the school play. The director cast me as a ray of sunlight. I had a chip on my shoulder about that for years. Since then, *The Wizard of Oz* hasn’t been on my mind much. When I started writing *Ruby’s Misadventures with Reality*, I didn’t mean to write a *Wizard of Oz*-themed book, but towards the end of my first draft I wrote in a tornado and a lightbulb went on. I decided to turn my main character (who previously went by the name of Helen) into a modern day Dorothy. One of the themes in *Ruby’s Misadventures with Reality* is the elusive nature of the American dream, so it seemed fitting.

I’ve never seen *Wicked*! I should probably fix that.

2. Can you share a memorable moment while working as a shoe sales person?

Ahh. All those shoes I should have bought while I had a discount. I have a little mental flipbook with all their photos. Why was I so frugal? Besides that, I had a near celebrity encounter once. It was mid-morning. I was standing by the women’s sandals when a guy walked in to look for hiking boots. I didn’t want to hover, so I let him shop unaware that he was Michael Keaton. I totally missed my opportunity to sell Batman hiking boots.

3. Have you ever used something to find out later it was expired?

I consume tons of expired food every time I hang out with my dad. To him, expiration dates are for sissies. It’s a theory supported by his mediocre sense of smell. Ruby is on her own with the use of life-altering expired products.

4. You’re planning a party at the food court, what’s on the menu?

Okay, I’m going to go with the Food Court at the Empire Mall in Sioux Falls, SD, which inspired the mall in *Ruby* (along with Biosphere 2). I’ve had a lot of adventures at that mall. Most recently, my family and I were stranded in Sioux Falls during a Christmas blizzard. We spent a lot of time at the Empire Mall. After two days (it was a long storm!), we tried to escape on the back roads and ended up stuck in Winner, SD for another night. It made me miss the Empire Mall. For the party, I’ll go with a Ruby theme, so I’ll be serving giant pretzels and some soft-serve ice cream. That’ll make sense if you read the book. Or if you like pretzels and ice cream.

5. What was the plotting like for *Ruby’s Misadventures with Reality*?

Ruby is my first book. Plotting in advance didn’t even cross my mind. Not plotting turns out to make for a long and messy writing process. I probably cut 50,000 words that didn’t pertain to anything. I’m trying to a plot a little these days to avoid that. Not plotting Ruby was lots of fun, though. She went out to eat all the time. Then, she’d get a latte. Then, she’d solve a murder. Every time I wrote, it was like waking up on vacation and saying, “What should we do today, kids?” Some days were good. Some days Ruby and I ended up at a bad Chinese buffet and missed the bus to the amusement park.

Thank you to Ms. Bohrman for stopping by and be sure to check out her book for your Friday Reads!

And as a bonus here is a fabulous new song that pairs well with the book!

Happy Reading,

~GINA

Identity is so important to us. Who do we identify with? How are we identified by others? What means can we use to show who we are? Without my driver’s license or passport I can’t hop on a plane or train. If I want to see a doctor I have to prove who I am. To pay my bills I have to list on numbers upon numbers and passwords. Oh so many passwords. But what if it was all taken away? What if you had to start again? Fresh, with no electronic footprint? Would you change your path?

Today’s Five Question Friday guest has written numerous books and is here today to share her latest with us. Sit back and enjoy!

1. If one of your books were to become a movie and Johnny Depp was the lead, which book would it be and what role would you play in the movie?

Until The Price to Pay went out of print I would have said that (it’s set in a fairground) and it’s a Cougar romance) and I would definitely have been Vairi the heroine. Now? Hmmm can I say all of them where my hero is dark haired? No? Then it’s got to be Caden McCourt in Master, and well, as it’s my movie I’m playing Diana (Anna). I love the way he listens to her (eventually) when she finally tells him her fears. When I wrote it I worried that they’d never get together. I can imagine him as Caden. Mind you he’d be a great Devil in Libby’s Devil Dom as well. (It’s the er eyes…. honestly)

2. I'm currently reading Taken Identity and loving by the way, what would you do if you were in Jules's shoes when Gray shows up at her door?

I’m so glad you’re enjoying it. I think I’d wonder what he was on to be honest. It sounds so far fetched. Then, when I realized everything he said was true, I’d be spitting mad. Not with him of course, but with the situation. I’d need a large glass of wine. Then, I’d be, ‘come on then, lets get this sorted’.

3. In Nash's Niche, the couple meet at a masquerade ball, have you ever been to one and if so what did you wear?

Many, many years ago, and I went as a ballet dancer. The rules were that everything had to be home made, and if I remember rightly we were only allowed five items and a mask. I used a swim suit and loads of net. I seem to remember dancing down the village street at 5 am, accompanied by my Dh as Prince Charming.

4. You have written across genres, is there one genre that you haven’t tried yet that are thinking about? 

I’d love to be able to write a good crime book, but I know I’m not knowledgeable enough. I also don’t like reading ’nasties’, which might be a somewhat large obstacle. I have written YA, and I’d love to write more. Could you add about another twelve hours in the day please?

5. Several of your books have dancing as a key theme, are there any songs in particular that you feel drawn to as you are writing these scenes?

Until you said, I hadn’t realized that. Do you know, there isn’t. I love music, but it’s mainly pre 1980 I reckon, with a few oddities thrown in ( Human by The Killers, Iris, by The Goo Goo Dolls and Whistle for the Choir by The Fratellis spring to mind). I love songs by Simon and Garfunkel, Carole King, James Taylor, that’s my era. I guess it depends on what mood I’m in. I can write anywhere (Long haul is great, all that time and nothing I have to do elsewhere), and I can block out anything that’s going on around me. So, even if I do have music on, I couldn’t guarantee I’d know what I was listening to. 

Thank you to Ms. McAllan for stopping by and be sure to check out her books for your Friday Reads!

Happy Reading,

~GINA