Ian’s Comments (group member since Oct 20, 2014)

Ian’s comments from the Devon Book Club group.

I have done the draw for the giveaway of The Perfect Psychopath and am delighted to announce that Kate and Andrea came out of the hat on Facebook our FB account and Kitty from X. Thank you to everyone who entered and better luck next time.

Nikki wrote: "Sounds like a page turner and one I would end up missing f my bus stop for lol! I’d love to be entered"

duly entered

Kerri wrote: "Sounds like a great read, I’d love to win a copy!"

Hi Kerri - duly entered. Good luck!

Claire Reviews wrote: "Ooh, fab catch-up with Sam/Alice, Ian! I'd love a copy to add to my bookshelves 😊"

Hi Claire - Great to hear from you and good luck!

Amanda wrote: "Count me in for the giveaway definitely a book I would enjoy 🙂"

Thanks Amanda - duly entered

Hi everyone! After a busy Summer I'm picking up the threads of my series of author update and offering you a wonderful give-away. Read on to the end for more details of how to enter.

I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Newton Abbot writer Alice Hunter. We met to talk about her latest book, The Perfect Psychopath and to look back over her life as a writer. Alice began her writing career as Sam Carrington and I was honoured to meet with her as she took her first cautious steps toward the launch of her debut book, Saving Sophie. That was back in 2016, shortly after I started our Devon Book Club community.

A series of books followed but Alice’s real breakthrough came when she entered into a partnership with Avon Books and published her first novel as Alice Hunter, The Serial Killer's Wife. Her writing career took off and four more books have followed, two more in the Serial Killer series and two stand-alone novels. The Serial Killer’s Wife was adapted for the screen and streamed on Paramount and Channel 5, where you can still watch it.

About The Perfect Psychopath:
The mind is a dangerous place to hide… Dr Eleanor Spencer is a well-respected psychologist with a seemingly perfect life. But when a series of women start to vanish, it dredges up memories of her sister’s unsolved disappearance, and she finds herself drawn into the investigation. Desperate, she turns to Lucas Hayne, a convicted serial murderer who revels in mind games. But when Lucas cryptically hints that the answers lie buried in her past, Ellie’s carefully constructed world begins to splinter. Because now she faces a terrifying possibility: the real monster might just be closer than she ever imagined. Ellie has spent her career deciphering the minds of killers―but now, one of them is inside hers.

This is a gripping psychological suspense about betrayal, courage, and the darkness that can hide behind a seemingly trustworthy façade.
Perfect for fans of K.L. Slater and B.A. Paris.

More about Alice: Alice studied psychology at university and subsequently worked firstly as a nurse in the NHS and then as an Interventions Facilitator in a prison, offering rehabilitation programmes to men serving sentences for a wide range of offences, often working with prisoners who'd committed serious violent crimes. That experience has clearly shaped her understanding of the criminal mind and helped to make her books feel authentic and relatable.

I know you'll join me in congratulating Alice and, if you like a good thriller, this one is for you.

Future Plans: Alice's next novel, The Serial Killer Gene, is due to be published in May 2026.

Alice's wonderful publishers Avon Books UK have offered 3 copies as part of celebrating Alice's new book. To enter our draw to win a copy simply comment below before noon on Monday 6 October 2025 (UK Only I am afraid)

I love it when I'm contacted by new writers from Devon so that I can introduce them to you. I've ben chatting htis week with Scott Evans who has written a debut sci-fi novel called The Time Diary. I asked him to send me some details to share and Scott told me...

' After 25 years of tinkering (I first began penning it whilst working behind the bar at The Royal at Babbacombe, Torquay), I’ve finally finished my sci-fi comedy novel, The Time Diary. If you’re looking for a humorous, breezy read this summer, packed with character driven chaos and good old British humour, then perhaps give my book a try!

I will be keeping the eBook edition at just 99p all July on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F8VG16RP Paperback and hardback are also available via the same link.

I am able to make the ebook free on Amazon for a select amount of days, so I will make July 21st another day that you can download the digital version for nothing.

And for anyone local to Torbay: you can find copies at Torquay or Paignton Library 😊

What’s it about?

Two down on their luck bar stewards discover time travel, only to spiral into tangled timelines, absurd moral dilemmas, and universe altering decisions. With winks to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Red Dwarf, and Black Mirror, it’s a chaotic ride full of roguish misfits, cringey British humour, and just enough heart to keep you smiling.

If anyone has any questions about my book, I will be more than happy to answer any emails. Thank you all so much for taking a chance on a new local author.

Cheers,

Scott Evans

Author of The Time Diary: A Barstewards Tale

(Available worldwide on Amazon)'

Sounds like a great read - let us know what you think and please leave a review for Scott on Amazon - always such a help to writers

Back from my latest travels I'm happy to pick up where I left off with updates from our Devon writers, or those with a very strong link to our county. Today, I'd like to introduce you to Rebecca Southgate and to her book The Passenger Manifest Rebecca lived in Totnes for 30 years and remains closely connected with the area, working there every month.

The Passenger Manifest:
Glimpses into other people’s lives are rarely what they seem - but offered the chance to journey awhile with someone, is it ever possible to figure out who they really are?

Step aboard and accompany an array of characters over the course of a year as they travel by train through changing landscapes and seasons, each carrying their own dreams, desires and secrets. Whether travelling to reunions or conferences, visiting family or friends, or even manufacturing their own dangerous liaisons, each has something to hide, and something to prove. Hurtling on to their final destinations, their paths twist and collide, shattering carefully constructed facades to reveal their inner lives and intricate lies. When catastrophe strikes, will anyone emerge unscathed?

Don't miss out on this gripping tale of concealed truths and dissembled realities.

About Rebecca:

Rebecca Southgate Williams is a debut novelist who loves to challenge our perceptions of reality and peel away the masks we wear to reveal what lies behind them. With an Honours Degree in French and German, a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Studies, and a Certificate in Translation, she has a long-held appreciation of the scope and power of the written word. Whether used to obfuscate or reveal, tear down or build up, repress or transform, words can create so many different narratives and perspectives. Her love of both classical literature and modern psychological dramas led her to the idea of creating a modern-day odyssey to explore the landscapes we travel, both in body and mind. A mother of three adult children, she currently works in the charity sector and lives in Cornwall with her husband and her younger son.

New from Jane Corry Author. This looks exciting and I'm so looking forward to attending the launch evcent next week in Sidmouth.

The Stranger In Room Six::
This is a story about Mabel, a young girl who is evacuated during WW2 to her aunt’s rambling house in the country. There she finds herself unwittingly embroiled in illegal undercover activities. Fast forward to the present day and Mabel has turned the house into an old people’s home, Sunnyside Home For The Young At Heart, where she is a resident herself.

Enter Belinda - her new carer and seemingly respectable mother of two. Thanks to forged papers, no one knows that Belinda has just been released from prison for accidentally murdering her husband.

The two women enjoy each other’s company more than either would have thought possible. Without meaning to, they share secrets from the past. But neither knows they’re being watched by the stranger in room six who will stop at nothing to fulfil a mission. Even if it’s a fight to the death….


The Stranger in Room Six is being published on June 19th by Penguin Viking and will be on sale in supermarkets, bookshops and online. It’s also going to be available as an ebook and audio. If you’d like to order it in advance, please go to
https://amzn.eu/d/iHWNHkP

Congratulations William. Hope the event goes well. I'll try to get there but am not sure if I'll be able to make it

Continuing our "catch-up" series I'm delighted to share with you an update from our great friend Jane Corry Author. Jane hardly needs any introduction so I asked her to give me an update and she sent me this fascinating piece about her and her work.
JANE CORRY
HOW I BECAME A SUNDAY-TIMES BEST-SELLER
May I start off by saying thank you to Ian Hobbs (vey kind Jane - Ed), whom I met soon after moving to Devon nearly sixteen years ago. It’s always daunting when you move hundreds of miles away to a new place but Ian and others in Devon’s writing circle kindly welcomed me into the fold.
This was a big step in my life for two reasons. First, I’d just got married for the second time and secondly, I was – without knowing it – about to write what is known as ‘the break-out’ novel. In other words, a book which changes your career. I’m convinced that the beautiful scenery and pace of Devon life helped – as did going to prison.
Let me explain. After my divorce, I took a job as a writer in residence of a high-security male prison near London for three years. When I moved to Devon, I was still under contract, so I commuted weekly. One of the prison guards lived in Bude so he would give me a lift in his prison van and my new husband would meet me at Exeter service station. I used to worry what my new neighbours might think as I got out, with my prison belt – complete with whistle - still around my waist!
When my job ended, I found it hard to get prison out of my head. So I wrote a novel about a fictional lawyer who was asked to handle a murderer’s appeal. It was called ‘My Husband’s Wife’. I didn’t hold out much hope because although I’d been published as a romance writer (nine novels) in preceding years, I was now without agent or publisher.
However, I wrote to an editor whom I used to know and asked if she had any suggestions for an agent. She gave me three names. One turned me down flat. The second said she was interested in the second idea I’d sent her (not ‘My Husband’s Wife’) and the third said ‘yes’. At that point, I had only written the first three chapters. I asked her what she’d do if she didn’t like the rest of the novel when I’d finished it. She said ‘I will.’
I’ll never forget those words. Kate Hordern is a brilliant agent and I am so grateful to her for everything she’s done for me. When I finished ‘My Husband's Wife’ some six months later, she sent it out to various publishers. Some were interested but there were no takers. I resigned myself to disappointment but then three months later, just as my husband and I were getting ready to go to London for an 80-year-old aunt’s party at the rather grand Athenaeum Club, came a phone call. A new editor at Penguin Viking called Katy Loftus had read my ms and it was going into an acquisitions meeting! I didn’t allow myself to get excited. I’d got as far as acquisitions before with other publishers and nothing had come of it. However, the calls increased during the day. They liked it. They loved it. They wanted to meet me asap because the Frankfurt Book Fair was coming up with the potential for selling to foreign publishers too.
Yet there was a problem. Even though this was my dream come true, I couldn’t be late for the elderly aunt’s formal dinner that night. ‘Then they’ll come to you at your hotel beforehand,’ said my agent.
And they did. As soon as Katy walked through the door and began talking about my characters as if she knew them as well as I did, we clicked. Contracts were signed within days. Then I had to edit and kill off a character. Did I balk? No. Katy was right. The character’s demise sharpened the plot.
‘My Husband’s Wife’ became my first Sunday Times best-seller. It was also a Washington Post best-seller. Since then, I’ve had six more Sunday Times best-sellers. Last year’s novel ‘’I Died on a Tuesday’ reached number two in Canada.
My tenth novel for Penguin ‘The Stranger in Room Six’ comes out on June 19th. It’s about Mabel, a 95-year-old, who once did something very wrong during WW2. Now in a home (a former rambling rectory, once owned by her family) she has a new carer, Belinda, fresh out of prison for murdering her husband. The two share their secrets but someone is watching Mabel from Room Six and will do anything to expose her past. Can Belinda save her? If you like the sound of that, you can buy my new book from supermarkets, bookshops and online. (Also available in audio and digital.)
All my novels are about ‘ordinary’ families who unexpectedly find themselves caught up in crime. I focus on emotions and reasonably happy endings rather than too much blood or police procedural.
My advice to those thinking of changing genres as I did, or starting out from scratch, is to think about your own unique selling point. What do you know about behind-the-scenes jobs that might intrigue others? It could be stacking the supermarket shelves; working as a hospital auxiliary; cleaning loos; being the head of a company. It’s the small details which draw readers in, along with a character’s problem which needs to be resolved. Personally, I like two or three viewpoints including one who is an unreliable narrator. This gives plenty of scope for twists – which I love. Add a dash of humour too!
If you’d like more writing tips, do visit my website at [https://www.janecorryauthor.com/](htt... There’s also a free short story if you subscribe to my newsletter. Happy writing!
It's been a joy watching Jane's career continue to flourish and I'm excited to read her latest.

Today, is catch-up with Abi day - specifically our great friend and Devon writer Abigail Yardimci https://www.abigailyardimci.com/

Abi is an author of uplifting contemporary fiction as well as cosy murder mystery. And, today is a special day as it is the first birthday of Murder at the Pirate Festival.

Paulie, the protagonist is a teenager who has just discovered she's got ADHD. Abi tells me that this has brought about SO many amazing conversations with people and the feedback she's had about the authenticity of Paulie's character and the depiction of her neurodivergence has been really moving.

Abi was herself diagnosed with autism towards the end of writing this book, which, she says, makes her wonder if there's more of her in Paulie than she first thought. She's also on the pathway for an ADHD assessment so it's a brilliant example of fiction mirroring life and vice versa.



She is also a Humanist celebrant, painter and mindfulness practitioner - a Geordie girl living by the sea in South Devon with
her Turkish husband and two terrifying kids.

She loves to blog and gets her kicks through mindful parenting
styles, creative living and chocolate.

Abigail’s writing inspiration comes from scratching the surface of
everyday life to find the underlying magic that connects us all. The
fire beneath the frustration, the creativity beneath the boredom, the stillness beneath the chaos.

The ‘Life Is Yours’ series tracks one woman’s tumultuous experience of heartbreak, bi-cultural romance, motherhood and self-love.

Murder at the Pirate Festival is the first book in the Berryport Mysteries and is a totally unputdownable cosy mystery with Devonshire pirate festival vibes.

All of Abigail’s books are now available on Amazon . . .

Life Is Yours Series Sales Link:
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B097YL6DB6
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097YL6DB6
Aus: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B097YL6DB6
Berryport Mysteries Sales Link:
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CN8F63G1
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CN8F63G1
Aus: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CN8F63G1
Join Abigail on social media:
www.facebook.com/AbigailYardimci
www.instagram.com/abigailyardimciauthor
www.tiktok.com/@abigailyardimci_author
www.bsky.app/profile/abigailyardimci....
Get a FREE copy of Abigail’s first book, Life Is Yours, by signing up to her readers list:
www.abigailyardimci.com

Alongside my regular catch-up series it's always a pleasure to share news of writers who are newer to our community, especially where they have a strong connection to Devon.

Today, I'm delighted to introduce you to Alison Simpson , who is from Torquay, and to her new book Murder Under The Rock: The Markham Twins Investigate, which comes out in May and is available for pre-order. I'm sure you'll join me in wishing her well with this new series.

Murder under the Rock
Summer 1930. In a leafy suburb of Torquay of the English Riviera, twin sisters Kitty and Nora Markham enjoy a privileged life. Interested in amateur sleuthing and looking for adventure, they enjoy some success in finding runaway cats and lost purses.
However, when a shocking murder is committed a stone’s throw from their home, they decide to do some serious investigating, teaming up with their neighbour Arthur Westacott, son of the Chief Constable, and James Keyse, great-nephew of their housekeeper and newly appointed police constable.

It seems like an open and shut case, as a man is immediately arrested and charged with this most deplorable of crimes. However, when Kitty, Nora, Arthur and Jimmy start digging a little deeper, they soon discover a deliciously twisting case that isn’t as clear cut as everything first appears.

Biog
Ali was born in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire and has been a resident of Torquay in Devon for many years. She started her career as an author by researching and writing speeches for top civil servants and as a magazine editor and features writer. With an academic background in history, over a decade working in policing and with an interest in historic crime and punishment, Ali was delighted to find her new genre writing murder mysteries with a dark edge and a hint of humour, often based on infamous local crimes. The second book in The Markham Twins Investigate series - Death by Misdirection - is due out in November 2025 and the third - The Sticklepath Phantom - will be in bookshops in Spring 2026.

You can find out more about Ali here https://alisimpson.co.uk/

Continuing our "catch-up" series I'm delighted today to bring you up to date with another of our founder members, North Devon based Marcia Clayton - Author . It's been a while since we were last in contact so it's wonderful to have been chatting with her again.

About Marcia and her books:

Marcia writes historical fiction with a sprinkling of romance and mystery in a heart-warming family saga called The Hartford Manor Series that stretches from the Regency period through to Victorian times. She’s working on the seventh novel in the series, which she hopes to publish later this year.

In addition to her books, Marcia also writes blogs, newsletters, and reviews, which she shares with her readers on her website, The Devon Maid Book Corner. If you would like to join Marcia's mailing list, you can subscribe here: https://marciaclayton.co.uk/ or by downloading her FREE short story, Amelia, which is a spin-off tale from The Mazzard Tree. Amelia, a little orphan girl of 4, is abandoned in Victorian London. You can find out what happens to her here: https://marciaclayton.co.uk/amelia-fr...

The Prequel to The Hartford Manor Series is Betsey, set in North Devon in 1820:

Betsey, a sadly neglected child, is shouldering responsibilities far beyond her years. As she does her best to care for her little brother, Norman, she is befriended by Gypsy Freda, an old woman whose family is camped nearby. Freda's granddaughter, Jane, is also fond of the little girl and is concerned about her.

Thomas, the second son of Lord Fellwood, happens across the gypsy camp and becomes besotted with Jane. However, Jasper Morris, the local miller, also has designs on the young gypsy, and inevitably, the two men do not see eye to eye.

Betsey is drawn into their rivalry for the attention of the beautiful young woman, and she finds herself promising to keep a dangerous secret for many years to come.

You can order Betsey and all of Marcia’s books from any bookshop. They are also available as ebooks, paperbacks and hardbacks on Amazon, and are free to read in Kindle Unlimited.
https://mybook.to/Betsey
http://viewauthor.at/MarciaClayton

Marcia Clayton was born in North Devon, which she thinks is the best place in the world, and she would never want to live anywhere else! When she left school, Marcia worked in a bank for several years until she married her husband, Bryan, and then stayed at home for a few years to care for her three sons, Stuart, Paul and David. As the children grew older, Marcia worked as a Marie Curie nurse caring for the terminally ill and later for the local authority managing school transport.

Now a grandmother, Marcia enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She’s a keen researcher of family history, and this hobby inspired some of the characters in her books. Marcia is a keen gardener and an avid reader, and she enjoys historical fiction, romance, and crime books.

In a slight swerve from our "catch-up" series, today I know you will join me in congratulating Emily M Edwards on the launch of her latest book Thunder and Lightning: Poems of World War II

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

This fabulous YouTube clip summarises the book and more detail is attached

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpYi1...

You may remember Emily from a feature I did a couple of years ago when she launched her very popular book, Double-Edged Sword

Emily was born in Coventry, UK and studied History and English at University, gaining a BA Hons and MA. She has written two Rhia Bryant novels - The Art of Deception and The Double Edged Sword and a WW1 bookof poetry called The Shadow Of The Poppy. She is a lover of tea and coffee and passionate about writing.

Once again, many congratulatison to Emily.

Next up in our new series, I’m delighted to bring you up to date with our good friend Terri Nixon with you today.

Terri was first published in short story format, by indie publishers BeWrite, back in 2000. Since then she has written and published twenty solo novels in family saga, mythic fantasy, and contemporary crime. These are published by a mixture of traditional, indie, and self-published companies, so she calls herself a hybrid author (I love that idea). She is currently working on a brand new contemporary crime series (family/gangland and police procedural) set on Dartmoor, and also the origin story for this family, set in the 1920s.

Terri’s latest book is : The Watchers of Pencarrack Moor (Book 3 in the Pencarrack Series.)
1931, Cornwall.

Gwenna Rosdew had no choice but to step up as head of the family after her father was arrested for his role in a smuggling scandal. As his release date nears, she must start planning her own future - but when her journey of self-discovery leads her down an unexpected path, Gwenna must decide just how much danger she is willing to endure.

Meanwhile, a menacing discontent grows within Dartmoor Prison, and a young convict must quickly find his feet after making powerful enemies on both sides of the wall. As the rumblings threaten to erupt into a full-scale riot, Daniel must put his faith in an unlikely ally or risk not making it out of the prison alive.

When explosive events cause their two worlds to collide, the lines between right and wrong begin to blur, and both
Gwenna and Daniel must decide which side of that line they are prepared to stand on . . .

Bio:
Terri was born in Plymouth in 1965. At the age of 9 she moved with her family to North Hill, Cornwall, a small village on the edge of Bodmin Moor, where she discovered a love of writing that has stayed with her ever since. She also discovered apple-scrumping, and how to jump out of a hayloft without breaking any bones, but no-one's ever offered to pay her for doing those. Terri is the author of the Oaklands Manor Trilogy, the Lynher Mill Chronicles (which you may remember me featuring here) , the Penhaligon Saga, the Fox Bay Saga, and a new series: Pencarrack.

She has co-written, as half of Clarke Nixon, 2 books in the Children of Sinai series, with Shelley Clarke. The third volume, Rebirth, is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2025.

Terri lives in Plymouth, and works in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business at Plymouth University. She is represented by Louise Buckley, at the Hannah Sheppard Literary Agency.

There isn’t space here to share all of Terri’s work but you can find out more about her and her books here www.terrinixen.com

If you’ve read Terri’s books I’d love to hear from you and hope you enjoy exploring her work if not. You’ve plenty to choose from.

Happy Easter everyone. What are you reading this weekend?

Having paused (briefly) from my travels I am launching a new series today which will see me catching up with our community of writers who are long-standing friends of Devon Book Club. To start us off I am delighted to share news of Kirsten McKenzie’s latest novel
The Vampires of York Tower

"They're not just tenants, they're prey..."
High above Manhattan's gilded streets, York Tower rises as the ultimate address for New York's wealthy elite. But with its elderly residents dying at an alarming rate, cracks appear in the building's glossy facade. Behind designer doors and million-dollar views, an ancient evil stalks the halls—one that's perfected its hunt across centuries.
And in a building where everyone has something to hide and nothing is as it seems, the residents begin to learn that some questions are best left unanswered. The Vampires of York Tower is a gothic horror thriller where ancient vampire mythology collides with Manhattan's glittering elite.
Gothic horror and suspense fans will be captivated by this gripping tale. Ideal for readers who loved The Historian or Interview with the Vampire, this is an absolute must-read.
https://www.kirstenmckenzie.com/books

This is Kirsten’s tenth book. In her wide-ranging collection you will find 3 books in her Ithaca Time Travel series, 3 more in her Old Curiosity Shop Time Travel series and 4 Thrillers. You may remember that I previously featured The Forger and the Thief, which was hugely popular among you all.

Hello to you all from beautiful Scotland. Hope you are all well. It's been a while since I did a giveaway but today, I'm delighted to put that right.

You may remember me previously featuring the work of north Devon based writer, Debbie Morrison. The exciting news is that Debbie has just launched a new book, A Perfect Devon Farmhouse, and she has kindly offered two signed copies as part of her celebrations. (see details below of how to enter).

A Perfect Devon Farmhouse: First book in the Brambleton Series:

A picture perfect North Devon Village where everyone's on first name terms, but no one really knows the half of what's going on behind closed doors. Each book introduces you to new protagonists with all their lovable quirks, well-meaning blunders, and big-hearted dreams, inviting you to see Brambleton through their eyes. The four Brambleton books are stand-alone novels but they share characters and places, you will get to know the Village and its residents.

About Debbie:

Debbie Morrison: Writes warm, page-turning family dramas set in beautiful locations, exploring themes of family, love, romance and self-discovery.

Debbie Morrison was always meant to write, but real life held her back. She studied law, then qualified as an accountant, and went on to work for twenty years in the City. Now, finally freed from the shackles of the day job, she has moved from London to north Devon to pursue her childhood passion and become an author, writing the kind of books she loves to read: fast-paced, escapist and visual with credible and relatable characters. When Debbie is not writing, she can be found playing tennis (badly), bridge (a little better), walking her dogs, or tending to her garden. She also loves cooking her own home-grown produce for friends and family. She lives on the edge of Exmoor with her husband, miniature bull terriers and small flock of free-range hens.
Subtitle: A Perfect Devon Farmhouse: Escape to the coastal village of Brambleton with this heartwarming love story filled with intrigue and rural charm.

More about the book:

‘Heartwarming, emotional and full of community spirit. I couldn't put it down’ Amanda Prowse

Clare’s life has just been turned upside down.

Yesterday she was a successful London lawyer, about to travel the world on a well-deserved sabbatical. Now she’s back in her childhood home in rural north Devon, after the sudden death of her mother.

Brambleton is a picture-perfect seaside village, where everyone knows your name and where secrets don’t stay behind closed doors for long. Clare left it behind for a reason along with an old flame she wants to leave firmly in the past. Yet, as she gradually learns to collect eggs from unruly chickens, make apple cider on frosty mornings, and look after her mother’s tearaway dog, she begins to fall under the spell of small-town rural life.

When a greedy landlord threatens the future of the village, Clare can’t resist taking a stand to fight for the underdog once again. She’s determined to leave as soon as she’s won, but she hasn’t counted on Brambleton weaving its way into her heart. And she definitely didn’t plan on falling in love…

Will she embrace the village community that has taken her in, or is the pull of her old life too strong to resist? As she makes her choice, Clare will discover that sometimes the most unexpected places are where we truly belong.

To enter the draw for A Perfect Devon Farmhouse leave me a comment below asking to be entered by midday on 30 March 2025 (UK only I am afraid)

Another recommendation from the community is Lie With Me by Philippe Besson. Pubsished in 2017 it won major awards in France and has been widely acclaimed

This week is our first themed week of the year and, after a vote among ourt members, we are focusing on writers and books who explore LGBTQ+ issues.

I asked for recommendations and here are some of those that I've received.

The Whale Tattoo by Jon Ransom - "a raw and brilliant read."
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield.
Lifting Off: A Life in Freefallby Karen Mcleod.
One Last Song: you're never too old to change your tune by Nathan Evans.
Paul Burston’s autobiography, We Can Be Heroes: A Survivor's Story.
Young Mungo by Douglas Stewart.
White Cloud Over Purple by JP Seabright (poetry).

What would you recommend?

Also, any writers who'd like their work featured please let me know.

Tomorow, I'll be featuring the work of Susie Williamson, one of our long-standing members who makes a wonderful contribution to our community.