Oh My Books!

My working background is in the hospitality industry and I’ve had some wonderful hotel experiences over the years. I’ve been fortunate to stay at some truly great places, from modest B&B’s to sumptuous, luxurious hotels. But my favourite hotel experience was in southern Ireland at Acton’s Hotel in lovely Kinsale. My all-time hero, the enigmatic chef, Keith Floyd stayed at Actons when he was invited to the food festival and he fell in love with Kinsale. I followed in his footsteps to experience this event and wasn’t disappointed. Located only sixteen miles south of Cork, Kinsale is a picturesque, historic, seaside town. Hailed as the Gourmet Capital of Ireland it has a plethora of pubs and cafesand hosts an annual food festival that is like nothing else in the world and sells out months in advance. Acton’s Hotel, located on the edge of the water was a perfect base to stay and from my room, I had a view of the comings and goings as foodies and revellers from all around the g...

Please welcome author Rica Newbery and her new book: Reluctant Courage A Family’s Struggle to Survive in Nazi Occupied Oslo By Rica Newbery Amazon  |  Book Venture It is 1942 in Oslo, two years into the Nazi occupation of World War II. Maria is used to struggling with food rations, bickering daughters, and her husband’s frequent absences from home with police work. She is enraged when Johannes leaves her for another woman and Leo Wolff, a Wehrmacht officer, forcibly takes up residence in their flat, but worse is yet to come. One daughter becomes seriously ill, and another is raped. When the youngest goes missing, Maria must find a way to transcend her bitterness and survive, for her own sake and for her daughters. Although my novel is fiction, it is inspired by real stories told by my mother who was 8 years old when the Nazis marched into Oslo. Real events and situations experienced by Norwegians are woven into the story. Resistance fighters risked death e...

Hi guys!! Please welcome Beth Barany , author of  A Labyrinth of Love and Roses . We have been emailing for a while and thought you would enjoy a guest post written by her about labyrinths, which are featured in her new novella. I have a thing for labyrinths, I think they are magical! Specially those made of grass, flowers and trees. I'd love to play one day in one of those....But anyway, did you know that a labyrinth is actually different from a maze? I learned something new today, thank you Beth!   Guest Post by Beth Barany: For a Love of Labyrinths I’ve always been intrigued by labyrinths. There is a beauty and symmetry to them. They exude calmness and are shrouded in mystery. I’m drawn to both qualities. They invite me to find my meditative center. As a writer with a busy mind, I welcome this invitation. Perhaps you’ve seen some labyrinths: Maze-like series of tiles on a cathedral floor or a small winding path in a park that you can walk. You can only enter by one plac...

What better time of year than Mother’s Day to showcase some of the most memorable fictional mothers in some of the best new novels?  From loving, supportive mothers to complex, trailblazing mothers to selfish, vindictive mothers, this list has it all!     1) The Perfect Son by Barbara Claypole White (Lake Union, July 2015) Ella Fitzwilliam, the mom in THE PERFECT SON , quit a successful career in jewelry design to be full-time parent, mental health coach, and advocate for her son, Harry, who has a soup of issues that include Tourette syndrome. She has devoted 17 years of her life to his therapy, to educating teachers, to being Harry’s emotional rock and giving him the confidence he needs to be Harry. Thanks to her, Harry is comfortable in his own skin, even when people stare. After Ella has a major heart attack in the opening chapter, her love for Harry tethers her to life. But as she recovers, she discovers the hardest parenting lesson of all: to let...

Hi guys!! Please welcome author Megan Tayte . She was very kind to offer a guest post for all of you readers, I really enjoyed reading it and have the same opinion myself, so I hope you enjoy it too!:) Writing ‘mature’ young adult fiction ‘Write about what you know’ is an old adage, but a good one. I could write fiction about my life these days – about being a frazzled businesswoman and mum who’s bumbling from one culinary disaster to the next. But, frankly, it doesn’t appeal. Instead, I cast myself back to my teens – when life was stretching out in front, full of possibility; when love was new and exciting and full of lessons to learn; when the potential to screw up hilariously and horrifically was enormous; when being myself was essential, but frequently difficult. I write the kind of books I’d have loved to have read in my teens – and that I love to read now. Books full of wit and sass and poignancy and emotion. Young adult fiction. A reviewer of my book Death Wish ...

Please welcome Hannah Fielding , author of The Echoes of Love , a romance novel set in Italy. I'd love to visit Italy someday, and that is why I was so excited about her guest post (and the first post of The Echoes of Love ‘Legendary’ Blog Tour! ). Hannah is going to talk a little bit about a legend of angels and demons in this beautiful country, so keep reading and don't forget to enter the giveaway....thank you Hannah! For the love of legends For me, researching a book is just as enjoyable as writing it. I set each of my novels in a passionate, romantic country, and so that I can really transport my readers there, I immerse myself in the setting: its history, its scenery, its cuisine, its culture. Top of my research list are local legends – I love colourful, age-old stories; the more fantastical, the better! Since I was a young girl, tucked up in bed and listening avidly to my governess weaving bedtime tales, I have loved legends. Fairytales too, of course – th...

Hi everyone! :D Today I'm supper happy to welcome Dalba Castrillon, author of A Spirited Heart. I just read her book a couple of days ago, and loved it. It's a sweet romantic story with a strong heroine. Anyway, she came today to talk a little bit about her book. Please welcome her and remember tomorrow to come and read my review. Oh, and also entering a giveaway ;). Why Izobelle Montgomery? A strong heroine.  As soon as I typed that first chapter I knew who Izobelle was.  Not from self experience, but from admiration of those strong young women that I had only dreamt about being.  I remember being twenty one, and having so many strong opinionated emotions.   I remember my view on love and honesty.  Of course at that age I never got to feel that strong intense love that was born in Izobelle but that didn’t stop me from wanting it. Who doesn’t want love to sweep them off their feet? No matter your age, I believe woman still want that...

Hi everyone!! Please welcome Angela Morrison, author of Sing Me to Sleep | Taken by Storm | Unbroken Connection | Cayman Summer, who was kind enough to give us a few words about teen love. “My thoughts about teen love” Teen love? I think when we talk about teen love it’s often about the popular girls getting it on with the popular guys and everybody else is kind of left out. That feeling of being left out of love is painful. I remember it so well. It is during our teen years when we first feel that ache in our hearts only someone very special can fill. I worry when I hear about girls who will do anything—risk their health, their safety, their very soul—to join the game only to find they’ve fallen for something false. Love that demands more of you than you want to give isn’t really love at all, is it? It’s counterfeit and far more painful than those initial pangs of loneliness. If you abuse the physical side of love, it can numb you to the deeper spiritual essence th...