Review: Green Forest, Red Earth, Blue Sea by Jim Gulledge

15 August 2024 by Melissa

About the book, Green Forest, Red Earth, Blue Sea

In Green Forest, Red Earth, Blue Sea, amid the rugged terrain of North Carolina, a small pocket watch bears witness to the loves and losses of three families-the Kellers, Elliotts, and McClures.

As the heirloom passes down over a hundred years, questions arise. Can strength and goodness be gifted to one’s heirs? What about corruption and evil? Do the lives of ancestors have any bearing on those who come after them?

From Reconstruction to the modern age, this sweeping family saga speaks to what binds families together and tears them apart. Powers of darkness and light fight for the minds and hearts of every individual.

In a land of beauty populated by Scots Irish pioneers, cotton farmers, Native Americans, fishermen, and pirates, Green Forest, Red Earth, Blue Sea is a chronicle of human failings and the power of redemption-and a probing narrative of which is the stronger force.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About the author, Jim Gulledge

Jim Gulledge earned an AB in Christian education from Pfeiffer University, an MA in English from Clemson University, and a DMin in theological studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has participated in the Adult Development Institute at Harvard University, the Fulbright German Administrators Exchange Program, and the C. S Lewis Summer Residence program in Oxford, England. Gulledge is the author of A Poor Man’s Supper, a novella included in the North Carolina Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill and the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection at Appalachian State University. A lifelong resident of the Carolinas, Jim and his wife, Linda, enjoy visiting with their four children and son-in-law and daily life with their miniature schnauzer, Luka.

Connect with Jim:

Website

My Thoughts

Green Forest, Red Earth, Blue Sea by James Gulledge can be treated as one long novel or three connected novellas, and it works well with either interpretation. It’s a love story about the history and landscape of North Carolina, with prose as gorgeous – as glorious- as the places being described. I felt the breezes, smelled the air, heard the sounds of nature and of humanity – it was an immersive experience.

Equally gripping was the actual plot – family drama, human drama – explorations of love and loss, life and death, history and the present, with rich characters. I particularly liked the use of the pocket watch as inanimate observer and connective tissue.

If you love epic storytelling that perfectly merges a grand scope with the tiny details that breathe life into the written word, you will love this book.

Goes well with: sweet tea and fried clams.

Review: Old Girls Behaving Badly by Kate Galley

19 May 2024 by Melissa

About the book, Old Girls Behaving Badly

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Boldwood Books (May 13, 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 280 pages

A delightfully heartwarming and funny story that proves it’s never too late to change the habits of a lifetime, perfect for fans of Judy Leigh, Hazel Prior and Maddie Please.

Something old, something new, something stolen…?

Gina Knight is looking forward to the prospect of retirement with her husband of forty-three years. Until, to her surprise, said husband decides he needs to ‘find himself’ – alone – and disappears to Santa Fe, leaving divorce papers in his wake.

Now Gina needs a new role in life, not to mention somewhere to live, so she applies for the position of Companion to elderly Dorothy Reed. At eighty-three, ‘Dot’ needs someone to help her around the house – or at least, her family seems to think so. Her companion’s first role would be to accompany Dot for a week-long extravagant wedding party.

But when Georgina arrives at the large Norfolk estate where the wedding will take place, she quickly discovers Dot has an ulterior motive for hiring her. While the other guests are busy sipping champagne and playing croquet, Dot needs Georgina to help her solve a mystery – about a missing painting, which she believes is hidden somewhere in the house.

Because, after all, who would suspect two old ladies of getting up to mischief?

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Purchase Link | Goodreads

About the author, Kate Galley

Kate Galley writes UpLit and Bookclub fiction full of heart and humour. The older generation are at the centre of her stories and are usually wrapped up in a mystery.

She lives with her family in Buckinghamshire and works part time as a mobile hairdresser in the surrounding Chiltern villages.

In her spare time she crochets blankets, knits jumpers and also disappears into her workshop to play with kiln formed glass.

Kate is the author of The Second Chance Holiday Club – which has been optioned for TV – and The Golden Girls’ Road Trip.

Connect with Kate:

Newsletter Signup | BookBub Profile | Facebook | X (Twitter)

My Thoughts

There’s a meme going around which reads, “Your time on earth is limited. Don’t try to age with grace. Age with mischief, audacity, and a good story to tell.” Gina and Dorothy, the two women at the heart of this novel are perfect representations of that thought. Gina is 71 when her husband asks for a divorce and, in an attempt to rebuild her life, answers an ad to be a companion for an older woman. The woman in question, Dorothy, is in her eighties and while her faculties seem fine, she did have a fall that has her children concerned.

What I liked about this novel is that it’s a love story but not in the romantic sense. Rather it’s the story of each of these women learning to love themselves, and the loving friendship they form through the course of the novel, which also has a wedding, business betrayals, adult children having issues about their parents’ divorce, and many other every-day dramas.

Author Kate Galley has given us a pair of vivid central characters, who are refreshingly authentic and timeless in the way the best writing always is. As someone who is inching ever closer to being Gina’s age, I was tickled to see older women portrayed with vitality and curiosity. As someone who lives in Florida, where there is a very large population of retirees, I see such women every day, and both of these characters felt like the same people I sit next to in the nail salon, or are at the next table and whatever lunch spot I take my mother to.

Also worthy of note was the pacing. This book moved well – it’s a relatively fast read, but felt much shorter than its 280 (in print) pages, never dragging.

Over all, this is a solid novel, perfect for summer reading, and it kept my interest all the way through.

Goes well with: strawberry shortcake.

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Review: We Burned Our Boats, by Karen Jones Gowen

15 May 2024 by Melissa

About the book, We Burned Our Boats

Publisher ‏ : ‎ WiDo Publishing (January 18, 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 306 pages

Bruce and Karen Gowen are facing a retirement that neither one wants. Bruce can’t imagine life without employment. Karen wants change, adventure, a chance to spread her wings and fly away after thirty years of raising their large family.

Their opportunity comes in a way they can both helping their daughter and son-in-law with a hotel project in Panajachel, Guatemala.

Never ones to do anything halfway, the Gowens sell everything, including one of their businesses. What they can’t sell, they give away. With their worldly possessions down to two checked bags and two carry-ons each, they fly one way to Guatemala City. Then on to Panajachel, a tourist town on scenic Lake Atitlan, in the southern highlands of Guatemala.

Here they begin their new life, a time filled with incredible experiences, tough challenges, and unexpected adventure in one of the most beautiful settings on earth. A place where the Maya culture permeates the land. A land and people that will transform anyone fortunate enough to encounter the magic of these hills in Guatemala.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About the author, Karen Jones Gowen

Born and raised in central Illinois, Karen attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. She transferred to Brigham Young University, where she met her husband Bruce, and there graduated with a degree in English and American Literature.

Karen and Bruce have lived in Utah, Illinois, California and Washington, currently residing in Panajachel, Guatemala. They are the parents of ten children. Not surprisingly, family relationships are a recurring theme in Karen’s writing.

My Thoughts

Many people – me included – fantasize about giving up everything we know and going on a mad adventure in another place. Most of us never do so, but Brian and Karen Gowen did, and their story is chronicled in We Burned Our Boats.

Part adventure-travel memoir, part personal examination, part analysis of a marriage and a life, the Gowens’ story has it all: love, fear, courageous acts, and international intrigue. Okay, maybe more like being intrigued by new customs and habits. It’s an easy read, and very vividly related. Karen’s writing makes you feel like you’re with them on their journey.

I’ve never really considered relocating to Guatemala (my fantasies typically involve Fez or Marrakech), but this book made me almost – almost – consider it.

I recommend We Burned our Boats to anyone who loves memoirs or travel, or travel-memoirs.

Goes well with tostadas and Moza dark lager.

In Their Words: Caroline James, author of The French Cookery School

27 April 2024 by Melissa

I’m so excited to bring you this guest post from Caroline James, author of The French Cookery School. I read the novel, and it’s a delightful story full of food, France, friendship, and second-chance romance. Scroll down for purchase links after guest post. I also reviewed one of her previous novels, The Cruise. Thanks to Ms. James and Rachel’s Random Resources for this opportunity.

In Their Words: Caroline James

In this guest post I ask – what is it about romcom fiction that keeps readers coming back for more?

When asked what genre I write, I’m never quite sure how to answer and romcom is generally my reply. My books feature romance at the heart of every story and always a happy ending but I endeavour to cover serious issues and include plenty of humour too.

So what is romcom? Romantic comedies, or romcoms for short, have long been a popular genre in fiction and audiences have always been drawn to stories of love, laughter, and happily-ever-after endings. At its core, romcom fiction is all about the journey of two people falling in love. The best romcoms not only make us laugh, but they also make us care deeply about the characters and their relationships. We root for them to overcome obstacles and find their way to each other, even if we know that the outcome is predetermined. There’s a certain comfort in knowing that, no matter how crazy and chaotic life gets, true love will always find a way.

Romcoms allow us to escape into a world where the odds may be stacked against our protagonists, but their determination and chemistry ultimately win out. We can live vicariously through their ups and downs, knowing that, in the end, everything will work out just the way it’s supposed to. In recent years, thankfully, there’s also been a push for more diverse representation in romcoms, which has opened up the genre to a wider audience and allowed for even more wonderful stories to be told.

Romcoms also offer a refreshing break from the heavier, more serious stories that dominate much of fiction. While there’s certainly a place for complex dramas and serious literary works, romcoms remind us that sometimes, having fun is okay. They offer a chance to escape into a light-hearted world where love and laughter are the only things that truly matter. I love to leave my readers feeling uplifted and in a good mood.

So the next time you’re in the mood for a little romance, a feel-good movie and a lot of fun, don’t hesitate to pick up a rom-com!

About the book, The French Cookery School

Publisher ‏ : ‎ One More Chapter (April 25, 2024)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 25, 2024
Language ‏ : ‎ English

Mix together a group of mature students:

A culinary Sloane, a take-away cook and a food journalist.

Add in:

A handsome host

Season with:

A celebrity chef

Bring to the boil:

At a luxurious cookery school in France!

Waltho Williams has no idea what he’s letting himself in for when he opens the doors of La Maison du Paradis, his beautiful French home. But with dwindling funds, a cookery school seems like the ideal business plan.

Running away from an impending divorce, super-snob Caroline Carrington hopes a luxurious cookery holiday will put her back on her feet. Blackpool fish and chip café owner Fran Cartwright thinks she’s won the lottery when her husband Sid books her on a week working alongside a celebrity chef. Meanwhile, feeling she is fading at fifty, journalist Sally Parker-Brown hopes her press week covering the cookery course will enable her to boost her career.

But will the eclectic group be a recipe for success, or will the mismatched relationships sink like a souffle?

Whip out an apron, grab a wooden spoon and take a culinary trip to La Maison du Paradis, then sit back and enjoy The French Cookery School!

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Click to Purchase | Discuss on Goodreads

About the author, Caroline James

Caroline James always wanted to write, but instead of taking a literary route, followed a career in the hospitality industry, which included owning a pub and a beautiful country house hotel. She was also a media agent representing celebrity chefs. When she finally glued her rear to a chair and began to write, the words flowed, and several novels later, she has gained many bestseller badges for her books.

Her Amazon Top Five Bestseller, The Cruise, is described as: ‘Girl power for the over sixties!’ Caroline’s hilarious novels include The Spa Break and The Best Boomerville Hotel, depicted as ‘Britain’s answer to the Best Marigold Hotel’.

The French Cookery School is set in the magical environment of La Maison du Paradis, where an eclectic group of guests get more than they bargained for when they come together for an unforgettable week.

Caroline likes to write in Venus, her holiday home on wheels and in her spare time, walks with Fred, her Westie, or swims in a local lake. Caroline is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, the SoA, ARRA and the Society of Women’s Writers & Journalists. She is also a speaker with many amusing talks heard by a variety of audiences, including cruise ship guests.

Books by Caroline James:

The French Cookery School

The Cruise

The Spa Break

Hattie Goes to Hollywood

Boomerville at Ballymegille

The Best Boomerville Hotel

Coffee Tea the Gypsy & Me

Coffee Tea the Chef & Me

Coffee Tea the Caribbean & Me

Jungle Rock

Connect with Caroline:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | X (Twitter)

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Review: This Familiar Heart by Babette Fraser Hale

22 April 2024 by Melissa

About the book, This Familiar Heart

Genre: Memoir / Relationships / Aging / Grief
Publisher: Winedale Publishing
Date of Publication: April 2, 2024
Number of Pages: 312 pages

In this intimate rendering of a relationship, we learn how deceptive surface impressions can be.

Leon Hale, author of Bonney’s Place, was sixty years old, a “country boy” who wrote about rural Texans with humor and sensitivity in his popular column for The Houston Post and, later the Houston Chronicle. Babette Fraser at thirty-six was a child of privilege, a city girl educated abroad, struggling in her career while raising a young son. No one thought it could work.

Even Hale himself held serious doubts. But it did endure. The interior congruencies they discovered through a long and turbulent courtship knit them tightly together for the rest of his life.

And when he died during the Pandemic isolation period, searing levels of grief and doubt threatened Babette’s understanding of the partnership and marriage that had sustained her for forty years. Had he really been the person she thought he was? Had he kept secrets that would forever change her view of him?

In candid, evocative prose, she explores the distorted perceptions that often follow the death of a cherished spouse, and the loving resolution that allows life to go on.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | TAMU Press | Goodreads

Watch the Trailer for This Familiar Heart

About the author, Babette Fraser Hale

Babette Fraser Hale is the author of A Wall of Bright Dead Feathers, 2022 winner of the debut fiction award from the Texas Institute of Letters. Her stories have received notice from Best American Short Stories, 2015 and the Meyerson Award from Southwest Review. In addition to writing fiction, Babette has been a magazine feature writer, columnist, contributing editor, book editor, and publisher. She lives in Texas.

Connect with Babette:

Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Amazon

My Thoughts

Reviewing memoirs – especially deeply personal stories like This Familiar Heart – can be tricky. Too easily we fall into the habit of judging the life and choices presented to us. But this isn’t fiction, and cannot be examined the same way.

If this book were fiction, it would be an amazing story. The characters are erudite and earthy at once, and the pace of this love story is perfect. The author draws you in as her tale goes spiraling from a letter to meeting to several more encounters, to sex and love and a partnership that is ended by death and grief.

But since this book, this story, is a memoir, I won’t talk more about the events, but rather the way author Babette Fraser Hale has chosen to present them, which she has done beautifully.

I loved the way she told her origin story with the man who preferred to be called “Hale,” rather than his first name, as a creative non-fiction exercise, interspersed with her notes from the perspective of “after.” The noted are italicized so you cannot mistake them for the narrative, but they do more than add future knowledge. They color the narrative with all the years, experiences, and feelings since the initial occurrences.

Babette’s (I use her first name to distinguish her from the Hale she writes about) language is also beautiful, full of evocative phrases like, “The day spreads out around them as they walk,” or “His mouth and tongue study her body, but it is in no way enough, and it is also too much,” and “We have been erased, as completely as our house itself, or more completely, perhaps.”

This is the kind of writing that inspires me to wander around the house reading passages aloud to my husband, the dogs, myself – it doesn’t matter. This is the kind of writing that sits with you, long after you’ve finished.

So, while this story, which begins with two people falling in love and ends with love torn apart, covers some decidedly not-beautiful details – death is never pretty – the book itself is beautiful. And brilliant.

Goes well with: canned soup and candlelight.

Visit the Other Great Blogs on This Tour

Click to visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page for This Familiar Heart for direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily, or visit each blog directly.

04/16/24	Jennie Reads	Review
04/16/24	Hall Ways Blog	BONUS Stop
04/17/24	Chapter Break Book Blog	Book Trailer
04/17/24	LSBBT Blog	BONUS Stop
04/18/24	The Real World According to Sam	Review
04/19/24	Book Fidelity	Review
04/20/24	It’s Not All Gravy	Review
04/21/24	StoreyBook Reviews	Excerpt
04/22/24	Bibliotica	Review
04/23/24	Boys’ Mom Reads	Review
04/24/24	Carpe Diem Chronicles	Review
04/25/24	The Plain-Spoken Pen	Review

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Review: Shadow of the Witch, by Colin Garrow

18 April 2024 by Melissa

About the book Shadow of the Witch

Series: Black Witch Saga (Book 2)
Publisher: ‎ Independently published (November 18, 2023)
Language: ‎ English
Paperback: ‎ 193 pages

London, 1677. A house with a dark secret. A lawyer in pursuit of magick. A witch, dead for fifty years.

Israel Cutler, dealer in second-hand goods, discovers the journals of Doctor Winter. Detailing the doctor’s relationship with a hanged witch, he recognises an opportunity. Seeking out a lawyer he knows with an interest in the occult, Cutler tries to sell the journals, but soon finds himself involved in a terrifying ritual—one that could bring black witch Lizzie Pickin back from the dead. Again.

Forced into a dangerous partnership, the witch leads Cutler on a trail of murder and revenge.

In this horror series set in London, Shadow of the Witch is book #2 in the Black Witch Saga.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | SmashWords | Goodreads

About the author, Colin Garrow

Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate.

His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Word Bohemia, Every Day Fiction, The Grind, A3 Review, 1,000 Words, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. He currently lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.

He also makes rather nice vegan cakes.

Connect with Colin:

My Thoughts

I’m a huge horror fan, and I love a good thriller as well, so I was happy to find that Shadow of the Witch is a blend of both genres. I did not realize it was the second book in a series when I read it, but I didn’t feel like I was missing a ton of backstory. Would I have enjoyed this more if I’d read the first book. Maybe, maybe not.

But this isn’t just a horror/thriller. It’s also an historical novel, and author Colin Garrow did an excellent job of setting the scene. The language was accessible but didn’t feel too contemporary, and his descriptions of people and places – especially the latter – were cinematic. I felt like I was walking dark, damp streets.

I also really liked the main character, Israel Cutler and his exploration of Dr. Winter’s journal and the story contained within. It’s rare to see an historical story with an even deeper (if not particularly disparate in years) historic narrative inside, and I like the way Garrow made his novel into a series of fictional nesting dolls, unfolding layer by layer.

I want to mention that Garrow chose to write this novel in present tense. This is something that seems easy but is actually difficult, because you only get the main character’s point of view. He pulled this off with aplomb and I had a great time being inside Cutler’s head.

At only 193 pages, Shadow of the Witch is a fast read, but a meaty one, and the perfect companion on a rainy weekend.

Goes well with: Venison stew and a tankard of stout.

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Blitz Review: The Sunshine Sisters: Aurora, by Rosie Green

24 March 2024 by Melissa

About the book, The Sunshine Sisters: Aurora

Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 16, 2024
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Pages: 212

This is the first book in an exciting new trilogy (‘The Sunshine Sisters’, part of the Little Duck Pond Café series) about three sisters, who are all – in their different ways – searching for something missing in their lives. They haven’t been close since a shocking incident years ago sent them spinning off in different directions. Will the village of Sunnybrook work its magic and finally reunite the family?

In this first story, Rori has escaped a desperate situation by fleeing to the village. But can she really leave her past behind, or will it come back to haunt her, as she fears it will? Can she find the peace and happiness she craves in Sunnybrook?

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Goodreads

About the author, Rosie Green

Rosie’s series of Little Duck Pond Café novellas is centred around life in a country village cafe. ‘A Winter Wonderland’ is out now. Look out for Skye’s story and Blossom’s story, completing ‘The Sunshine Sisters’ trilogy – out in April and June!

Connect with Rosie:

X (Twitter) | Goodreads

My Thoughts

The Sunshine Sisters: Aurora is the first in a spin-off trilogy from Rosie Green’s ever-popular series featuring The Little Duck-Pond Café. It was a joy to re-enter this world and meet Aurora (Rori) and the other new characters featured in this book.

While Rosie’s upbeat, contemporary writing style is very much evident in this novel, she’s shown off her range a bit more here, going darker in tone, with an abusive ex (Nash), as well as stalking. These elements are added organically, and worked to make the story a richer one.

I liked Rori and the other new characters. I especially appreciated that she is a middle sister, with the mix of emotions, habits, and reactions that entails. I have to admit that I’m a bit jealous that she gets to live above the café. In my twenties and thirties, that would have been my dream.

With a page count of 212, this is a fast read, but it never feels like anything is missing. I’m a proponent of the concept that books are always exactly as long as they need to be to tell a complete story, and while this book, in particular is part of a trilogy, it didn’t feel incomplete at all.

I’m looking forward to the next two installments in The Sunshine Sisters, and heartily recommend Aurora for anyone who loves Green’s other work.

Goes well with: a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant.

Book Excerpt: Spanish House Secrets by Susan Gray

1 February 2024 by Melissa

About the Book, Spanish House Secrets

Publisher ‏ : ‎ UK Book Publishing (February 8, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 335 pages
Scroll down for an excerpt from this book!

In 2019 Grace’s memories from childhood are stirred by the sound of a melody. Her home in 1950’s England was a Spanish House. A house with secrets.

1920’s England…loveable, likeable Simon receives a letter on the eve of his twenty-first birthday. A letter that will change the course of his life.

Dainty, demure Olivia has so much to be thankful for: a doting husband, a beautiful house and a thriving business…but a nagging doubt. In the last years of the Roaring Twenties this doubt is compounded by the discovery of a discarded item.

Elise has known many harsh blows in her young life. Returning to her home in Madrid in 1922, she knows she must pick herself up and move on. Can she continue to live in this Spanish House? The arrival of a visitor creates a new dimension for her.

Spanish House Secrets is a story of love, life, loss, jealousy and forgiveness set in the twentieth century.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Goodreads

About the Author, Susan Gray

Susan Gray lives with her husband in northeast England. She has a son and daughter, both married, two granddaughters and a grand dog. After a career in primary teaching, she embraced retirement fulfilling her ambition to travel, attend Wimbledon and write a novel. She enjoys reading, walking, crafting, doing puzzles, catching up with friends over a coffee and being a gran. She has written several novels – Spanish House Secrets is the first to be published.

Connect with Susan:

Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

Read an Excerpt from Spanish House Secrets

SIMON’S DOUBLE LIFE

Simon returns to his hometown in England, from his six weeks visit to Spain in 1922, where he has learned of his unexpected inheritance. His former sheltered life is now a thing of the past – but how much of his newly acquired wealth should he convey to his family?

Simon was never sure when his double-sided life began. He never set out to be secretive, but he just knew on that beautiful day in May, when he returned to Newcastle station, the Spanish side of his life must remain largely secret. Before taking the train to Loftam he needed to make some arrangements. So, he made his way to the premises of Hodgson, Smith and White where he had first learned of his legacy last autumn. The events of those months were mind blowing. His intention was to make an appointment with Mr Hodgson, but the lady behind the desk informed him Mr Hodgson was no longer with them, having retired due to ill health. His clients were being handled by another solicitor, new to the firm called Mr Adams. This information suited Simon, as he had found Mr Hodgson rather imposing. He made a future appointment with Mr Adams then took the train home to Loftam.

In the bubble that was Simon Guilder’s world, he expected a welcoming homecoming – a celebration meal and Serena jumping around eager to hear all his news. Instead, he entered an almost empty house – no father, no Serena, no cosy fire in the drawing room – only Mildred, in the kitchen finishing off the cold buffet for tonight’s evening meal.

“Oh, Mr Simon, it’s so good to see you, sit down – you seem to have been away for ages. I’ll get you a cuppa,” she said.

“Where is everybody?” Simon asked, grabbing a biscuit.

“Serena’s at the store, busy with her new venture, but I’ll not steal her thunder – she’ll be wanting to tell you all about it. Serena and Olivia have been in ecstasy – they’ve been like two busy bees – she only went home today.”

Simon stopped munching his biscuit and asked, “Olivia?” sounding very puzzled.

Mildred replied, “Oh, you must remember her, Mr Simon – she stayed over after the funeral with her grandmother. She lives in York.”

Olivia…Olivia… thought Simon, trying to sift through the many, many, people he’d met in recent weeks, and then there she was in his mind’s eye…an attractive young lady, someone he thought was worth a second meeting, something about her eyes intrigued him, as he recalled.

“Well, that’s me done. I’ll be off now,” Mildred called, retrieving her coat and hat from the hall. Mildred’s words pulled Simon back from his faraway thoughts.

“Your bed is newly made up and I opened the window to let some air in this morning. Cheerio. Mr Simon…it’s so good to have you home,” she called, walking out the back door.

Simon climbed the stairs to his room. The sun was still shining, and the garden was bursting with life, as he looked out of the window.

Everything was normal for Loftam…but in the six weeks since he had gone off to Spain, Simon knew life would never be normal for him again. This is where I take off ‘Spanish Simon’ and put on ‘English Simon’, he thought. Then he went to take a bath and change for dinner.

That was how Simon’s secret Spanish life started. He was never deceitful – just careful with the truth.

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In Their Words: CG Fewston, author of Conquergood & the Center of the Intelligible Mystery of Being – with Giveaway

15 December 2023 by Melissa

I’m so excited to be sharing an interview (scroll down to read it) with the author of this book. It seems like a fantastic read, and his writing process really made me want to dig out MY old moleskines and get back to writing more in longhand.

About the book: Conquergood & the Center of the Intelligible Mystery of Being

Genre: Science Fiction / Dystopian / Steampunk
Publication Date: October 17, 2023
Pages: 381
Scroll down for Giveaway!

One of resilience and transformation, Conquergood’s life-changing discovery explores the depths of family, memory, love, and the mysteries that lie at the heart of the universe.

In 2183, Jerome Conquergood is an outcast roaming the abandoned and crumbling skyscrapers of Old York City outside the Korporation’s seductive and dizzying headquarters, a post-apocalyptic security-city for the mega-rich. Despite his hatred for the techno-optimism and the Korporation, Conquergood is compelled to save his mysterious twin brother Vincent by joining the Korporation, a mega-corporate and governmental entity in a world oppressed to peace.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Purchase Link | Goodreads

About the author, CG Fewston

The American novelist CG FEWSTON has been a Visiting Scholar at the American Academy in Rome (Italy), a Visiting Fellow at Hong Kong’s CityU, & he’s been a member of the Hemingway Society, Americans for the Arts, PEN America, Club Med, & the Royal Society of Literature. He’s also been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) based in London. He has a B.A. in English, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Leadership (honors), an M.A. in Literature (honors), and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Fiction. He was born in Texas in 1979.

Fewston is the author of several short stories and novels. His works include A Father’s Son, The New America: Collection, The Mystic’s Smile ~ A Play in 3 Acts, Vanity of Vanities, A Time to Love in Tehran, Little Hometown, America, A Time to Forget in East Berlin, and Conquergood & the Center of the Intelligible Mystery of Being.

Connect with CG:

Author Interview: CG Fewston on the Writing Life

How do you write? Any backstory to your choice?

I prefer to write longhand using a black uni-ball pen with a Moleskine notebook the size of my palm. In the front of the small notebook, I write the story. In the back, I write down notes and tidbits of research that I want to include later on in the story.

Writing longhand allows me more room to create and rework (fixing, editing, and smoothing out) the language and the flow of the dialogue and events of the narrative dream. I always read aloud what I write by longhand and if there’s something flawed or the wrong word choice, I’ll correct or change it and read again and again and again until the flow is sufficient for my level of perfection — until I am satisfied that the fictive dream flows without stumbling or breaking.

After many of these small notebooks have been filled, I will go to typing them and then printing the typed pages out (having the pages bound like a book) so I can then read and edit many times over, reading aloud as I go through the entire manuscript. I will have read the book aloud hundreds of times over before I am ready to let the book go out into the world.

Are you a full-time or part-time writer?

I’m a full-time writer who spends his days working on novels. First and foremost, however, I am a proud stay-at-home father who focuses on his son. I wake at 4:30 in the morning to do some writing before my son wakes up. Then as he showers, I make his breakfast and spend time with him. Then I take him to school and return home by about 8:30 am to focus on my writing; this includes writing new fiction for my novels. Usually this is either one or two novels because if I get stuck or slowed on one, then I switch to another and continue writing — in this way I can keep writing and remain productive.

I also work on author interviews or writing up blog posts about the books I’ve read and publish these on my author website. I enjoy sharing with the world the books I’ve read and it also helps me to reflect and have a deeper understanding of the books I’ve read. In the afternoon, I get my son from school and spend the rest of the evening and night focusing on him and family. I strive for balance between writing and family, and enjoy a more family-centered routine.

What did you find most useful in learning to write for publication? What was least useful or most destructive?

The most useful piece of knowledge I learned in writing for publication came from my mentor (if I’m allowed to call him that) the American novelist John Gardner. Through his amazing books discussing the craft and art of writing — On Moral Fiction (1978), The Art of Fiction (1983), On Becoming a Novelist (1983), and On Writers and Writing (1994) — John Gardner taught me the importance of the “fictive dream” and how writers should do everything to maintain that fictive dream throughout the story.

The most destructive aspect to writing would be for a writer to care too much about what’s going on in the world (at the time they are creating the story and writing it down) and what critics actually say or think about your work. Fiction should stand alone from critics and the events of the world. If the fiction does parallel, then let the fiction do that on its own. Writers should give little time and attention and energy to good or bad comments or reviews of their fiction. Strive to do your absolute best, don’t compare, and then let the fiction speak for itself.

Do you have any strange writing habits or writing rituals you’d like to share with your readers?

I have the ability to lose myself inside my work. Five hours can quickly become five minutes. When I’m writing, I’m connected to something greater than myself and Time becomes somewhat different. That’s when I know I’m doing what I was meant to do.

What does your perfect writing spot look like? Is that what your ACTUAL writing spot looks like?

The perfect writing spot, for me, is the spot that is most conducive to my writing, creating a productive writing session with the most ease. Now, it’s the kitchen table at 4:30 in the morning or my leather writing chair when no one is home.

So, yes, my perfect writing spot is my actual writing spot — it cannot be any other way. I’m not trying to make a million dollars. I’m trying to write a beautiful work of art. So, I take my writing seriously and with a fierce intensity that goes completely unnoticed because I write in solitude and in silence. And I love it that way.

Giveaway

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SIX WINNERS:

1st: $100 Amazon card + eBook or paperback of Conquergood

2nd: $50 Amazon card + eBook or paperback

3rd: $25 Amazon card + eBook or paperback

4th: Book Lover’s gift bundle + eBook or paperback

5th: Book Lover’s blanket + eBook or paperback

6th: Book Lover’s tote bag + eBook or paperback

(US Only; ends 12/21/23)

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Visit the Other Great Blogs on This Tour

Click to visit THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE for direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily, or visit each blog directly:

12/11/23	Sybrina’s Book Blog	Excerpt
12/11/23	The Real World According to Sam	Review
12/11/23	Hall Ways Blog	BONUS Stop
12/12/23	The Page Unbound	Notable Quotables
12/12/23	LSBBT Blog	BONUS Stop
12/13/23	Boys’ Mom Reads	Review
12/14/23	It’s Not All Gravy	Review
12/14/23	Book Fidelity	Review
12/15/23	Bibliotica	Author Interview
12/15/23	Librariel Book Adventures	Review
12/16/23	Forgotten Winds	Scrapbook Page
12/17/23	StoreyBook Reviews	Author Interview
12/18/23	Rox Burkey Blog	Review
12/18/23	Rebecca R. Cahill, Author	Scrapbook Page
12/19/23	Chapter Break Book Blog	Review
12/19/23	Reading by Moonlight	Review
12/20/23	Jennie Reads	Review
12/20/23	The Plain-Spoken Pen	Review

Note: The links in the above schedule are general links and go to each blog’s home page only.

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Book Review & Giveaway – Finding Comfort by Kimberly Fish

26 October 2023 by Melissa

About the book Finding Comfort

Series: Comfort & Joy (Book 2)

Genre: Women’s Fiction / Contemporary / Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Fish Tales Publishing

Date of Publication: September 1, 2023

Number of Pages: 312 pages

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Even with all her experience, Gloria Bachman, retired banker and candy entrepreneur, didn’t see this coming.

Sweeties, the beloved Comfort chocolate shop, was ready for its cameo in advertising extraordinaire Jazzy Mezcal’s famous travel and food show! Comfort town folks had worked hard all summer to get their shops Hallmark-movie ready. On the eve of the TV crews overtaking the town, Gloria’s Chamber of Commerce welcome party gets drenched in a wicked rainstorm. Locals call it a “blue norther,” and a dreaded agent of change. Flooding seems like the worst of their problems until the celebrity TV host turns up dead.

In shock, Gloria’s friends turn to her to figure out who could be responsible for such a disaster. With the TV crew and guests in town for the 8^th Street Market’s annual shopping event, suspects are endless. Reluctant to get involved, Gloria would much rather focus on the delicious romance with Mason Lassiter. And she would if a frenemy from Kerrville didn’t haunt her every step. Now as Gardner Rogers treads on her turf, everything feels suspicious.

With all eyes on Gloria to find the truth behind Jazzy Mezcal’s untimely death, she indulges her curiosity for problem solving while trying to disguise how unsure she is about the future with her boyfriend. Disruption in Mason’s world, mayhem in Comfort, and one epic chocolate disaster rouse Gloria to action and make her decide what’s worth fighting for. All she can say for sure, is that no one is finding any comfort in Comfort.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

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About the Author, Kimberly Fish

Kimberly Fish has been a professional writer in marketing and media for over thirty years, with regular contributions to area newspapers and magazines. As an accidental historian, she wrote two novels, The Big Inch and Harmon General, both based on factual events in Longview, Texas that changed world history. Kimberly also offers a set of contemporary women’s fiction novels and novellas, based in the Texas Hill Country, that reveal her fascination with characters discovering their grit and sweet, second chances; all four of the novels have won distinguished awards. Finding Comfort is her latest novel, the second book in the Comfort and Joy Trilogy.

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My Thoughts

I love visiting Comfort, Texas through Kimberly Fish’s books, and since the previous book in this series, Sweet Comfort, really resonated with me, I was excited to dive into the sequel. As ever, Fish’s storytelling does not disappoint. This novel is the perfect read for a crisp autumn evening, and since it starts in October and moves into the holiday season, it’s also a great way to escape from your relatives at Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or Christmas when family togetherness gets a little overwhelming.

Revisiting Gloria Bachman, banker cum candy store owner, was a wonderful reminder that those of us who are past our thirties and forties still have a lot of life, and that romance has no expiration date. Seeing her continue her relationship with Mason Lassiter was fantastic. These two are my endgame, as the kids say, and I’m rooting for them. That said, I love that their romance is a little rocky. It just makes them feel more like real people, with doubts and fears to work through.

But author Fish did not give us only a second-chance romance. Instead, this novel is the quintessence of cozy mysteries: adorable small town with charming shops – check, community of friends and relatives who all have opinions – check, charismatic outsider who may not be a villain but is definitely an antagonist (I’m looking at you Gardner Rogers), distraught father of the deceased – check. But while this book hits most of the genre’s familiar notes, there’s nothing formulaic about it. Every character in Finding Comfort feels like someone you know, and their lives are intertwined the way people who live in close communities really are.

What I always appreciate about Fish’s work, and is especially evident in this book, are the grace notes she adds to her work. She addresses some of the issues of aging – Will Wanda’s daughter convince her to move away from Comfort and give up some of her independence ? – without delicacy and care, and I found myself as intrigued by such side stories as I was with the main story.

I also love that Gloria has surrounded herself with a circle of women friends who laugh with her, cry with her, celebrate and mourn with her, and indulge her habit of sniffing out crime a little too much. It’s the richness of the world that Comfort, Texas represents that keeps me reading, and reading, the books set there.

One thing of note. While the story was perfectly paced and the characters well-drawn, there were more than the typical number of typos and grammar issues than I’m accustomed to seeing in published copies of any work – and especially in a Kimberly Fish novel. My heart goes out to her because these are things a proofreader or line editor should have fixed. I’ve never met Ms. Fish, but I can bet she’s less than pleased, and my heart goes out to her. I’m such a fast reader, and so good at closure, that my brain autocorrects most things for me, and they don’t detract from the reading experience. Slower readers may not be so lucky.

Despite this, I recommend this book, because everyone needs to find a little Comfort, and with this book, they will.

Goes well with: Ginger snaps, but not the commercial kind, and a cafe cortado.

Giveaway

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TWO WINNERS:

Signed copy of FINDING COMFORT + surprise bonus gift!

(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 11/3/23)

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Visit the Other Great Blogs on this Tour

Click to visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page for Finding Comfort with direct links to each post, updated daily, or visit each blog directly.

10/24/23	Reading by Moonlight	Review
10/24/23	Hall Ways Blog	BONUS Stop
10/25/23	The Book’s Delight	Review
10/25/23	LSBBT Blog	BONUS Stop
10/26/23	Bibliotica	Review
10/27/23	Jennie Reads	Review
10/27/23	The Page Unbound	BONUS Stop
10/28/23	The Plain-Spoken Pen	Review
10/29/23	Rox Burkey Blog	Review
10/30/23	StoreyBook Reviews	Review
10/31/23	Carpe Diem Chronicles	Review
11/01/23	Boys’ Mom Reads	BONUS Stop
11/01/23	It’s Not All Gravy	Review
11/02/23	Forgotten Winds	Review

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