07 Wednesday Feb 2018
Posted in Reviews
What if your mobile phone didn’t work?
Or your iPad? Or your pc?
Or the television or radio?
Because there’s no power. No gas. No electricity.
And when you turn on the taps, there’s no water.
And satellites are dropping out of the sky? Continue reading
05 Monday Feb 2018
Posted in Meet the author
It’s all systems go for Sam Boush, whose debut novel All Systems Down is a futuristic thriller set in the wake of a cyber war that has pretty much destroyed Western civilisation.
Sam has worked as a wildland firefighter, journalist, and owner of a mid-sized marketing agency.
Though he’s lived in France and Spain, his heart belongs in Portland, Oregon, where Continue reading
22 Friday Dec 2017
Posted in Lakewater Press
Christnas is just three days away and it’s almost the last stop on the Lakewater Press holiday blog hop.
Between December 1 and the 24th we’ve been sharing holiday interviews with the Lakewater team of authors and staff.
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed getting to know us better and, perhaps, we’ve tempted you to try some of our books.
Don’t forget to enter the holiday giveaway at the bottom of the page.
Your blog (url): bookloversbooklist.com
Where do you live? I live in Wakefield, just a stone’s throw from Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the UK’s leading outdoor art gallery, and the award-winning Hepworth Gallery, which together with their sister galleries – Leeds Art Gallery and the Henry Moore Institute, both in Leeds – constitute the Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle.
The Hepworth, which has been described as the museum everyone would want on their doorstep, is artistically inspiring but I prefer YSP.
Set in 500 acres of parkland, just a mile-and-a-bit up the road from me, it’s home to one of the largest outdoor collections of Henry Moore bronzes.
Find out more at: http://www.ysculpture.co.uk
Frankly, some of them are a bit weird – but, unlike other outdoor art galleries, the park hosts a changing programme of exhibitions so there’s always something new to see. And, come spring, nothing beats a stroll through the beautiful bluebell woods.
What are your chances of having snow on Christmas Day? Hopefully, slim to non-existent: other parts of the UK (Scotland, for instance) often get snow in December but, thankfully, it’s fairly rare in my part of Yorkshire.
I understand the bookies have offered odds of 4/5 on a white Christmas but it’s not a bet I’m prepared to risk.
Do you have any favorite holiday traditions? Santa always used to leave a little note for my daughters thanking them for his mince pie and sherry. It was years before they recognised my handwriting…
Egg nog: Yes or No? Hmmm…egg nog is not very big in the UK although we do have an Irish cream liquer which is similar but not as virulently yellow.
And tastes better too.
It can be drunk neat at room temperature or some people like to add it to their coffee. I prefer it in a long tumbler, chilled with a couple of ice cubes.
Oooh, I wouldn’t mind a glass right now.
Are you an artistic gift wrapper or a basic “paper & tape” warrior? Definitely a warrior rather than an artist. Prettily wrapped gifts are a joy to behold but, honestly, I just can’t be bothered.
Life is too short to stuff a mushroom and it’s also too short to fiddle around with Christmas bows and ribbons.
Do you have any special holiday memories that include books? Are there any specific titles you remember? Books are a very personal thing and, I think, a difficult gift to get right. One woman’s good read is someone else’s charity shop donation.
Take Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, for instance, which I was given as a child. Please, take it: I still think it’s a huge shame Magwitch didn’t bop Pip on the head and spare us all the agony of his interminable wittering.
What is your earliest book-related memory? Well, my earliest memories of reading are at the breakfast table: corn, sugar, salt, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine…the contents of a packet of Corn Flakes.
Otherwise I loved almost anything by Enid Blyton – wouldn’t you have liked to be a pupil at Malory Towers too?
I also enjoyed Noel Streatfeild (Ballet Shoes, The Painted Garden), Jane Shaw (the Susan books) and Elinor Brent Dyer (the Chalet School series).
As I got older I started to read some of the books on my dad’s bookshelves – Erle Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason), Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple) and Nevil Shute (The Chequer Board and A Town like Alice).
My first Christie read was Sad Cypress, which I still regard as one of her best murder mysteries.
Do you write/work during the holidays? Yes – if the writing itch needs scratching, I scratch.
Can you share what you’re working on now? I was lucky enough to sell my first short story to People’s Friend, a UK fiction magazine, a few weeks ago. It will be published in their Christmas special – in 2018. I can’t wait.
The fiction editor was very encouraging and I’m hoping to write, and sell, more stories this year. I’ve got a couple of ideas bubbling away right now.
And Susan and I are in the early stages of drafting the final instalment of our Friends trilogy.
We’ve also started a murder mystery but I’m not completely happy with the way it’s going and a re-think is needed. (Must make sure I mention this to Susan before she reads it here!)
What are your goals for 2018? Professionally, I want to get the Friends trilogy wrapped up and then to knock the murder mystery into shape.
I like the characters we’ve created – they have a lot of potential for development but I’m not sure we’re making the best use of them.
The view across Lac Hourtin – we’ll be holdaying nearby this summer
So, there’s food for thought there.
I also want to work on my short story writing and I’d like to do a bit of freelance journalism too.
Personally, apart from planning a trip to Australia to visit my youngest daughter, a couple of camping holidays in France and a spa trip with my eldest daughter I’m open to suggestions. Any ideas?
Links to all the Lakewater Press participating blogs:
20 Wednesday Dec 2017
Posted in Lakewater Press
Christmas is just five days away and on the Lakewater Press holiday blog hop it’s time to say hello to assistant editor Samantha Alban, who writes as SC Alban, and shares her Californian home with her family, three cats and three (terribly) lazy guard dogs.
Don’t forget: read to the end to enter our holiday giveaway.
Where do you live? Sonoma County, California
What are your chances of having snow on Christmas Day? Most likely 0%, but who knows…this year has been full of weather surprises!
Do you have any favorite holiday traditions? I love setting up the train around my Christmas tree.
Last year I even bought liquid smoke for it!
I was heartbroken when it broke down and I spent days trying to troubleshoot and fix the problem.
After the fourth (I think) day, I finally Continue reading
18 Monday Dec 2017
Posted in Lakewater Press
Tags
Today the Lakewater Press holiday hop features one of our newest signings Sam Boush.
Though he’s lived in France and Spain, his heart belongs to Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife, two children and a messy cat. Continue reading
16 Saturday Dec 2017
Posted in Lakewater Press
It’s the eight day of the Lakewater Press holiday blog hop and we hope you’re enjoying these introductions to the team.
We’re a diverse bunch spread across Australia, the United States and the UK.
Today the spotlight is on Oklahoma-based RL Martinez, author of the magical Witchbreed fantasy series and one of the first authors to sign to Lakewater Press.
Book one In the Blood was published in 2016 and book two Beneath the Skin followed earlier this year.
Be sure to read all the way to the bottom for our holiday giveaway.
Your blog (url): https://robinLmartinez.com
Where do you live? Central Oklahoma
What are your chances of having snow on Christmas Day? Meh, Oklahoma is tricky. So, I’d say about 50%, just to be on the safe side. Continue reading
14 Thursday Dec 2017
Posted in Lakewater Press
Day seven of the Lakewater Press holiday blog hop: as some of you know the Lakewater team is spread over three continents – Australia, Europe and the US.
We’ve never all been in the same room together so these holiday interviews are proving an excellent opportunity for us to get to know each other a little better, as well as giving our readers a peek behind the scenes–or pages.
Perhaps you’ll even find a new blog to follow, or your next favorite book.
Be sure to read all the way to the bottom for our holiday giveaway.
Your blog (url): http://www.thecaterpillargirl.wordpress.com
Where do you live? In the state of craziness and senility. But if you must have a physical place, Grand Junction, Colorado (the western slope of Colorado) is where I’ve called home my entire life.
As a matter of fact, the hospital where I was born later became an Alzheimer’s unit where I worked in my late teens.
Is it an omen? I don’t think I can base anything off …where was I going with this thought?
What are your chances of having snow on Christmas Day? I’d say there’s about a 50/50 chance for snow on Christmas day. But I’d sure like to increase those odds. Continue reading
12 Tuesday Dec 2017
Posted in Lakewater Press
The Christmas countdown continues with day six of the Lakewater Press holiday blog hop.
Since the beginning of December we’ve been sharing holiday interviews with our authors and Lakewater Press staff.
It’s an opportunity for us to get to know each other a little better, as well as giving our readers a peek behind the scenes–or pages.
Perhaps you’ll even find a new blog to follow, or your next favorite book.
Be sure to read all the way to the bottom for our holiday giveaway.
Today’s interviewee: Mia Kerick, a YA author of LGBTQ fiction.
Hello everyone: I’m looking forward to the Lakewater Press release of All Boy in October 2018.
I can hardly wait! (Not particularly patient here.) I LOVE my characters Jayden and Callie. Their story needs to be told.
Your blog (url): I have recently created a new YA blog: www.miakerickya.com
I had so much fun putting it together – I used a “diverse people” theme, which runs throughout the blog. Check out all of the tiny adorable people illustrations on each page—they are EVERYWHERE! Continue reading
10 Sunday Dec 2017
Posted in Lakewater Press
As the countdown to Christmas continues, Lakewater Press introduces another member of the team as we continue with our holiday blog hop.
Between December 1 and the 24th we’re sharing holiday interviews with our authors and the Lakewater Press staff. It’s an excellent opportunity for us to get to know each other a little better, and to give our readers a peek behind the scenes–or pages.
Perhaps you’ll even find a new blog to follow, or your next favorite book.
Be sure to read all the way to the bottom for our holiday giveaway.
Blog URL: http://lakewaterpress.com/index.php/blog-2/
Where do you live? Gold Coast, Australia
What are your chances of having snow on Christmas Day? Well, absolutely zero if I stay home. Christmas is during the summer on this side of the world which means hot, humid, and delightful.
Back in England, where I lived in the south east of the country until my mid-thirties, it snowed once on Christmas Day; otherwise it was cold, grey, and drizzly.
Do you have any favorite holiday traditions? Christmas Day has changed a little for me since moving to Australia.
It’s the same but different, and I’m pretty happy to embrace the new traditions we’re creating as a family. Continue reading
08 Friday Dec 2017
Posted in Lakewater Press
Christmas is just over two weeks away and at Lakewater Press we’re on day four of our holiday blog hop.
Between December 1 and the 24th we’re sharing holiday interviews with our authors and the Lakewater Press staff.
It’s an excellent opportunity for us to get to know each other a little better, and to give our readers a peek behind the scenes–or pages.
Perhaps you’ll even find a new blog to follow, or your next favourite book.
Be sure to read all the way to the bottom for our holiday giveaway.
Your blog (url): Jodigallegos.com
Where do you live? Grand Junction, CO
What are your chances of having snow on Christmas Day? Pretty slim in my opinion, and based on my research – because I love to research – my town has had only 18 Christmases with more than a trace amount of snow since 1893, and only Continue reading
