Category Archives: Books

Live on Facebook & other news

02 Thursday Jul 2020

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Yesterday as part of the One More Chapter book club I was ‘live’ on Facebook along with editor Mel and author Adrienne Chinn. We were talking about our latest books. Adrienne’s is also dual timeline, like mine.

We had a lot of fun, and the video is available to watch on FB here.

Also – for the month of July – my latest novel The Secret of the Château is on promotion at just 99p for the ebook on Amazon UK! The paperback and audio versions of the book will be released later this month.

I handed a revised version of my 10th novel to my editor last week – hope to soon bring you news of its title, cover, blurb etc – I love announcing new books!

And today I’m going back to my 11th novel. I have written a very rough first draft, and now I need to turn it into something readable!

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Podcast and a promo!

07 Sunday Jun 2020

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A few weeks ago I was interviewed by the lovely Jenny Wheeler for a podcast – that is a first time for me. She’s now posted it up on her website, The Joys of Binge Reading, and you can listen to it here.

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In it, I chatter on about lockdown, The Secret of the Château, how I got started writing, writing while living in Gertie, The Forgotten Secret and more. There’s also a transcript for those who prefer to read rather than listen. And there’s a giveaway of copies of the ebook of The Secret of the Château!

Jenny’s is a fabulous website and she’s interviewed loads of writers. Do go and take a look around and perhaps listen to some of them!

(PS I hate the sound of my recorded voice, but I suppose that’s true for many of us!)

Also – for all readers in the US – please note The Secret of the Château is currently on sale at just 99c from Amazon for the month of June. Bargain!

Blog tour!

14 Thursday May 2020

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Today the blog tour for The Secret of the Château begins, brilliantly organised by Rachel. I’ll be adding links to every review on the book’s page. Can’t wait to find out what people think of this book – please do go and check out some of the reviews. Book bloggers do such a great job promoting books – I really appreciate it.

The Secret of the Chateau Full Tour Banner

In other news, today is also publication day for the paperbacks of The Pearl Locket and The Emerald Comb. It’s so lovely to have these two available in hard copy. They were my first book contract, and I was asked many times by readers if they were ever going to be published as paperbacks, and always had to reply that it was up to my publisher.  I was delighted when they told me that they’d chosen these to go into paperback.

Not only that, but later this year all my older books will be published in audio format! It is all happening.

May already

03 Sunday May 2020

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Or was April actually about six months long? It was shorter than March, anyway (or felt like it).

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I have news this month – on 15th May my latest book, The Secret of the Château, will be released in ebook format. I’m really looking forward to seeing what people think of this one! It’s set mostly in France, as the title implies, and the historical parts are set during the French revolution. Had to do plenty of research for this one!

 

 

The Emerald Comb new coverThe Pearl Locket_FINAL

 

 

Also being released on 14th May are the paperbacks for my first two dual timeline novels – The Emerald Comb and The Pearl Locket. I have been asked so many times whether these will ever be available as paperbacks so it is very pleasing that they soon will be.

 

In other news, I recently signed a contract for audio versions of all my books that aren’t already in this format! The Secret of the Château comes out in July along with the paperback, and the others (the older books, plus The Stationmaster’s Daughter) probably around August. I’m delighted that all my HQ novels will be available in all formats.

Coming Soon!

15 Wednesday Jan 2020

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I’m delighted to be able to share with you the cover and blurb for my next book, entitled The Secret of the Château! It’s to be published as an ebook on 14th May and as a paperback on 23rd July. There’ll be a blog tour around the time it’s published – details to be announced later. I do love this cover!

Cover

Everything is about to change…

1789. Pierre and Catherine Aubert, the Comte and Comtesse de Verais, have fled the palace of Versailles for their château, deep in the French Alps. But as revolution spreads through the country, even hidden away the Auberts will not be safe forever. Soon they must make a terrible decision in order to protect themselves, and their children, from harm.

Present day. When Lu’s mother dies leaving her heartbroken, the chance to move to a château in the south of France with her husband and best friends seems an opportunity for a new beginning. But Lu can’t resist digging into their new home’s history, and when she stumbles across the unexplained disappearance of Catherine Aubert, the château begins to reveal its secrets – and a mystery unsolved for centuries is uncovered…

News and updates

19 Saturday Oct 2019

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Well I may not have put much on my blog lately but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy! As regular readers know I gave up the day job in February this year and life’s been very full since then with lots of travel, lots of writing and lots of fun.

Here’s the latest news.

Firstly, The Stationmaster’s Daughter has now been released as a paperback and is available to buy from all online retailers. It’s done very nicely as an ebook and has some lovely reviews – see the book’s own page on this blog. (And at the moment the ebook is selling for just 99p in the UK for a limited period!)

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Back in August, The Forgotten Secret was featured on a Bookbub deal in the US and imagine my excitement when it reached no 13 in the Amazon chart and was a US Today bestseller for that week!

 

 

Writing has been going well – I recently submitted another novel to my editor and am waiting to hear what she thinks of it and see how much work there is still to do on it. It’s scheduled for publication in spring 2020. I will, of course, announce further details as they are finalised, but there are a few clues about it on The WIP page on this blog. This is book 1 of a 3-book contract I signed in August.

Meanwhile while I wait to hear from my editor, I am pushing on fast with the novel after that (book 2 of the contract). This one’s very genealogy-based and is flying onto the page. Some novels seem easier to write than others and so far this one’s a joy.

I want to get it written quickly anyway, as I am very excited about my idea for book 3 of the contract, and have amassed a few research books to get me started on that one. Plus I already have some notes made for another book after that… I never seem to have a problem finding new ideas, long may that continue.

Publication day and other news

07 Wednesday Aug 2019

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Today is publication day for The Stationmaster’s Daughter, and I can’t wait to find out what people think of this one! It was inspired by my brother’s work volunteering on the Lynton to Barnstaple railway restoration project – he’s been involved with that for 30 years. I adore this cover – that girl is EXACTLY how I imagine my character Annie!

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In other news, The Forgotten Secret is currently on promotion in the US, selling at just 99c. Yesterday after a Bookbub promo, it climbed to number 13 in the overall chart which had me VERY excited, checking its rankings more times than I care to admit. If you’re wondering what Bookbub is, please click the link above and consider following your favourite authors. You’ll get emails when they release new books or when their books are on promotion, so you are the first to hear!

Here’s my book in the charts when it was at its highest point, ahead of a couple of rather well known books:13 in the US

And finally, I posted an important document back to my publisher the other day… one that contained a signature and a commitment to write another three books… So I had better get on and write them!

Blog tour – coming soon!

30 Tuesday Jul 2019

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I had such a great blog tour for The Forgotten Secret organised by Rachel’s Random Resources that I immediately booked another one for The Stationmaster’s Daughter. The tour starts on 20th August, and here’s the complete list of bloggers involved. I’ll post links to each blog review as they appear, on the book’s page on this blog.

So looking forward to publication of this book – just a week away now!

The Stationmasters Daughter Full Tour Banner

Mr Cavell’s Diamond in Portuguese!

23 Tuesday Jul 2019

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Today is publication day for the Portuguese translation of my first novel, Mr Cavell’s Diamond, by Brazilian publisher Leabhar Books. I’m really excited to see how this one does – the publisher tells me there’s a real demand for Regency novels in Brazil!

Here’s the cover they made for it. It’s not quite Worthing but I love the mysterious house by the sea.Cover

You can buy the novel here in Portuguese, or here in English!

The Stationmaster’s Daughter

18 Tuesday Jun 2019

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Delighted to announce that my new book, The Stationmaster’s Daughter, is now available for preorder! The cover and the blurb are below.  Preorder here from Amazon UK.

This one was inspired by my brother who works as a volunteer restoring the Lynton and Barnstaple railway in north Devon.

In other news – my last book, The Forgotten Secret, is currently on sale for just 99p till the end of the month!

Cover - small

As the last train leaves, will life ever be the same?

Dorset 1935
Stationmaster Ted has never cared much for romance. Occupied with ensuring England’s most beautiful railway runs on time, love has always felt like a comparatively trivial matter. Yet when he meets Annie Galbraith on the 8.42 train to Lynford, he can’t help but instantly fall for her.

But soon the railway is forced to close and a terrible accident occurs within the station grounds, Ted finds his job and any hope of a relationship with Annie hanging in the balance…

Present day
Recovering from heartbreak after a disastrous marriage, Tilly decides to escape from the bustling capital and move to Dorset to stay with her dad, Ken.

When Ken convinces Tilly to help with the restoration of the old railway, she discovers a diary hidden in the old ticket office. Tilly is soon swept up in Ted’s story, and the fateful accident that changed his life forever.

But an encounter with an enigmatic stranger takes Tilly by surprise, and she can’t help but feel a connection with Ted’s story in the past.