Author in the Spotlight - Richard F Holmes

 

Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to have Richard F Holmes as our very interesting Author in The Spotlight! I'll let Richard tell you a little about himself..................

 

 

I was born in London in 1955 and have lived a very topsy turvey life. I left school at 15 with no qualifications, and had I not left voluntarily, I would have been asked to leave. I always felt that I didn't fit in anywhere, and as a result, by the time I reached the age of 17 I'd had 24 jobs. I joined the army in 1976 hoping that it would give me a purpose in life but instead I became even more disillusioned and turned to alcohol. I hated the army because I found it to be such a hypocritical organisation and as soon as I was eligible I bought myself out.

 

Whilst in the military however, I did enjoy my experiences in Germany and in 1980 went back there to work, staying for six years. My heavy drinking continued during my time in Germany and by the time I returned to the UK in 1986 I was heading down into a deep depression. I managed to haul myself out of it in the mid-to-late 1990's but my life hit an all-time low in 2000.

In early 2001 I found my spiritual pathway and started to turn my life around. I now live in Gloucestershire in the UK and I'm a successful medium and healer. I'm also the author of eight spiritual publications and have produced five meditation and two chanting CDs. I'm a workshop facilitator in various spiritual topics and I also give profound interpretations of dreams.

There are plans in 2013 for another two CDs and another two books

Richard has quite a few books in circulation. Lets find out about one of them, Fragments of Divinity, from Richard himself.........

This is the first book in the Fragments Of Divinity series, and like all my other books, is for anyone and everyone from age very young to very old who is searching for a deeper spiritual understanding.  The book itself is written in the style of a blog; the idea to create it in this way came from the works of Paramahansa Yogananda.  

Yogananda was the first Indian yogi to take up residence in the West and he was the founder of The Self Realisation Fellowship in the US.  He departed this Earth in 1952, but left an amazing legacy of profound spiritual insights totalling over 1,700 pages.  In order to keep their guru’s work alive the fellowship released it in a series of smaller volumes.  Having purchased a number of these truncated works myself I noted how helpful it was to have potentially very complicated texts condensed down into small volumes.  One such book is only 28 pages long and can fit neatly into a breast pocket.  So, having read a number of these smaller volumes I came up with the idea for the Fragments Of Divinity series.  In keeping with my previous work I have written Fragments in a very reader friendly and easy-to-understand way; some of the first spiritual books I read when I was first discovering my own spiritual pathway were written in such a way that when I got to the end I still didn’t have a clue.  

As I tend to write about my own actual experiences my books are self-researching, which is a bonus, because it tends to reduce the writing time as well.  Once I finished procrastinating and actually started the project, the book was finished very quickly and I decided on the name Fragments Of Divinity because of the blog style nature, in other words, because it is essentially a series of short spiritual articles.   

Anyone who is searching for a deeper meaning to life or who is looking for answers to those seemingly unanswerable questions that tend to nag away at us will find Fragments Of Divinity a very interesting and thought provoking read.

Thanks so much to Richard for providing us with such an interesting feature today.

Amazon.com author page

 

Amazon.co.uk author page

Blog

Facebook Author Page

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The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard ........... promo!!

The Forgotten Ones

The Danaan Trilogy

Book One

is now available exclusively on Amazon!

Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

About Laura Howard

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Connect with Laura:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook |

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The Accidental Husband by Jane Green

 

 

Maggie and Sylvie are two strangers, living a plane ride from each other. They have polar opposite lifestyles and there is no reason for them to meet never mind be connected to one another. However, both women are part of a secret that is so earth shattering that it threatens their way of life, their sanity and their families.

 

Both Sylvie and Maggie find themselves lucky in love. Both have husbands that provide them with security and comfortable lifestyles. Sylvie's husband is so attentive and she often finds it hard to believe that she has been blessed with such a wonderful man, despite the fact that he often works away from home for long periods. This is the price to pay for happiness. Maggie's husband has provided her with the lifestyle she always dreamt of, allowing her to escape a childhood and an up-bringing that she would rather forget. Her life is a lie but one that she is happy to continue with, until she discovers a new lie! Image is everything and she will do all she can to protect what she has achieved.

 

With their respective children due to fly the nest, Maggie and Sylvie's lives are changing and transitioning  in ways that leave them both wondering what the future holds. However, a startling discovery by Sylvie's daughter Eve soon throws the two women together in the most unexpected of ways, and the pair fear for the future and for their children. Will they become allies or enemies?

 

I absolutely adored this book and its very difficult to write a review without risking too many spoilers. It had me hooked immediately. I loved the characters and how they evolved throughout the course of the book. The dilemma for the reader is, which of the two main female characters do you support? Or, in reality, is there really a choice to make? Both women have been the victim of unfortunate circumstances and both are equally deserving of sympathy. As their characters, personalities, strengths and weaknesses are exposed throughout the story, they become more or less the same person, dealing with similar issues and similar pain. It turns out they haven't been so different after all.

 

The story was gripping, tackling issues that are emotive and difficult and I will admit to shedding a few tears throughout the course of reading the book. Lets just say that I ended up having to go into another room to read the final chapter because not only did I want to savour it but I didn't want everyone to see me sobbing. The story takes a look at a situation that no wife or mother ever wants to find themselves in, with their lives very publicly on display for all to mock, criticise or dissect! A brilliant book and one I'd highly recommend!

 

*I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK for an honest, unbiased review.

  

 

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COVER REVEAL!...........Goodbye Henrietta Street by Lin Treadgold

 

 

Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to be part of the Cover Reveal for Goodbye, Henrietta Street by the lovely Lin Treadgold. Have a look at the amazing cover.

 

 

Book Synopsis

Pippa Lambton’s life has fallen apart and husband Rob is ready to give up their marriage. Three years before, their son Daniel passed away; he was the glue that held them together. Now, Pippa’s left home for the beautiful Isles of Scilly, for a chance to rediscover herself. She meets handsome Norwegian nature warden, Sven Jorgensen, who teaches her about the island wildlife. Pippa finds herself laughing again. She is aware of Rob’s dilemma over his childhood adoption and their turbulent relationship, but after an awkward kiss with Sven, she is torn about how to proceed. There is much to resolve, and leaving Rob could prove a disaster. Is her affair with Sven a holiday fling? How can she walk away from Rob after losing Daniel? Should she leave her home in Yorkshire for Sven and his island paradise? Find out more in Goodbye, Henrietta Street.
 

 

About the Author

Lin Treadgold was born in Yorkshire and attended private education. After travelling the world and visiting over thirty countries, she took the opportunity to become a writer and nature conservationist. She has always wanted to write a novel; moving to Holland gave her the opportunity to fulfil a dream. Lin is a member of the Romantic Novelists’Association and organises workshop events for new writers.

Safkhet Publishing

Safkhet Soul, our books for the soul, was launched on Valentine’s Day 2012. Bringing fresh, funny and fabulous stories, Safkhet Soul will paint a smile on the face of every reader. Safkhet Soul also showcases the stories that touch a place in your heart.

Viktoriastrasse 25

D-26382 Wilhelmshaven

Germany

 

http://www.safkhetpublishing.com

Email: sales@safkhetpublishing.com

 

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Reviewer in the Spotlight - Lindsay Hill at Bookboodle

Brook Cottage books is honoured to have Lindsay Hill from Bookboodle as the Reviewer in the Spotlight. Lets find out a little more about the lovely Lindsay, who agreed to sit in the lovely comfy interrogation interview chair!

JB: Tell me a little about your blog

Lindsay: Bookboodle is a book review blog. I don’t review one particular genre; I’m open to most types but my favourites are legal thrillers. I haven’t yet ventured into the giveaways and interviews as being fairly new to this I feel like I’m finding my feet but this will be on my plan for 2013.

JB: How did you come up with the name for your blog?

Lindsay: It actually came from a name generator website. Basically you put in your topic area and off it goes, creating lists and lists of different names. But then, I had to pick just one!

JB: What sort of books do you like to read?

Lindsay: My all time favourites are legal thrillers, primarily John Grisham. However, since joining a book club in March 2011 I’ve been exposed to so many more genres that I would never have thought I’d read. I am a bit of a sucker for a good romance novel as well.

JB: Why did you decide to blog?

Lindsay: It was actually suggested to me by a friend as a way to make some pocket money through adverts and affiliate websites etc and was something I’d never even thought about. I had no idea that there were so many book blogs out there and have learnt so much through this experience. I think you’d have to be mega popular to make any money from this but I’ve always read a lot anyway so once I got started, adding the reviews and connecting with other bloggers I was hooked and now it’s all about the reading, the reviews, the online community and I love it.

JB: How long have you been blogging?

Lindsay: I’m quite new to blogging really, only been at it since the end of October 2012 but have really enjoyed the experience so far.

JB: Do you have any other blogs?

Lindsay: No, just Bookboodle. Honestly, I don’t think I’d have the time.

JB: Do you have an all-time favourite book?

Lindsay: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I first read this for an English project for my GCSE’s at the age of 15. I don’t tend to read books more than once but I’ve read this several times, seen the movie and a stage play.

JB: What was your favourite book of 2012?

Lindsay: Oooh that’s a tricky one! Can I only pick one? Between Memoirs of a Geisha, Me Before You or Before I Go To Sleep were all highlights.

 JB: How many books are on your TBR pile for 2013?

Lindsay: So far there are 22, but I usually add 2 or 3 easily a month (sometimes a week depending on finances!)

JB: Which book on your TBR pile are you most looking forward to reading?

Lindsay: Probably Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. This is way out of my comfort zone and quite a hefty sized book. A few people have said to me that it’s really hard going. I like a challenge!

JB: What book surprised you the most? (in other words what book did you read that was not your usual genre and you found yourself enjoying?)

Lindsay: That would probably be A Gathering Storm by Rachel Hore. I was given it as a Christmas present so felt obligated to read it but thoroughly enjoyed it.

JB: Do you have a favourite author?

Lindsay: John Grisham – pretty much read everything he’s written

JB:Give 3 book recommendations for the readers of Brook Cottage Books.

Lindsay:

1)      The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

I read this over the Easter weekend and was blown away by it. By far one of the best books I’ve ever read.

2)      A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

This was very different to anything I’ve ever read before and maybe will be for your readers. However, it’s an amazing read and everyone should read it.

3)      Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

Not your usual boy meets girl kind of romance novel as it has a deeper ethical issue at its heart.

 

Thank you to Lindsay once again for visiting Brook Cottage Books! You can check out her blog at www.bookboodle.co.uk

You can also follow her on twitter

 

 

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Things Are Going To Slide by Rangeley Wallace - Author Interview and Giveaway!

Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to be taking part in the virtual book tour for Things are Going to Slide by Rangeley Wallace. This excellent tour has been organised by Fiction Addiction Book Tours!

So, whats the book all about? Here's the blurb:

Marilee Carson Cooper, daughter of a good southern family, had expectations, but now they are dashed. After her husband leaves her for a young man when she is pregnant with their second child, she pins her hopes for financial and career salvation on winning the coveted Chair of Clinical Law at Alabama Southern University.

The Chair goes to Dwight Hurley, a hometown boy who once broke her heart. He is favored because he claims to have written a forthcoming textbook, while Marilee’s job is now endangered, despite her success at the clinic. Dwight’s mysterious reappearance leaves Marilee burning for revenge.

At the same time, the troubled clients of the legal clinic are presenting Marilee and her student lawyers with grave issues. One of them—an unwed teen mother whom Marilee has known for most of her life—is accused of child abuse and murder.

As her feelings for Dwight become increasingly confused, Marilee realizes that her rival could be her only hope in saving the teenager.

Things Are Going To Slide grips the heart with its twists and turns of romantic love in a legal clinic and illuminates the dynamics of justice in a closely knit town.

 

"Rangeley Wallace has beautifully rendered the texture of Southern life in this gripping tale of love, betrayal, and the strength of family," wrote Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump. "Things Are Going to Slideis a remarkable achievement."

One reviewer described Things Are Going to Slide as "smart chick lit, mom-lit, and law-lit."  Midwest Book Review called Things Are Going to Slide "a powerful novel of chaos and recovery that will attract any interested in strong stories of professional women."  A romantic, smart page-turner, steeped in the tradition of southern literature, Things Are Going to Slide is "the kind of book that makes you keep reading long after you meant to turn out the light."

 

The lovely Rangeley Wallace was kind enough to come to Brook Cottages and sit in the interrogation interview chair!

 

 

JB: The book is centred around a law clinic. What made you yourself decide to follow a career in law?

Rangeley: Growing up I read a few books featuring lawyers I admired, in particular Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird. Later, I met a handful of lawyers who worked for social justice and they inspired me as well.

JB: Did you find your own experience in the legal world a help in writing the book and did you get any advice from colleagues?

Rangeley: My experience teaching in a law clinic was very important and very helpful in writing this book. I discussed a few of the cases in the book with colleagues to get their advice about different issues and I reached out to experts in Shaken Baby Syndrome to understand that complex medical-legal issue better.

JB: You are obviously a very busy woman, raising children, having a career and writing. How do you find the time to fit in writing a book with all your other commitments?

Rangeley: I do not do everything at once! I’ve taken breaks from my career to be with my children and to write and I sometimes work part time as well. I am very lucky to have that flexibility.

JB: Marilee finds herself in quite a predicament, pregnant and abandoned and her career in jeopardy and has to find inner strength. Where did the idea of the story of Marilee come from and is she based on anyone you know?

Rangeley: I knew I wanted to write about a young woman clinical professor who was facing a number of difficulties and I also knew I wanted to write about someone strong, who perseveres in the face of those difficulties. Marilee appeared. She wasn’t based on anyone I know.

JB: Did you at any point of writing the book make any major changes to the plot or did you remain fairly focused on keeping to the original plot?

Rangeley: Yes, many changes! Unfortunately, I took Marilee down a number of different paths before I figured out the plot that worked best with her character. At one point I had two story lines, one involving a dark past event in her mother’s life intertwined with something close to the current story. It didn’t really work though!

JB: If you hadn’t pursued a career in law what else do you think you would have been doing?

Rangeley: I might have been a journalist or a psychologist; I am fascinated by the things people do and equally fascinated by the reasons they give for the things they do. I love to listen to people’s stories.

JB: Your books are obviously based on a subject matter you have extensive knowledge of. Are there any other subjects you’d like to write about or venture into a whole new genre?

Rangeley: I would like someday to write in different genres, perhaps something more literary, perhaps a mystery. And, I would like to write a book about the sixties.

JB: How long, from initial planning to final edits did it take you to write the book? A few years.

Rangeley: It takes me a long time because of my legal work and my children – and because creating a world that’s (hopefully) believable isn’t easy.

JB: Do you have any advice to any budding authors out there? Any words of wisdom?

Rangeley: Nothing ground breaking: Just write and write and write and get tons of feedback, from other writers, from editors and from friends and teachers.

JB: Do you write every day and if so how much time do you devote to writing? When I’m working part-time I write five days a week for a few hours each day.

Rangeley: When I’m working full time I only write a few hours here and there.

JB: Do you have any plans in the pipeline for another book?

Rangeley: I’m almost finished revising and editing another book, STUBBORN LOVE. In the book I address issues of work-life balance, motherhood, love, and the impact of the past on the present.

Thanks for taking the time to interview me! I enjoyed it.

Here's a little more background on Rangeley Wallace................

Rangeley Wallace was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and lived there (except for one year of boarding school in Memphis) until she went to college at Emory University in Atlanta. After graduation, she moved north to Washington, D.C., to attend Washington College of Law, American University. The year following, she was a fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute for Public Interest Representation, where she received an LLM.

She never left D.C., much to her surprise, and, in between raising four children and writing books, she has practiced public interest law and corporate law, prosecuted anti-trust and criminal cases, and represented several white collar criminal defendants facing politically motivated charges in federal court. Most recently, she has taught a variety of courses at the Washington College of Law, including legal writing, externship seminar, general practice clinic, and disability rights clinic. For several years she also represented asylum and immigration clients on behalf of CMHS, the Center for Multicultural Human Services.  Currently, she is teaching in the General Practice Clinic at WCL. 

Rangeley has written two novels.  No Defense and Thing Are Going To Slide.

 Author Links:
 

www.rangeleywallace.com
twitter:@rangeleywallace
Facebook
 

 Want to be in with a chance of winning a copy of the book! There's a giveaway! Yay! Just leave a comment and click on the rafflecopter link! Simple!
 

 

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