Jane Lark - Guest Post - I Found You Blog tour

Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to welcome Jane Lark to the blog today with a guest post as part of the 'I Found You' blog tour.

Getting into the mind of a character

The first thing I do when I come up with a story idea is develop the characters. I have to really understand who they are and what motivates them before I even begin to work out where their story is going to go, and the story for I Found Youcame from a single image of Rachel standing on a bridge. I didn’t just see her standing in the electric light, I felt her pain, so then I had to unravel that and give her a back story and a personality before I began to write.

I’ll be honest, I Found You, wasn’t the easiest story to write. I don’t want to write characters you’ll find everywhere, and the New Adult genre is flooded with bad guy verse good girl. In I Found You, it’s Rachel who’s a mess. Don’t get me wrong Jason has issues of a different sort - but Rachel is the bad one. Where people tolerate a guy who has a dodgy back story though, they are less tolerant of a girl, so the story weaves a fine line, trying to draw out empathy for Rachel when she’s lived a fast life.

But there are reasons for her messed up mind and bad judgments which come out later. Those reasons do pile on complexity though because there are times, as a reader, you just won’t get her, at the same moments Jason doesn’t get what the hell is going on either. That’s because she is not a stereotypical person, only a small percentage of people would truly understand Rachel…

But in my day job, part of what I work on, is developing diversity, I promote accepting the differences in people and reducing judgement and so I deliberately wrote this to stretch people’s minds and challenge attitudes, and encourage acceptance of those who don’t fit in the usual round peg hole. That’s Rachel…

Publisher Harper Impulse

Publishing date: 5^thDecember 2013

Tomorrow is for regrets. Tonight is for being together. 

On a cold winter night, Rachel and Jason’s lives collide on Manhattan Bridge. She’s running from life, he’s running toward it. But compassion urges him to help her.

His offer of a place to stay leads to friendship and trouble. There’s his fiancée back home in Oregon and a family who just don’t trust this girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

But when the connection between them is so electric, so right… everyone else must be wrong. And as the snow begins to settle on the Hudson, there’s nothing but the possibility of what could be – of this, right here, right now. Them.

About the Author

Jane is a writer of authentic, passionate and emotional Historical and New Adult Romances.

She began her first novel at sixteen, but a life full of difficulty derailed her as she lives with the restrictions of Ankylosing Spondylitis.

When she finally completed a novel it was because she was determined to be able to say I’m a writer.

Now Jane is thrilled to be giving her characters life in others’ imaginations at last.

Jane is also a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development, and uses her knowledge of psychology to bring her characters to life.

‘Basically I’m a sucker for a love story. I love the feeling of falling in love and it’s wonderful to be able to do it time and time again in fiction, plus my understanding of people helps me write the really intense relationships I enjoy creating.’

Website http://www.janelark.co.uk

Blog http://tipsreviewsandlittletruths.wordpress.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JaneLark.NABooks

Twitter https://twitter.com/JaneLnabooks

The author is giving away one rucksack printed with the cover of I Found You.

Rafflecopter code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Extraordinary Retribution - Erec Stebbins Blog Tour

 

Welcome to the Extraordinary Retribution tour!

Find out all the information on Erec Stebbins' new political thriller that readers are calling 'dark' and 'engrossing', plus enter the tour giveaway for the chance to win yourself a signed copy of this chilling novel.

   

 

What they say:

'Sometimes evil is not born of madness, but madness of evil."

A rogue CIA agent partners with the brother of a slain colleague to uncover a conspiracy deep in the intelligence community. But a shadow follows them: a killer bent on a revenge so terrible, it is only matched by the crimes committed against him. In the end, no one escapes unscathed, no beliefs will go unchallenged, and no wrong will escape the terrible, final, and extraordinary retribution.'   

Click Here To Buy This Book - UK

Click Here To Buy This Book - US

   

 

Know Yourself Before the Fire

Guest Post by Erec Stebbins

 

The fragility of trying to be someone you are not is rarely a point mentioned in the ever-growing modern discussions of “being yourself.” Most of these “life-coach” talks concentrate on how trying to be someone you are not, living for the ideas others have or wish for you, or running from one’s true nature, damage the “psyche”, stunt emotional growth, impair deep relationships, hinder life fulfillment, etc. In other words, these discussions are all about how you can be happier/better/free when you embrace your inner You. Of course, if that inner You is a sadist or murderer, the strategy reveals certain limitations. And while those may seem extreme examples, the reality is that human beings are on a broad spectrum from Hannibal Lector to Gandhi. Therefore, it is rarely simply an “either/or” regarding “being yourself.” We all have aspects of our personalities that for various reasons we may or may not want to deny and live as if we did not have them. However, there are some people, perhaps many, who turn their backs in a dramatic way on core, deep elements of themselves. Regardless of whether this is good or bad for the individual and society, the often-ignored reality is that it is a very fragile equilibrium. When such personalities are truly tested in the fire of life events, the layers of acting and self-coaching often melt first. Then they begin to think and act outside of those designed constraints, more effortlessly, more immediately, more honestly, and more true to themselves. For good and ill. In my new thriller, Extraordinary Retribution, Father Francisco Lopez is one such person. All his life he has contrasted himself to his brother who was a sports and military hero. He eschewed retaliation, turned his back on the inherent violence and action in himself, and sought to become a man freed from those things. He turned to God, to emulate Christ, to turn the other cheek and pray for his enemies. Until his brother was viciously murdered. When Father Lopez stumbled upon the mutilated remains of his brother in his family’s cabin, all those layers of saintliness that he had sheltered himself within began to shatter. A long suppressed personality began to stir and overwhelm him. When he partners with a rogue CIA agent to investigate the murder, as they begin to uncover a conspiracy in the United States government that seems to have no bottom, and as those dark forces push the pair to the edge of survival and sanity, he undergoes a transformation that all his years of restraint cannot prevent. In the end, the two-sides of his personality – his empathy and decency, his anger and ability to commit violence – confront each other before an adversity that has brought the CIA to its knees. His choices will determine the bloody climax of the novel, and shape the remainder of his life. And his dilemma poses a question for all of us: when the impossible test comes, who will we turn out to be?     

:

 

Erec Stebbins is a biomedical researcher who writes political and international thrillers, science fiction, narrated storybooks, and more.

Website |  Goodreads

   

WATCH THE TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIjyGcU8rOw 

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway  

More books by Erec Stebbins

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Promo Post - Emma: There's No Turning Back by Linda Mitchelmore

Publisher: Choc Lit

It isn’t easy to look forward when the past is so close behind you

Life hasn’t always been kind to Emma Le Goff. She has had her fair share of  hardship and now finally, her life appears to be looking up. She and her childhood sweetheart, Seth Jago, are set to marry and both believe that an idyllic existence, free from heartache, awaits them.

However, when they discover that the past is more difficult to forget than they could have ever imagines, Emma continues to be haunted by the mysterious circumstances surrounding her family, and Seth is hounded by a jealous ex-lover set on revenge.

Seth plans for their escape to Canada, but when the charismatic Matthew Caunter returns to Devon, Emma finds herself uncertain of whether a move to Canada is really what she wants...

About the Author

Linda Mitchelmore was born in Devon and still lives there with her husband of over forty years, Roger. She has two adult children. When viral damage robbed her of her hearing she took up writing for something to do as she could no longer enjoy radio/music/television/theatre. Short story publications started to mount up – she’s now had 300 or so published worldwide – so she decided to try writing novels. It took a while, but eventually Choc Lit offered her a contract. TO TURN FULL CIRCLE was published in June 2012, and its sequel, EMMA: There’s No Turning Back is out as an ebook now and will be in paperback on 7th January 2014. HOPE FOR HANNAH and GRAND DESIGNS (both novellas) have also been published by Choc Lit as ebooks. She is currently working on the third in her EMMA trilogy. But she escapes from the keyboard sometimes! Gardening has always been a love, as has a good, long, walk in good company. And now added to the mix are two grandchildren, Alex and Emily, to keep her on her toes and indulge herself reading them bedtime stories when they come to stay.

@lindamitchelmor      (no 'e' on the end)

linda_mitchelmore@facebook..com

http://lindashortstories..wordpress.com/

www.choc-lit.com

                                                                                       

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Cover Reveal - Shannon's Law by Emma Calin

COVER REVEAL

SHANNON'S LAW by Emma Calin

 

Thanks so much for hosting the Cover Reveal for my forthcoming contemporary romance SHANNON’S LAW. This is the second in my ‘Passion Patrol Series’ - steamy action-romances that feature sassy female cops who solve crimes, catch crooks and always get their man.

Blurb

Wild child inner city cop Shannon Aguerri walks a dangerous line between her methods and justice. When the bosses lose their nerve, after yet another maverick mission, she is transferred to green pastures to play out the role of a routine village cop. When she encounters signs of people and drug trafficking she homes in on serious millionaire criminals. As a loner she has attracted men but nothing has stuck. When she meets Spencer, the hunky and widowed Earl of Bloxington, there is an immediate rapport between them. Their social differences mean nothing to their passion and need. Already in the mix is an upper class female rival – who has long plotted her way into the Earl's bed. The jealousy is an evil shade of green and the anger is a violent scarlet. Often inhibited by a sense of duty and honour, Spencer is slow to reveal his feelings. When Shannon confronts him with the need to choose between her word and that of her rival, he does not immediately support her. All the same, when they are forced together to carry out a desperate rescue mission, their love is stronger than everything ranged against them.

Shannon’s Law USA Shannon's Law UK

(Pre-order paperback only at this stage)

I will be revealing snippets from the story, photos of places and people that inspired the venues and characters on Pinterest during my pre-launch book tour. There are already some scrap-book cuttings posted, take a look and follow my board to get updates: http://www.pinterest.com/emmacalin/shannons-law-launch-reveal-on-pinterest/

There is also news about the book on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/ShannonsLaw

(‘Likes’ are always appreciated.....)

I’m having two launch parties “Afternoon Tea At Bloxington Manor”. The first is online on the 28th Febrauary on Facebook and the second is LIVE at the English stately home that inspired the home of my hero on Sunday 2nd March. A local favourite venue for me, Avington Park in Hampshire is steeped in history and tradition. (Think genuine Palladian style rather than Downton Abbey neo-Jacobean). The private owners have kindly agreed to open up for us with a tour of the house and then tea and cake – oh and launch the book of course!

ooooOOOO Shannon's Law Cover Reveal Draw OOOOoooo

$30/£20 Amazon voucher

A pair of tickets to my Avington Park Launch Party 2nd March (UK only)

3 Advanced Review Copies of Shannon’s Law

EVERY entrant will receive a FREE gift of an audiobook of my short story Escape to Love.

Just click here: a Rafflecopter giveaway to register to win - either 'like' the Facebook page or comment on this blog to qualify for an extra 2 chances.

Good Luck!

About Emma Calin

Emma Calin was born in London in 1962. She currently lives in France and the UK. She has been writing since childhood and has won numerous local, national and international prizes for poetry and short stories.

"Knockout!" is the first of the “Passion Patrol Series” a stand-alone love story set against a backdrop of international gambling corruption and deception. Interpol cop Anna Leyton finds herself torn between love and duty when her professional and private life intersects. This book is now available in both paperback and Kindle formats.

“The Love in a Hopeless Place Collection” is a bargain anthology of 5 short stories and novelettes, available in paperback and digital formats.

"Sub-Prime" is a prize-winning hard hitting short story about courage, exploitation and love. It is a raw and brutal exposé of life at the bottom in the aftermath of recession.

"The Chosen" is also a short story, set in modern times where working people struggle to keep their dreams alive. A world where the promise of love motivates desperate measures.

“Escape To Love” is a 'novelette' (longer than a short story but shorter than a novella), a gritty urban romance with suspense and mystery but a love story at it's core.

“Angela” a short story about a late-night taxi journey.

“Love in a Hopeless Place” a novelette about a middle-aged woman striving to find her true identity.

Amazon links to books by Emma Calin

Shannon’s Law USA Shannon's Law UK (Pre-order paperback only at this stage)

Knockout! (Passion Patrol Series)

The Love in a Hopeless Place Collection

Sub-Prime

The Chosen

Escape To Love

Angela

Love in a Hopeless Place

About.me page: http://about.me/emmacalin

Emma Calin Blog: http://www.emmacalin.blogspot.com

Emma Calin Website: http://www.emmacalin.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/emma.calin

and book page: http://www.facebook.com/ShannonsLaw

Twitter:https://twitter.com/EmmaCalin

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/emmacalin/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4915751.Emma_Calin

NEWS:   Mail list sign up  http://eepurl.com/Km_6f  

Subscribers will receive a FREE audio book of Emma Calin’s short story Escape To Love. Subscribers will also receive the first chapter of Shannon's Law when it is available.

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Sunlounger by Belinda Jones - Short stories by 40+ favourite authors!

 

I know this seems like an unusual time of year to be posting a review about a book that is perfect beach reading. However, given that the weather is horrible, wet and miserable I thought a book with stories set in warm, far flung places would be perfect to cheer the soul!

Each of the stories, written by a variety of very talented authors is set in different countries and allows the reader to disappear off to exotic places with interesting people, all who find themselves in some unusual situations. 

Reading the book reminded me why I love short stories so much. Its the perfect book to dip in and out of whenever you need a bit of escapism. Even now I sometimes get the book out and disappear into a world of sun kissed beaches and swarthy handsome young men! So far I haven't found a story that I didn't enjoy! Each one is incredibly well written. This book gives you the perfect opportunity to get to read the work of some new authors and would certainly encourage me to look for more of their work. Highly recommended. Well done to all the authors for their contributions to this great anthology.

                                                                     

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The Ruby Slippers by Keir Alexander

The Ruby Slippers is the type of book I absolutely love. It’s a story where all the characters end up connected in some way or another and each individual story is told, concluding with some connection to another character. Michael is a grocer who is almost nearing retirement age. His aunt Rosa is a social pariah who is seen as the smelly old bag lady, which is exactly how she looks. However, an accident soon reveals Aunt Rosa’s secrets; in particular a pair of ruby slippers. 

The book takes us on a journey of exploration in relation to the slippers and we discover their amazing history. Michael himself is taken on a journey of self-discovery finding out more about Aunt Rosa than he could ever have imagined and struggling with the trauma of his childhood during the war. Soon the slippers become prominent in the lives of James, who has just lost his partner Paulo and Harrison who desires the ruby slippers in a very dangerous way. The Ruby Slippers shape the lives of many characters in the book, taking them on a roller-coaster of emotions and difficult decisions to make.

This book was very enjoyable and extremely well written. Sad and poignant at times, the story also offers hope and a promise of a better life. The story doesn’t speed along but takes the reader on a gentle saunter through the lives of many interesting characters, each flawed but all likeable and interesting. Highly recommended. The book is due for release on 20th March so add it to your wishlist or pre-order from Lovereading site or Amazon. Published through Constable and Robinson.

*This review will also appear on Lovereading.co.uk as I am a member of the Reviewer panel. I received an advanced copy in exchange for a honest and unbiased review.

                                                                  

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Happy New Year from Brook Cottage Books!

Well lovely blog followers, another year has dawned and I have a feeling its going to be a good one! There are lots of fantastic books on my towering TBR pile and I once again thank everyone for their patience in waiting for me to get to their books. I have lots planned for the blog in 2014 and I hope you continue to enjoy all the features and reviews. If you check out the blog diary regularly there will be a list of what to expect each month on the blog.

As you are all aware, I had been hoping to get to 100 followers for the new year and I am pleased to say that I reached the target and the blog now has 101 followers! I appreciate everyone's support and I am very pleased to tell you all that we have a winner for the £10 Amazon voucher. The winner was picked in a very scientific way - my daughter picked by closing her eyes and putting a sticker on the screen list of followers! It was a bit like an electronic version of pin the tail on the donkey! Anyway, without further ado............(drum roll).......The Winner is......................

SARAH BROADHURST!

Congratulations to Sarah! Thank you to everyone who took part. Happy New Year! xxx

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