Archive for December 2013
Merry Christmas from Brook Cottage Books!
The last year has been an absolute whirlwind of reviews, promo posts etc. I have enjoyed each and every moment of it all. Being shortlisted for an Industry Award this year too was just absolutely amazing! Some of you have had to be super patient waiting for me to eventually read your book. But you are all incredibly understanding of my huge workload.
Brook Cottage Books would not be here if it were not for the wonderful support from readers, authors and publishers. You are all absolutely amazing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I look forward to 2014 being equally wonderful and making many more new friends. As a thank you, if the blog manages to get 100 followers by midnight on New Years Day Eve, then I will have a prize draw on 2nd January 1st January and one lucky follower will receive a £10 Amazon voucher. So tell all your friends and family about Brook Cottage Books!
I would just like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year. Brook Cottage Books will be back in January with more fab book posts! Love you all.
JB. XXXX
Checking Inn - Emily Harper Launch Day Tour
Welcome to the Launch Day Tour for Emily Harper's new novel Checking Inn!
The book is officially released today so why not start celebrating the upcoming festivities with a fantastic new read nestled in your stocking . .
.
What they say:
‘Kate Foster runs the Summerside Inn (and her life) by well-organized checklists.
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000032_00025]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sCYAla_34VVVjHx3rFk3qXkSfgOzHI8uR9LWQSI0LQculgXpnJX_TPgBabyYFs7E0onvLf2vj_P5rMWljGNB2Sr8gabw-mzzXngfENP1c_OoLYuLBifijsP3IRRl5JCrtj=s0-d)
Make sure the caterers don’t serve devil’s food cake to the Christian Women’s Alliance– check.
Tell my mother that having a séance to get rid of any unwanted spirits in the kitchen during dinnertime is not okay- check.
Send a friendly reminder to all staff that the pens are colour coded for everyone’s enjoyment, and therefore it is not a good idea to put them all in one jar in order to “spice things up” as was anonymously suggested– check.
But, when an acclaimed hotel critic dies at the Inn, just before she’s about to publish a scathing review that would ruin the business, Kate’s life and checklists are thrown into disarray. And it doesn’t help matters that the detective assigned to the case is messy, unorganized, and too charming for his own good. Now Kate has to prove her innocence and save her Inn, or else the only thing that she’ll be organizing is the prison’s next bake sale.’
Buy This Book -
Author Bio:
Emily Harper has a passion for writing humorous romance stories where the heroine is not your typical damsel in distress. Throughout her novels you will find love, laughter, and the unexpected!
Originally from England, she currently lives in Canada with her wonderful husband, beautiful daughter, mischievous son, and a very naughty dog.
Emily is also the author of the funny and charming novel White Lies, which has proven to be a huge hit with fans. The book will even be appearing on The Marilyn Denis Show as a giveaway next month! For more information on the book please visit Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.
Ways to stalk follow Emily
Praise for Emily
'The story bounces along, sweeping the reader up along with it, and has a feel-good factor that makes it both unputdownable and downright fantastic'
GIVEAWAY!
Win your very own copy of Checking Inn by following the Rafflecopter's easy entry steps:
Guest Post - Lorraine Wilson
Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to have Lorraine Wilson back on the blog with another guest post in celebration of the publication of Revenge of a Chalet Girl. Thanks Lorraine.
Writing my first Christmas novella
As
both my chalet girl books so far are set in winter they have included
Christmas and New Year but I was asked to make the third more
Christmassy by my editor (her actual words were 'where are the sleigh
bells?').
So
I thought about what I love to do in Switzerland in December and sat
down to write a new scene in which the whole gang go down to the
Christmas markets on the lakeshore of Montreux. It's one of my favourite
places at any time of the year but in winter the view across to Evian
and the French Alps is simply stunning. Add in hundreds of chalet stalls
laden with delicious food and unique Christmas present ideas, the
medieval market within the walls of Chateau Chillon and some vin chaud
and the setting is pretty much perfect.
In
fact I made myself long to be there again, so much so that when my
husband suggested we go again this year I caved instantly, thus making
the scene the most expensive set of revisions ever!
I even gave my editor her sleigh bells, although I have a feeling I didn't include them in quite the way she intended ;-)
Revenge of a Chalet Girl by Lorraine Wilson (Publication date: 19/12/2013)
All she wants for Christmas is…revenge.
When
chalet girl Amy Wright finds her ex’s name on Chalet Repos’ guest list
she sees her chance to get back at him – Josh Carter, the guy who broke
her heart. Getting revenge without losing her job will be tricky but
luckily the other chalet girls are on hand to offer their support.
Pretty soon she’s in too deep and realises she doesn’t want to hurt him
anymore. She wants him back.
There’s just one teeny complication…
Buy from Amazon - http://smarturl.it/chaletrevenge
Buy from other retailers - http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/revenge-of-a-chalet-girl
Keep up to date with new releases in the Chalet Girl Series - www.facebook.com/LorraineWilsonWriter
Author in the Spotlight - Amanda Saint
Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to have Amanda Saint as the Author in the spotlight. Amanda has contributed to an anthology and the book's profits go directly to charity. Lets find out a little bit more about Amanda and that anthology.
Author bio
Stories for Homes Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/454745561280266/
Storied for Homes on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stories-Homes-Amanda-Block-ebook/dp/B00E8767XU
Retreat West website: http://retreatwest.co.uk/
Saintly Writer blog: http://saintlywriter.blogspot.co.uk/
Promo Post - Charles and Edward by Beau Garcon De La Nuit
A tale of true love. When two souls meet in a chance encounter,
they didn't know that it would be a day that would change both of their
lives forever.
Set in the years leading up to the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee
of 2012, this is a very modern love story with a unusual twist. Across
the class divide that separates the extremely wealthy from the common
man in modern day England, two men meet and form a most unlikely bond.True love has no barriers and can strike anyone anywhere when they
least expect it. Once felt it will stop you in your tracks and all you
will be able to think about is the object of your affections.
Edward is a humble young man from south London, born into a poverty
stricken and mixed up family with no hope of a good future. With a
single mother addicted to drugs, abused as a child and adopted at a
young age, Edward is trying hard to make a better life for himself
anyway he possibly can. Dreaming of a future with infinite
possibilities where dreams can come true if you just wish hard enough.
One day he meets his knight in shining armour, a
member of the British aristocracy, who comes into his life and turns it
around in a whirlwind fantasy.
A chance encounter leading to a lasting love affair that will change his life for ever.
Set in London amidst the hustle and bustle of
Mayfair, St James, Knightsbridge and Belgravia, Edward finds himself
whisked up into a world beyond his imagining. The best restaurants and
finest hotels in London are a big part of his new life. No more Butlins
in Skegness for Edward as he starts to be taken on a jet set first
class ride.. Places he had only seen in posh magazines now become his
holiday destinations. From the glamour of the upper east side in New
York, to the sheer luxury of Provence in the South of France, to the
beauty of southern Italy in Positano, Ravello and Capri, he starts to
live the life he had always dreamed about.
Will events change Edward? Can he remain the humble
young man he was when his affair with a member of the British
aristocracy starts? Or will he become caught up in all the glamour and
luxury and lose himself amongst the finer things in life? All is
revealed in this love story that crosses the class divide.
A Belle De Jour meets Pretty Woman for the 21st
century. Like the love letters between King Edward and Wallis Simpson
before they become the Duke and Duchess of Windsor mixed in with Diary
Of A Manhattan Call Girl. A tale with a message and underlying morality.
Can you really have everything you want without paying a price? Is
it really worth it to gain the world if you lose yourself and the morals
you have been brought up with? Sometimes laugh out loud funny, other
times heart rending, this is ultimately a very sobering message of
morals and the importance of staying true to oneself. As you read you
will find yourself vividly imagining what you would do and encouraging
Edward to be true to his word and himself. Sometimes enough is never
enough and the more you have the more you want, but life will always
find a way of teaching you the lessons you need to learn.
Author Bio
Beau
Garcon De La Nuit is a exciting new author from London England. He is a
bit of an enigma, as it is a mystery as to what he looks like and who
he actually is. Just like when the novel The Cuckoo's Calling was
released by a famous author under the pen name of Robert Galbraith,
Charles and Edward is a novel of such a high caliber that the general
consensus is that Beau Garcon De La Nuit must be a already established
author to have produced such a fine piece of fictional work.
Who is Beau
Garcon De La Nuit?! It has added to the excitement surrounding the
release of Charles and Edward that no one actually knows who he actually
is.
Big things are in store for 2014 with Charles and Edward as the author has been in talks with several American production company's about the film and tv rights for the novel as it would make a smash hit movie they feel.
So watch this space, Charles and Edward could be coming to a screen near you in the very near future. . . . .
Big things are in store for 2014 with Charles and Edward as the author has been in talks with several American production company's about the film and tv rights for the novel as it would make a smash hit movie they feel.
So watch this space, Charles and Edward could be coming to a screen near you in the very near future. . . . .
Promo Blitz - The Holiday Survival Guide by Jane O'Reilly
The Holiday Survival Guide
By Jane O’Reilly
Release 1st January 2014
Witty, clever, and sharp. It's
going to be the holiday from hell...and that's just how Erica wants it.
When tabloid journalist Erica
Parker is forced to take a holiday, she's determined to make it the most
miserable holiday she possibly can, but not even her impressive imaginative
powers could have come up with sharing a tent with survival expert Nathan
Wilde.
Nathan was a married man
with a successful TV show before Erica got to work on his life. Now the hottest
man she’s ever met is single, furious, and he’s got her alone in the wilderness
for three long days…
Goodreads Praise for Once
A Bad Girl : “Once A Bad Girl is an amazing debut by author Jane
O’Reilly. It is actually hard to believe that it is a debut novel. The
interlaced humour and sensuality in this story sucked me in from the start and
held me captive throughout...”
Jane
O‘Reilly writes for both Escape and Carina UK. The Holiday Survival Guide is
her third title with Escape.
Perfect for fans of Victoria
Dahl
About the Author
Jane O’Reilly started writing as an antidote to kids’ TV when her
youngest child was a baby. Her first novel was set in her old school and
involved a ghost and lots of death. It’s unpublished, which is probably for the
best. Then she discovered contemporary romance, and that, as they say, was
that. She lives near London with her husband and two children. Find her at www.janeoreilly.com, on Twitter as @janeoreilly, Facebook or email her at jane@janeoreilly.com
Blog Tour - Overwhelm Me by A.C Marchman
My whole body tingles, and I can’t help but feel turned on. I’ve never though about a guy this way, so fast. It’s so sudden, but it feels so right. But don’t become a one-night stand, I tell myself. Don’t be one of those girls.
Title: Overwhelm Me
Series: Callahan Series
Author: A.C. Marchman
Publication date: Nov. 3, 2013 Publisher: Limitless Publishing, LLC
**Mature Content Warning** Recommended for ages 17+ due to language and sexual content.
Allie Marshall has dealt with a traumatic past that she desperately wants to keep buried...
After moving to Atlanta to escape her old life and pursue her dream of becoming a Physician Assistant, with the help of her roommate, Livey, she's finally gotten her life back on track and will be graduating from Emory University with honors.
When she meets Donovan Callahan--a sexy and wealthy doctor who Allie cannot resist...
Their relationship starts off intense and full of passion. Donovan wants to give Allie the world. But she soon learns he was involved with Claire Dubois, a reality star convicted of murdering her husband.
Will she stick by his side when all of his baggage comes to the surface? Or will she be overwhelmed and turn her back on him?
About A.C. Marchman
I'm a wife and mommy above all. I'm also a writer and an x-ray tech. I don't have much spare time and I wouldn't have it any other way. I fell in love with writing back in middle school. I loved to write short stories and poems. Then I got married and had a family, so my writing had to take a back burner. I finally got the time to start reading again, which in turn, ignited my love of writing all over again. I have done what I never thought I would do; publish a book and have people read it!
Author in the Spotlight - Pete Cook.
Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to have as the featured author today, Pete Cook. This is Pete's first visit to the blog and hopefully not his last! Pete very kindly agreed to an interrogation interview! But first, here's a little about Pete! Enjoy!
Hi, I
am Pete Cook. I was born in 1974 in Bedfordshire and up until the birth of my daughter in
2006 I had no idea that I had a love of writing. The circumstances surrounding
the early years of my daughter’s life prompted me to put pen to paper and since
then I just can’t stop. I love it. I find it so enjoyable.
My first book (and only published book so far) is all about coping with a poorly daughter and the hopes and fears that surely every parent must go through when faced with such testing times. But I have so much more to write about, and so much more that I have already written. Being 'new' to writing means I have a lot to learn but I am going to enjoy the ride none the less.
BOOK BLURB
I knew becoming a dad for the first time would have
its tough times. I just didn’t realise how tough. But then I hadn’t reckoned on
anything other than a ‘normal’ birth. And perfectly healthy offspring. It had
crossed my mind of course, but how many of us really think it could happen to
us?
I’d certainly
never imagined I would have to stand by and watch my little girl, 2 days old,
being driven off in an ambulance with its lights flashing and sirens blaring.
Isn’t that just something that happens to other people? Our destination was Addenbrookes Hospital, the
specialist hospital for babies in our area. I had never been so frightened.
My story takes us through the years of my post
university life. Meeting my now wife and the subsequent years that followed.
The birth of my daughter and the worrying times that lay ahead.
I have been ever present since the
birth of my little princess. Changed her first nappy and carried her to the
operating theatre for her first operation and every subsequent operation. I
have been consoled and been the one consoling.
I have had many days and nights when
my emotions and those of my wife and extended family have been stretched to a
limit above and beyond anything I ever thought I would be able to cope with.
But I have also laughed so hard its hurt.
This book takes in everything. From
simple tales of splashing about in puddles, changing nappies and ending up with
the contents of a soiled nappy on my forehead, to not being able to pick my
daughter up for a cuddle as she was “way to poorly” and being told by an intensive
care nurse “I genuinely thought she was
going to die”.
I’ve had days when I have thought “why us” and
days where I have been thankful it wasn’t us.
I never thought anything could be more
frightening than that first operation when Charlotte was just two weeks old.
But then came open heart surgery in Gt Ormond St. and what happened in
Addenbrookes in June 2008 made the heart surgery operation feel more like a
check up at the dentist. Seven operations later and the memories are as fresh
as if it was yesterday.
Being a parent is the most amazing experience that
has ever happened to me and ultimately I love being a dad, it is without doubt
the best feeling in the world, If we
could just stop having to go through so many life saving operations………..
JB: Tell the blog readers a little bit
more about who Pete Cook really is – job, hobbies etc
PETE: Well, I'm fast
approaching the big 40 and with the exception of 3 years spent at College in
Doncaster I have lived in or around Bedford all my life. My day job is working
for a Housing Association in the Development department. I am in charge of
'Asset Development' which in brief means I look at our existing assets and work
out what needs repairing, managing or just plain knocking down in favour of
shiny new houses. My hobbies, aside from
writing, involve football, golf and just messing about with my two kids (there
really is nothing like spending time with your kids.) I insist that every day I
hear them laugh. Even if it does mean pinning them down and tickling them. If I
have any time spare after this then chances are I will be sat down watching
something funny (I love comedy) whilst eating pizza.
JB: Do you hope to someday become a
full time writer?
PETE:Yes, yes and yes
again. Being in a position to write full time really is the dream. I have no idea if it will ever happen (a
lottery win to help pay off the mortgage would help) but in the mean time I
will just sit and write whenever I get the opportunity, release more books and
enjoy the ride whilst it lasts.
JB: When your daughter was ill, did
you keep a diary at the time of what was happening or did you write the book
retrospectively?
JB: How long did it take you to
complete the book?
PETE: Once I made the decision to turn
all of my little mini stories into a book I would guess it took me about
another 6 months to complete. Writing at every conceivable opportunity. But the
mini stories were originally written over a 3 year period. Writing about it
also served to relieve the boredom of being sat by Charlotte’s hospital bedside
for days, sometimes weeks on end.
JB: Tell us a little about what you
are writing at the moment.
PETE: I've got a sit com that I have
written that I keep updating and tinkering with occasionally but in the main I
am working on a new, totally different book. It will be my first fiction book.
It is only in its early stages but it’s about friendship, bullying and growing
up in the 80's. It’s giving me a great opportunity to look back at the things I
remember from my childhood. The story itself is a work of fiction but I'm
throwing in a few trips down memory lane for those that read it too.
JB: Do you have any writing rituals? –
e.g music on in background?
PETE: No rituals really. At least I
don’t think I have. My wife reminds me that as a male I am only capable of
doing one thing at once and to be fair, when I am writing, world war 3 could be
kicking off around me and I wouldn’t have a clue. I just go into this little
world of my own and time just flys by.
JB: What kind of books do you like to
read?
PETE: I will read almost anything to
be honest. As a kid I loved Roahl Dahl (who didn’t) then I moved on to Terry
Pratchet followed by Stephen King but I will read anything really. Next on my
reading list is David Jason’s Autobiography. I've loved pretty much everything
he has done so it'll be great to read about his off screen antics.
JB: Most importantly, tell us how your
daughter is now?
PETE: Charlotte is doing really well
thank you. We have check-ups every two years now and only last week we had the
all clear for another two years on her heart. We really are a very lucky
family. We did have some very tough times in the early days but these tough
times are now parked and thankfully,
hopefully, they are all behind us now and I've got two happy and healthy normal
(whatever normal is) children.
JB: Any writing tips?
PETE: I really am not sure
I am best placed to answer that. All I can say is that when I write I do it
from the heart and write openly and honestly. My new book is non fiction but I have
tried to get into the head of the main character and write as passionately as I can as if I were him. But then I guess
all writers do that.
When the book is finished
though, I can definitely advise people to get on line and mingle with fellow
authors and writers. I have learned that its actually harder to market / promote
your book than it is to write it but the
internet is awash with people who will help and offer advice. I am quite
genuinely amazed at the kindness of the people
I have met through my book. So many people have given up their free time to offer
help and advice. I have met, and continue to meet some genuinely wonderful people all
of whom are happy to help and support
each other. And as it turns out its also incredibly good fun.
To add to the above I
would also like to thank brook cottage books JB and all the other writers
bloggers and book fans that I have met online. All such a simply
wonderful group of people.
JB: Thanks so much to Pete for taking the time to visit the blog and answer lots of questions. I think everyone will agree that his book sounds wonderful and well worth a read.
Author Links
Amazon Author Page
Amazon.com
Amazon UK
Author Facebook page
Personal FB Page
Amazon Author Page
Amazon.com
Amazon UK
Author Facebook page
Personal FB Page
