Blog Archives
Summer of Secrets
GUEST BLOG – Adrienne Vaughan
Award winning Author & Poet
Adrienne Vaughan writes spellbinding, page-turning romantic suspense.
Her Heartfelt Series − The Hollow Heart, A Change of Heart and Secrets of the Heart – is set on an island off Ireland’s west coast and features a feisty investigative journalist, and her irresistible West Highland terrier. (Adrienne studied at the Dublin College of Journalism and loves animals, especially dogs.)
Her collection of short stories and poetry, Fur Coat & No Knickers was shortlisted for the Irish Carousel Prize for Anthology and her WWII short story, Dodo’s Portrait, was shortlisted for the Colm Toíbín International Short Story Award at the Wexford Literary Festival.
Summer of Secrets is the first in a series of sweeping family dramas, each with a touch of Irish magic.
All her books are heart-warming, uplifting reads, featuring her trademark gripping style, and laugh out loud moments.
Adrienne, husband Jonathan, and two cocker spaniels divide their time between rural Leicestershire, the Wicklow mountains, and coastal South Devon. Agatha Christie – the cat – (and Lorraine) take care of things while they are away.
Summer of Secrets – blurb
Mia Flanagan has never been told who her father is and, aged ten, stopped asking.
Now she keeps her own secrets.
But when the movie she’s working on ends in disaster, she flies home to discover her fiancé has a secret too; leaving her dreams crushed.
Broken-hearted, a lonely summer in London looms. Until, family friend, Archie Fitzgerald, invites her to stay at his fading mansion on Ireland’s ancient east coast.
For Archie also has a secret, and the longer Mia stays, the more she wonders if Archie really is her father after all.
Some images of Ireland so beautifully evoked by Ms Vaughan in Summer of Secrets
My review – Goodreads – This novel has it in spades: stunning Irish setting (a character in its own right), a grand but decaying family home (Galty House), glamour in the form of acclaimed actors Archie Fitzgerald and Fenella Flanagan, American hotel owner Ross and the cute, but not too cute, Pearl who melts your heart. The novel contains all of Ms Vaughan’s trademarks: glamour, secrets, intrigues, and adventure. How could it fail to please? At the centre of it is Mia, the wardrobe mistress whom I immediately bonded with and wanted to have a happy ending. However, life isn’t easy for Mia who lives in the shadow of her famous mother Fenella and, although she is surrounded by people who love her, is held back by long-buried personal secrets of the past. Is she Archie Fitzgerald’s daughter? The answer to that alone kept me turning the pages. I agree with other reviewers that Archie dominates every scene, and it isn’t until he vacates centre stage that Mia can have her moment in the spotlight and we learn the truth about who she is. There was a lot to absorb in this novel and many of the answers lay in the past and were the remit of some of the secondary characters who gave the novel a sense of community. I was particularly impressed by the authors use of flashbacks to give the reader the information they needed to understand the motivation of all the characters – and to guess the identity of Mia’s father. In the end, all is resolved and – without giving too much away, I was happy at the way the author tied up all the loose ends to bring the novel to a satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading the sequel when it is published.
The perfect beach read this summer
Where to find Adrienne Vaughan on social media
The Collaborator’s Daughter
GUEST BLOG – EVA GLYN
CHARACTERS OF A CERTAIN AGE
I have always liked people and I have always liked wine, firmly believing that both are more interesting as they mature. So why does so much romantic fiction feature characters in the first (or, at a push, second) bloom of youth, when those in the third age are largely ignored?
After all I have friends in their sixties who have fallen in love, and why wouldn’t they? For so many retirement is an opportunity to change things around, whether they are single through circumstance or choice. A time of excitement, of new beginnings. And of downright terror about what might lie ahead.
This is where Fran Thomson, my protagonist in The Collaborator’s Daughter, finds herself. She quit her job to care for her stepfather, but now he has died, and when she looks the future in the face it’s rather too shapeless and empty. Not only that, but the past shifts under her feet as well, when she discovers the birth father she always believed died a hero, was executed as a Nazi collaborator.
Fran somehow finds the courage to travel to Dubrovnik to try to find out what happened. I am not altogether sure I would have had the guts, but then she’s a romantic heroine and I am not.
A romantic heroine who, by her own admission, is carrying a few too many pounds and hasn’t a clue how to apply clever make up. So she is more than surprised when Jadran Novak, a Croatian silver fox who was roped into helping her find out about her father by his nephew, begins to take a more than friendly interest and suggests a research trip:
Fran gazed at the clothes spread out on the bed. They were going for three nights, that was all. Why was she making such a meal of it? Her denim skirt would do for the evenings, and she knew Jadran liked her embroidered cardigan, so she’d take that as well.
Despite the difficulties of packing, there was a frisson of something about the trip that took her back to being a girl again, back to the shared house in Parsons Green. This was what they’d do before a night on the town; lay potential outfits on their beds, then run from room to room in their underwear, giggling and squealing, borrowing a skirt here, a pair of tights there …
Oh my god. Underwear. Hers was utilitarian to say the least. Sensible cotton knickers and well-constructed bras. But it didn’t matter. It wasn’t as though anyone was going to see them. Were they?
Fumbling her phone she checked Jadran’s text again. He had booked them rooms, plural. Her slightly tatty and greying knickers would remain her secret. As would the folds of flesh they strained to hide. Honestly, she could have at least tried to diet while she was here, but what with a glass or two of wine every night, and baking cakes for Jadran … But it was fine. He’d booked two rooms. Clearly his intentions weren’t sexual at all.
The tiny lurch of disappointment surprised her. Yes, it was a lovely fantasy to want to be kissed and held in his arms, but the reality of going any further was frankly appalling. But that wasn’t entirely true either. A tiny part of her, a part that had been hidden for so long she had almost forgotten it existed, wanted more. Alone in her bed at night, all sorts of more. But in the cold light of day even the thought absolutely terrified her.
Eva Glyn writes relationship-driven fiction set in Croatia for One More Chapter, and she’s rather close to sixty herself. Find out more at www.evaglynauthor.com.
Want to read on? Then follow my lead and download this fabulous novel …….. review to follow in the fullness of time.
Buy link for The Collaborator’s Daughter:
https://mybook.to/CollaboratorsDaughter
HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO
When I started writing Dark, Highland Skies I thought long and hard about the hero: Hector Strachan, known as ‘Tor. I’d already created heroes with typical highlander colouring: dark hair, blue eyes and fair skin that blisters at the first touch of the summer sun. (see Ruairi Urquhart in Tall, Dark and Kilted). Some of my choices were influenced by Jamie Frazer in Outlander – who could resist the combination of auburn hair and blue-grey eyes. Then I thought, no, Tor is going to be more like his Viking ancestors who harried the west coast of Scotland and left their DNA behind: tall, blonde – the image of a young Robert Redford sprang to mind. Well, a girl can dream, can’t she!
It appears that readers and reviewers have fallen for Tor, too. Here’s what they’ve said …
It’s great to see our military heroes so well understood, with life changing injury and post traumatic stress explored sympathetically (in Tor’s case)
It is not just the story itself which I loved but also the description of all the locations and in many cases the history behind it, I would say it was all extremely well researched
I must say I rather fell for Tor – not only because he looked like my kind of guy but because of his infinite patience and gentleness, too.
The chemistry between astrophysicist Halley Dunbar and veteran Tor Strachan, a soldier suffering from PTSD and veteran Tor Strachan simply sizzles.
A former career soldier, he was invalided out of the army following horrific wounds sustained in a dreadful incident in Afghanistan
An extract from Dark Highland Skies
‘Look.’ Tor pointed skywards to where a golden eagle was circling above them, its wing tips spread open like fingers, yellow talons tucked neatly into its body. It turned its head and looked down on them, as if demanding to know what they were doing on its land. Its high chirruping cry cut through the bright, still air, drawing everyone’s gaze away from the coffin and heavenward. ‘It’s a sign that Tam is ready to leave us and that all will be well,’ Tor murmured, bending his head close so only Halley could hear.
Lizzie and Dave’s Newsletter 2023- take #1 – January- June 2022
Happy New Year and Welcome to 2023 – I wonder what the year has in store !
First of all, let me apologise for not blogging for quite some time. Life and writing novel #7 got in the way but I’m now on top of thing (famous last words). So, I would like to bring you up to date on everything (well, almost) that we did last year. So, grab a cup of coffee, kick back and enjoy. Although this is primarily MY BLOG, I wouldn’t have accomplished half of what I have without the love and support of my husband Dave. Here he is wearing the T-shirt I bought him for Christmas and (above) I’m in my favourite velvet dress from Seasalt – where else?
January 2022
Having survived Christmas and our third dose of the Covid and flu vaccines, we decided to forget all about the pandemic and get on with life. I sat down to finish and then edit the manuscript of DARK, HIGHLAND SKIES with a view to publishing later 2022. One morning I awoke to find BT digging holes in the pavement in front of our house and discovered this image by our front gate. The hero in my new novel is Hector (TOR) Strachan and I took this as I sign i should get on with finishing the book. Spooky – right?
February 2022
I hosted a writers’ workshop with Adrienne and Jocelyn which covered planning, character arcs and proofreading amongst other things. On a cold, dark February evening Adrienne and I gave our first author talk of the year to members of Hallaton WI. As usual, Dave played roadie and accountant and used my ‘sum-it-up’ machine to collect money from the ladies who attended. Adrienne and I regaled the audience with tales of the amusing and sometime bizarre things which had happened to us on our journey to publication . . . such as bumping into Dustin Hoffman on Kensington High Street.
March 2022
I was able to celebrate my birthday with friends for the first time in two years and life felt as if everything was slowly returning to normal. My niece Vicky who teaches English at Uppingham Independent School invited Adrienne and I to talk to sixth formers about the ins-and-outs of writing a novel. The jays returned to the garden and cheekily eyeballed us through the window to tell us that spring was on the way. We had our first caravan outing of the year at Chew Valley, Bath where I met up with fellow author Jo Lambert.
Dave took me to my first – and possibly last, auto jumble. I purchased a Fortnum and Mason basket and we spent more money on the entry fee, coffee, burgers and ice cream than we made selling stuff. While he was wheeling and dealing (ahem) I managed some writing in the back of the van on MacBook. So glamorous – not!
April 2022
The highlight of spring was heading south to a campsite near Milton Keynes. There we met up with Carole and Kevin, rejoined the National Trust and explored Buckinghamshire. One of the highlights was a visit to Waddesdon Manor and Ascot House – well worth a visit. The location where we camped only allowed five caravans and banned dogs, so in the morning we were treated to the site of hares grazing just outside the door to the van. Precious.
I love this selfie of the four of us at Stowe, which is Pride and Prejudice personified. Our niece Vicky has also taught at the school there !!
May / June 2022
This slideshow is a record of our time in the Isle of Wight where I arrived with a humongous cold (NOT COVID – I tested) and which hung around for most of the month. We spent most of our time with sister Phyllis and husband Andy before heading for Exeter and our niece Hannah’s wedding. I bought the white trainers for my hols, almost killed myself crossing the road in Shanklin whilst wearing them and donated them to charity shop when I returned home. Whilst we were there, our street held a Jubilee Party for HM The Queen.
The art work I bought in Bembridge which personifies the IOW for us.
So, that’s me until the next blog post which will take us through to the end of the year and contain news about my forthcoming romance – Dark Highland Skies.
In the meantime, here’s a link to my other six novels which are available for download on all Amazon sites, Kindle Unlimited subscribers and as paperbacks.
Bye for now, Lang May yer Lum Reek .
One of my favourite reviews – Harper’s Highland Fling
Reviews are so important to a writer. I’d love to thank each reader who takes the time to leave one after reading my book. However, as that isn’t possible, I check my reviews to make sure that I haven’t missed one and tick the ‘helpful’ box to let the reviewer know that its been seen and read. Sometimes, I can recognise the reviewer by their pen name, especially if they’ve reviewed one of my other books. However, this one by Souffle Girl has me stumped. Its such a fabulous review that I think it deserves a wider audience.
Sometimes, I ask my readers (via Twitter and Instagram) which of my heroes they like best. Souffle Girl certainly rose to the challenge !
“The hero of her first book, Tall Dark and Kilted, quite won my heart. Ruairi Urquhart, the Laird of Kinloch Mara, was so thoroughly delicious that I swore I would be true to him. Unfortunately, that devotion has wobbled several times upon reading Lizzie’s subsequent books. She does write such delectable heroes! I have to admit, Rocco Penhaligon might just have taken Ruairi’s crown. I’m really sorry, Ruairi! But look, Rocco’s gorgeous, and he rides a motorbike, and he’s a devoted dad and a loyal friend and . . . Well, you get the picture.
From the moment Rocco slides out from under that car in his garage, he had me intrigued, and as the story developed, I grew ever keener to understand this man more and figure out what made him tick. Together, I feel like we’ve been on quite a journey. Shove over, Harper MacDonald!
Actually, I’m not being fair to Harper. She’s a great character, too. Although she seemed very buttoned up and brusque and judgmental at first, as the story developed I could see another side to her entirely. And who can blame her for being angry? She’s supposed to be spending the summer holidays in Nepal, for goodness’ sake, not chasing after two troublesome teens on the back of a grumpy, sarcastic stranger’s motorbike!
The relationship between Harper and Rocco might be somewhat frosty, as they follow the trail of the errant teenagers, but that doesn’t stop some decidedly heated moments from occurring. It’s clear that, as inconvenient as it is, there’s a huge attraction between them, although neither will admit it – even to themselves. There’s a lot of snappy banter and caustic comments, and the sparkling conversations that Lizzie Lamb does so well.
I have to say, though, that as entertaining as the road trip part of the story is, it’s when the two of them reach Rocco’s house in Scotland that it takes on a new depth. Lizzie writes Scotland so well, and I felt as though I were right there in Plockton with her characters. Perhaps it’s the Scottish blood running through the veins of both Harper and Rocco, but when they reach the house, things change between them. It’s as if there, in that beautiful setting, they can stop the pretence and finally reveal to each other who they really are, and how they really feel.
Lizzie Lamb made me fall in love, not only with her hero, but with his stunning Highland home, too.
The story becomes something else as the relationship deepens, and we see a change in Rocco, and a softer, more vulnerable side to Harper. The heat between the two of them made my Kindle sizzle! This is a couple with real chemistry, and I loved the passion between them, and the gentleness and concern for each other after days of verbal dueling. As the defensive walls are finally taken down, true love, it seems, finds them at last. But with the teenagers due back any moment, time is running out for them. And with so many uncertainties to deal with, can there really be a future for Harper and her Highland hero?
You’ll have to read the book to find out, but I will say that the ending is just gorgeous, and left me feeling quite emotional – not least because I’d had to guiltily admit that Rocco had done the impossible and shoved Ruairi into second place. But if you read Harper’s Highland Fling for yourself, I’m quite sure you’ll understand why.
Read Harper’s Highland Fling and make up your own mind.
For one week only – February 11th 8am – February 18th 12 am
Harper’s Highland Fling will be available to download or 99p/99c.
click here to read the opening chapters of Harper’s Highland Fling and to purchase a copy
If you read and enjoy my novel please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads.
My best week ever . . .
For those of you who read my previous blog post about being shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists” Association Indie Champion of the Year I have some follow-on news to share.
I learned via Melanie Griffiths (PA to the RNA Committee) that BBC Radio Leicester would like to interview me about my path to publication and my thoughts on being shortlisted for the award.
Many moons ago, when Adrienne Vaughan, June Kearns and Mags Cullingford and I formed New Romantics Press, Radio Leicester – thanks to Adrienne’s PR contacts – sent two reporters to find out what indie publishing was all about. We met in The Bell, Burton Overy and had a fabulous morning talking about books and hopes for the future. A four legged friend even came along to boost our confidence – not that we stopped talking all morning.
The four newly fledged authors enjoying every moment 
toasting the success of Tall, Dark and Kilted my debut novel 
our faithful supporter
But last week’s interview was different. I now have six books under my belt and the RNA kindly arranged everything. Sadly, because of the pandemic I was unable to go into Radio Leicester’s studios and the interview had to be conducted over the phone. As a former teacher, I’m used to public speaking and over the years have held workshops and given talks in libraries and to other writers’ groups without blinking. But this was different. It was the first time I’d been interviewed without any of New Romantic Press being present. Luckily, the journalist who interviewed me, Summaya Mughal, was professional and a really lovely person and soon put me at my ease.
You can listen to the whole interview here. I hope you find time to listen to my interview as it will disappear off the Radio Leicester website by Friday 5th November..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09xcd8c
Summaya asked me:
- how did I get into writing
- where my love of romantic fiction stems from
- how ‘Scottish-themed’ romance differs from other romantic genres
- what attracts readers to romantic fiction
- how Leicestershire and Rutland Chapter of the RNA came into being
- how did it feel to be nominated for the award
- what is novel #7 about
Summaya said: “I haven’t really read any romantic novels”. Naturally, I had to rectify that. I headed for the Radio Leicester studios two days later to drop off a copy of Harper’s Highland Fling along with a thank you letter. However, due to Covid, the premises were locked and barred so left the package in the mail box. On my way back to the car park I called into newly opened indie bookshop FOX BOOKS. It’s such a rarity to find an independent bookshop which looks favourably on indie authors and is willing to stock their novels. Look out for future blog posts about Fox Books and me.
And, finally . . . I learned that I’d had a press release in the Leicester Mercury, too, so my week was complete.
For now, though, it’s back to the keyboard, getting on with #7 – working title: DARK HIGHLAND SKIES – and biting my fingernails until the award ceremony of October 28th. It would be nice to win, of course it would, but I’ll carry on writing, flying the indie flag and supporting the RNA whatever the outcome
.
My WIP stands at 42k but I need to get motoring if I want to have it ready to send to my formatter before spring 2022. My ancient computer is about to give up the ghost but I don’t want to buy a new one and have to learn its idiosyncrasies before I finish the novel. Luckily I store everything on ‘DROPBOX’ in case of system failure and email copies to myself every night before I switch off. Maybe in my next blog post I’ll give you a hint what the novel is about.
Have a great weekend
BREAKING NEWS – RNA INDIE CHAMPION OF THE YEAR AWARD
I’m super thrilled to announce that I’ve been shortlisted for the inaugural ‘INDIE CHAMPION OF THE YEAR AWARD 2021′ by the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
I’ve been blogging for quite some time but some of my newer followers might not know the story behind my writing journey. So I thought it might be a good idea to bring you all up to date. If you’d like to learn more about the award, here’s a link to the article in The Bookseller.
This link takes you to the RNA blog and more information.
Being shortlisted for such a prestigious award has given me a chance to reflect on what – to date – has been a wonderful career as an author. I am grateful for the fabulous friendships I have made throughout this journey, hopefully helping and inspiring others to achieve their publishing dream too.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer of romantic fiction. Being an indie author works for me as it gives me the opportunity to work at a pace which suits me. Going it alone, without the backing of a publisher/agent has been challenging at times and I wouldn’t have come this far without the expertise and generous support of the Romantic Novelists’ Association at local and national level. I was one of the first full members of the ‘Independent’ arm of the RNA and, with a little help from my friends, have gone on from strength to strength, learning all the time.
This support has spurred me to write and publish six novels with the seventh currently underway. Here are some photos I thought I would share with you.
some members of the Belmont Belles and Beaux writers’ group 
Me and Louise Jensen 
Celia Anderson, Ros Rendle, Isabella Tartaruga et moi ❤ 
June Kearns, Adrienne Vaughan, Jan Brigden 
Carol Bevitt, Adrienne Vaughan, Lizzie Lamb, Marcia Holah, Caroline Bell-Foster, Marilyn Rodwell 
Tawna Wickenden, Carole Matthews and me
I’ve never been a ‘lonely in a garret’ type and embraced the notion of networking with and learning from other writers early on. I joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme and formed the Leicestershire & Rutland Chapter – the Belmont Belles and Beaux – with June Kearns almost fifteen years ago. From a standing start we now have 63 members and as part of our ethos of being inclusive and sharing our experiences, we have organised and hosted a range of events including talks from:
- Bestselling authors: Carole Matthews, Cathy Bramley, Sue Moorcroft and Louise Jensen
- Workshops & writing groups
- Plus ‘sharing-knowledge’ events featuring invited book bloggers/agents & publishers and other publishing technicians.
The writer on the back row in the kingfisher blue cardigan is Sarah Houldcroft of Goldcrest Books who formats my books and uploads them on to Amazon.
Highly recommended.
Nearly ten years ago along with June, Adrienne and Mags I co-founded an indie publishing group – New Romantics Press. To date we have published a total of 15 books between us – many of which have won awards for romantic fiction.
Adrienne Vaughan, Mags Cullingford and June Kearns 
one of our first appearances as New Romantics Press 
Lizzie and Adrienne at Romance in the Court – May 2017 – ‘girls just wanna have fun’.
I’ve written and published six novels, with no 7 well underway. Of those, Scotch on the Rocks and Girl in the Castle have been shortlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize with Harper’s Highland Fling and Bootcamp Bride and Take Me, I’m Yours becoming #1 in their genre on the Amazon charts. I am very proud of my achievements and still think back to the heady days when I published Tall, Dark and Kilted and reflect how much publishing has changed since then.
I was a primary school teacher for 34 years and am happy that I’ve been given the chance to help others achieve their publishing dream. Once a teacher, always a teacher – right?
So, to conclude this blog pots, I’ve booked the train, bought the ticket and reserved a room for October 28th – the night of the ceremony. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see how I get on. In the meantime I’ve got a new novel to write, currently standing at 40:110k words. Is it set in Scotland / does it feature a new hot hero in a kilt? You bet it does.
Have a great weekend and enjoy reading my blog. Please leave a comment if you have time. It’s always refreshing and inspiring to hear from my followers. All the best –
Bloggy McBlogface #2 – Rosslyn Chapel and the Royal Yacht Britannia
This post is part #2 of our tour of Scotland this summer, from Edinburgh to Balnakeil in the north west corner of Scotland and back to Glasgow.
I’d always wanted to visit Rosslyn Chapel – and the Royal Yacht Britannia, and that’s exactly what we did.
I was intrigued to compare the actual chapel to the scenes from the movie – but was disappointed to discovered they only filmed the scene in the crypt there. So no cabalistic signs, Knights Templar or hidden symbols connecting the chapel to the Virgin Mary, but lots to see, otherwise. The chapel is full of the most amazing carvings, including a frieze of maize or Indian Corn surrounding a window. This was constructed fifty years before Columbus discovered America in 1492 – so, go figure, as they say.
(sadly, no internal photos so you’ll have to go to the website for those.) Here are my photos . . . click on each one for a description.
If you arrive before 11am you can join the FREE guided tour, which is well worth it. The guide said that the chapel was falling down around their ears and they prayed for a miracle. God sent them one in the shape of Dan Brown and the Da Vinci Code. Now the chapel is being preserved for posterity. Great cafe, too, in case you wondered.
The Royal Yacht Britannia – well worth the money
We spent a very happy three hours looking round the RY Britannia. With our headsets we explored the yacht at our own pace and you really do have ‘access to all areas’, including HM’s bedroom. Parking is free and the tour cost £13.50. Amazingly, the yacht is moored at the end of the Britannia Shopping Mall, Leith and, if at the end of your time you still have energy, there’s a great shopping centre there, too. Here are the pics . . . click on each one for a description. Of course, being us, the tour started in the restaurant where we had tea and scones (not silly prices, either).
tea and scones, anyone?
We spent a lot of time practising saying: The Leith Police dismisseth us, in order to prove we were sober, so we felt we’d earned our tea break.
We’ve spent many summer on the Isle of Wight and the ferry took us past the Royal Yacht moored off Cowes in the Solent. It was sad to see this grand old lady moored next to a shopping centre, IMHO, but at least we had a chance to look round which otherwise would have been denied to us. Of course, we were interested to see the bedroom and sitting rooms and they were all of show, along with boiler rooms etc.
Everything is very simple and pared back. Apparently, Her Maj rejected for the first set of plans for being ‘too grand’, she wanted a ‘country house interior’, and that’s what she got. As I was peering into Charles and Diana’s bedroom – the only one with a double bed, which Charles ordered specially for their honeymoon – the ladies behind me were quite vocal on their opinion of ‘how he done her wrong,’ even after all this time.
The yacht had to be functional as well as ceremonial and it had its own laundry, dentist’s surgery, operating theatre and sick bay. You can see why everything has to be ‘shipshape and Bristol fashion,’ can’t you?
The lone figure at the end of the pier is an Antony Gormley sculpture (creator of the Angel of the North et al) and was is life-like that, apparently, people keep ringing the police thinking someone’s about to throw himself into the Firth of Forth.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my second blog post and that you may be tempted to visit Edinburgh and East Lothian for yourself. Scotland is a fascinating, beautiful, mystical country and has something for everyone. Next time, we’ll travel across the Forth Road Bridge and head for Inverness, Culloden and the Black Isle. I hope you’ll travel with me. In the meantime, do check out my novels on Amazon and feel free to sign up for my newsletter.
I can’t leave Edinburgh without sharing the last four photographs taken by author Helen Barrell who took Tall, Dark and Kilted back to its roots in Scotland. Thanks Helen!
HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW AND HELP YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS
Authors know how difficult it is to build a following of loyal readers and to gently persuade those readers to review their book once they’ve read it. To help redress that, August 2016 has been decreed Write An Amazon Review Month! By @TerryTyler4 #AugustReviews and we’re going to do our bit to help.
On Monday 25th July, book blogger Rosie Amber wrote this post encouraging readers and writers alike to post a short review on Amazon for any book they’ve read and enjoyed ~ following this up, Terry Tyler is starting this initiative along with other writer-bloggers including Rosie, Cathy from Between The Lines, Barb Taub, Shelley Wilson and Alison Williams. The idea is that, from August 1st, everyone who reads this uses their Amazon account to post just one review on one book that they’ve read (but feel free to carry on if you get in the swing!). You don’t even have to have read it recently, it can be any book you’ve read, any time. The book does not have to have been purchased from Amazon, though if it is you get the ‘Verified Purchase’ tag on it; however, if you download all your books via Kindle Unlimited, as many do these days, they don’t show the VP tag, anyway.
Remember, this isn’t the Times Literary Supplement, it’s Amazon, where ordinary people go to choose their next £1.99 Kindle book
No one expects you to write a thousand word, in-depth critique; I don’t know about you, but I’m more likely to read one short paragraph or a couple of lines saying what an average reader thought of a book, than a long-winded essay about the pros and cons of the various literary techniques used. Yes, those are welcome too (!), but no more so than a few words saying “I loved this book, I was up reading it until 3am”, or “I loved Jim and Vivien and the dialogue was so realistic”, or whatever!
Why should you write a review?
- They help book buyers make decisions. Don’t you read the reviews on Trip Advisor before deciding on a hotel, or any site from which you might buy an item for practical use? Book reviews are no different
- If the book is by a self-published author, or published by an independent press, the writers have to do all their promotion and marketing themselves ~ reviews from the reading public is their one free helping hand
- The amount of reviews on Amazon helps a book’s visibility (allegedly). If you love a writer’s work and want others to do so, too, this is the best possible way of making this happen
- It’s your good deed for the day, and will only take five minutes
Off we go, then! A few more pointers:
- If you need any help with writing your review, do click on Rosie’s post, above.
- A review can be as short as one word. The shortest one I have is just two 🙂
- You don’t have to put your name to the review, as your Amazon ‘handle’ can be anything you like.
- No writer expects all their reviews to be 5* and say the book is the best thing ever written; there is a star rating guide on Rosie’s post.
Would you like to tell the Twittersphere about your review? If so, tweet the link to it with the hashtag #AugustReviews ~ and thank you! 
One last thing . . . if you haven’t read any of my books but like well-written romantic comedies with lots of sassy humour, great characters, fabulous locations and heroes to swoon over – give one of them a try. And don’t forget that review (!)
Bloggy McBlogface #1 – Edinburgh
My books had been working so hard to sell and promote themselves that I felt they needed a holiday. Where to go? Why – Bonnie Scotland – where else? After upgrading our caravan to one with a fixed bed, we set off for in June to tour Scotland, writing and finding inspiration for my next novel(s). Here are some interior shots of caravan #3 – no more making and unmaking the bed every morning before we could have breakfast.
Did I mention that the parrot came, too? Here he is, surveying his wide domain (thru the rain) and telling anyone who walked past us that they SHOULDN’T COME TOO CLOSE – this is Jasper’s house.
First stop – Auld Reekie – Edinburgh
We camped at Davidson’s Mains just outside Edinburgh and took the shuttle bus into Auld Reekie. I wanted to take a literary /historical tour of the city and notable writers and characters associated with it – Walter Scott, Ian Rankin, JK Rowling, Grey Friar’s Bobby . Sadly, the Elephant House was too busy and we couldn’t get in or add to the graffiti in the toilets (permitted) – next time maybe.
An Edinburgh ‘Close’ just off the Royal Mile – couldn’t you just imagine Inspector Rebus looking for clues to a murder in its narrow confines?
We spent quite some time exploring Greyfriars churchyard and stood on the spot where the Covenant was signed in 1638 as a protest against the rule of bishops. It’s a part of history which has largely been forgotten, however, you could easily spend half a morning looking round the church and the exhibition and absorbing the incredible atmosphere.
As you can see, the history of this incredible churchyard stretches back into the 16th century
Memorial to the original Covenanters and those who lost their lives fighting for their beliefs
Next, we walked the Royal Mile to a Clarinda’s Tearooms, (bit of a theme developing here!) a cafe recommended by Facebook friends/readers. Clarinda is buried in the nearby Canon Gate cemetery and is alleged to be the lover referred to in Burns’ Aye Fond Kiss.
One of the next sites we visited (oh, our aching feet) was the Mercat Cross on the Royal Mile. It is said that while the artillery was being prepared before the Battle of Flodden (1513), a demon called Plotcock read out the names of those who would be killed. Edinburgh is such an ancient city, it’s hard NOT to believe such stories when you’re there.
A view looking down the Royal Mile towards the Firth of Forth and Leith
My ‘snap’ of the St Giles Mercat Cross didn’t show up very well, but this one is close by
And finally – what of my books? Well, lovely author friend Helen Barrell (check out her debut novel via this link) went to Edinburgh earlier this year and took a copy of Tall, Dark and Kilted with her. Here are some of HER pics. If you’ve enjoyed following my adventures (with novels and parrot) watch out for Bloggy McBlogface #2 when I tell you all about touring the Royal Yacht Britannia and our visit to Rosslyn Chapel (the Da Vinci Code).
Lizzie Lamb - author 