Fake Friday With Jennifer Ash

Meet Mathilda: The Outlaw’s Ransom

Jennifer Ash

Many thanks for inviting me to your lovely blog to talk a little about my medieval mystery (with a hint of romance), The Outlaw’s Ransom- the first book of ‘The Folville Chronicles.’

Within The Outlaw’s Ransom, my fourteenth century protagonist is a nineteen year old woman called, Mathilda of Twyford. In the medieval period, nineteen was the age of a full grown woman. Most would be married and have children by that age. Mathilda however, is single, as she’s been looking after her father and brothers, running the home and the family pottery business since the death of her mother.

Her life changes abruptly when she is forced to get to know the notorious Folville family rather better than she would have liked. Suddenly, Mathilda finds herself surrounded by criminals and under a very frightening type of suspicion...

Blurb

When potter’s daughter Mathilda is kidnapped by the notorious Folville brothers as punishment for her father’s debts, she fears for her life. Although of noble birth, the Folvilles are infamous throughout the county for using crime to rule their lands—and for using any means necessary to deliver their distinctive brand of ‘justice’.

Mathilda must prove her worth to the Folvilles in order to win her freedom. To do so, she must go against her instincts and, disguised as the betrothed of Robert de Folville, undertake a mission that will send her to Bakewell in Derbyshire, and the home of Nicholas Coterel, one of the most villainous men in England.

With her life in the hands of more than one dangerous brigand, Mathilda must win the trust of the Folville’s housekeeper, Sarah, and Robert Folville himself if she has any chance of survival.

Never have the teachings gleaned from the tales of Robyn Hode been so useful…

***

Women in the fourteenth century had to be strong-willed, as well as physically fit, or they’d never have survived. Putting aside the obvious pressures and problems of childbirth, they ran family businesses alongside their men folk, kept the house, dealt with all the food and raised the children. In fact, it all sounds fairly familiar!

I’ve never been keen on the idea of writing weak characters; be they male or female. Such characters frequently fail to hold the interest of a reader, often frustrating you into wishing they’d just grasp the metaphorical nettle and get on with it- whatever, ‘it’ is.

In the case of The Outlaw’s Ransom, it was particularly important for me to have a determined, capable and intelligent female in the driving seat. I wanted Mathilda to not just survive within her enforced hostile environment, but to hold her own and show the Folville brothers that they were dealing with a feisty, clever, woman who could give as good as she got.

Here’s a little taster from when Mathilda – having just been hauled out of the Folville family cell – meets her keeper, Robert de Folville, for the first time.

Extract

...The Folville didn’t say anything else, but satisfied himself with watching Mathilda as she stood, half bowed, before him. She wasn’t shaking now. He’d noticed how hard she had fought within herself to still her external reactions to his news of her change in circumstance and had admired her self-control. It was almost as if she had an offended dignity about her rather than terror; an unusual reaction from a prisoner in the presence of a Folville.

He wondered if she’d been taught her letters. Most families didn’t waste their time teaching their womenfolk such things, but Mathilda of Twyford was clearly sharp and capable. With her mother gone, she’d run the household, and he imagined she did that job well. He saw that his family’s plan for this girl might work, but only if she kept that nerve. Otherwise… well, she wouldn’t be the first to die during his family’s quest to maintain their position.

Breaking the silence that had stretched out between them he said, ‘I recall you have questions for me. I can see your head jarring with them.’

‘If I may, my Lord?’

‘You may, although I should caution you, I may not choose to offer a reply.’

Mathilda licked her lips and ran her clammy palms down her grubby belted surcoat, which largely hid her brother’s leather hose, and flexed her numb bare toes.

‘Please, my Lord, who are you?’

This produced a bark of laughter, ‘You are well-mannered despite the indignity of being thrust, if only for a short while, into our cell. I am Robert de Folville, one of seven brothers of this manor.’

Mathilda curtsied, more out of natural impulse than any feelings of reverence towards this man, whom she knew for certain, had been party to at least one murder. ‘You are kin to my Lord Eustace, my Lord?’

‘Yes, girl, I am.’ He cocked his head to one side. ‘That worries you?’

‘He is a man I have been taught to fear, forgive my impudence, my Lord.’

He snorted. ‘I would rather have honest impudence than bluff and lies. So, you have been instructed by your father to be wary of us?’

‘Not only my father, sir.’ Abruptly worried that her boldness might place her family in more danger, Mathilda clamped her mouth shut. Seeing, however, that the Folville wasn’t cross, but had an expression of acceptance on his face, Mathilda braved a further question.

‘Where is my father, my Lord, and Matthew and Oswin, my brothers?’

Robert de Folville paused and, after a moment’s consideration, gestured for the servant boy to bring her a chair. Mathilda was glad to be allowed to sit down, but was puzzled at the equal status she was being afforded after her earlier abuse, as Folville sat next to her, leaning uncomfortably close to her slight, tense frame.

‘Your father and your brother Matthew are at home in Twyford working on ways to pay back your debt. I do not know Oswin’s whereabouts. I am, after all, only one of the younger brothers.’

Mathilda heard the bitterness in him and for the first time, she thought she understood something of this man. Robert de Folville would probably have made a good lord of the manor, but his lot was to be a minor son.

‘You will have heard of the death of Belers almost three years hence?’

‘Yes, my Lord.’ Mathilda spoke softly as she thought back to the day she’d heard first about the murder on Brokesby Field. It may not have happened right on their doorstep, but the frisson of fear the crime had engendered had been felt even in Twyford; such was their closeness to the Folvilles’ manor house; and the waves the crime had created were still leaving ripples these many months later.

He must have read her mind, for Robert slammed his hand against the table, making Mathilda jump. ‘Damn it all girl! Roger Belers was a tyrant! An oppressive, rapacious man who had become a scourge on our county! We did what needed to be done. Hode would have done no less!’

Mathilda said nothing. It was clear he meant exactly what he said. His brothers probably did as well. They evidently believed they were providing a public service. They took their fee for such deeds as wages, just as the sheriff did when he arrested a felon for the King.

Folville leant towards Mathilda earnestly. ‘Did your father ever sing you “The Outlaw’s Song of Trailbaston”, child?’

‘I’ve heard of it, my Lord, but no, I don’t know it as I know the Robyn Hode tunes.’

‘It contains much wisdom, Mathilda. I have no doubt that its great length influenced the author of the Hode stories.’ Robert lounged back in his seat, his arms stretched behind his neck as he began to quote a verse to his captive.

‘You who are indicted, I advise you, come to me,

To the green forest of Belregard, where there is no annoyance

But only the wild animal and the beautiful shade;

For the common law is too uncertain.

What do you say, child?’

Mathilda swallowed again. The ale she’d drunk earlier had been stronger than she was used to. Her head ached, and her throat felt sticky, giving her a thirst worse than before. ‘I believe there is wisdom within, my Lord. I have heard my elders say that the law is contradictory. If we truly have been abandoned by the law, perhaps you are correct to take matters into your own hands – within reason, my Lord.’

Mathilda flinched, expecting her host to strike out. She shouldn’t have said that last bit. Why couldn’t she ever keep her tongue in check? Her directness had always been frowned upon within her family, and now Mathilda was deeply regretting sharing her opinion honestly. She tensed, awaiting the call for a guard to come and throw her back into prison.

It did not come. Folville was peering at her quizzically, ‘You are a curious creature, Mathilda of Twyford. You must realise you have been used to pay off your father’s debts, but you ask nothing of your own future, only theirs. My reverend brother placed you in our cell, and you do not ask why, nor make complaint about your enclosure.’

Mathilda bit her tongue, not wanting to say the wrong thing, despite her desire for answers to the questions he’d posed.

‘Your father told Eustace and the rector that you were headstrong and determined when they collected you. As a result, Richard decreed a spell in our holding cell to soften you to our will.’ Robert snorted into his mug of ale. ‘He obviously never bothered to take the time to speak to you himself before he acted. A fact about my holy brother that astounds me not one jot.’

Mathilda stared hard at the floor. The glimmer of a first smile since her kidnap was trying to form at the corner of her mouth, and she felt guilty for its presence.

She could feel Robert’s blue eyes burning into the top of her bowed head. As he said, ‘Your father vouched to Eustace that you have qualities more suited to a man than to the gentler sex. It seems you are happier in the river or fields than the house and only run the home as it is your duty as a woman.’

Giving no reply, Mathilda was glad Robert wasn’t able to see her face, as she was unable to prevent the crimson blush of shame that came as she heard how her father had described her. Not only was she ashamed, she felt indignant. She’d worked ceaselessly to run the house, the remaining furlong and the orchard as successfully as her mother had done, even though it was a task she didn’t enjoy and frequently resented.

‘Well, Mathilda of Twyford, I will tell you what Eustace has demanded of your father...’

 

If that has whetted your appetite- then here are those all important buy links!

Kindle-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07B3TNRYN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519759895&sr=8-1&keywords=the+outlaw%27s+ransom

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B3TNRYN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519760741&sr=8-1&keywords=the+outlaw%27s+ransom

Paperback-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Outlaws-Ransom-Folville-Chronicles/dp/1999855264/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520007697&sr=1-2&keywords=the+outlaw%27s+ransom

https://www.amazon.com/Outlaws-Ransom-Folville-Chronicles/dp/1999855264/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520007771&sr=1-1&keywords=the+outlaw%27s+ransom

(Please note that if you have read Romancing Robin Hood by Jenny Kane and Jennifer Ash- then you will already be familiar with the story with The Outlaw’s Ransom)



Many thanks for inviting me to stop by today Teresa.


Happy reading,

Jennifer x

Bio

With a background in history and archaeology, Jennifer Ash should really be sat in a dusty university library translating Medieval Latin criminal records, and writing research documents that hardly anyone would want to read. Instead, tucked away in the South West of England, Jennifer writes stories of medieval crime, steeped in mystery, with a side order of romance.

Influenced by a lifelong love of Robin Hood and medieval ballad literature, Jennifer has written The Outlaw’s Ransom (Book One in The Folville Chronicles) – a short novel, which first saw the light of day within the novel Romancing Robin Hood (written under the name Jenny Kane; Pub. Littwitz Press, 2018).



Book Two of The Folville Chronicles - The Winter Outlaw - will be released in April 2018. (pub. LittwitzPress)



All of Jennifer and Jenny Kane’s news can be found at www.jennykane.co.uk

@JenAshHistory

@JennyKaneAuthor

Jennifer Ash https://www.facebook.com/jenniferashhistorical/

Jenny Kane https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011235488766

Fake Friday With Rachel Brimble

Today, I have Rachel Brimble on my blog talking about her latest book If I Want You. Rachel and I have known each other for a few years now, as she organises our RNA Chapters in Lacock. I always value her advice as a fellow author, she's so lovely! So let's get on with the interview! 

What was the inspiration behind the story of If I Want You?

I was watching a news piece where a missing little girl had been safely found and reunited with her parents. As a mum of two daughters, the story terrified and moved me. Very soon, my emotions and ‘what if’ questions came surging to the surface.

It wasn’t long before I knew I wanted to write a story about a missing little girl and how her disappearance was in some way connected to the heroine’s past. The rest followed quickly, and I absolutely loved writing this book.

If your book, If I Want You, was turned into a movie, who would you like to play the hero and heroine?

That’s an easy question for me! I start every book by trawling the internet for pics of my hero, heroine and villain (if I have one). Mark Bolton (the hero) would be played by Harry Tressler and Tori Peterson (the heroine) would be played by Darby Stanchfield.

Who is your favourite minor character in your book?

That would have to be Principal White – she is one of the suspects in the case, and I loved writing her scenes with both the hero and heroine. She turned out to be quite a complex character that I could give both serious and humourous scenes.

What's next on the horizon for Rachel Brimble?

My next release comes out in January 2018 – A Stranger In The Cove is the eighth and final instalment in my Harlequin Templeton Cove series (all the books can be read stand-alone). I had so much fun writing this book and although the series has come to an end, I will love the characters in the series forever. They mean the world to me.

As for works in progress, I currently have an Edwardian romance and a romantic suspense under publisher consideration as well as writing another historical. Busy, busy!

Blurb: 

When local journalist, Tori Peterson, fails to prevent a child abduction outside her niece’s school, her horror and guilt sparks a vow to do whatever it takes to get little Abby Brady home to her parents.

While Tori battles the vile memories of her own kidnapping as a child, she accepts the help of widowed father, Mark Bolton. As he and Tori join forces with the local police, their attraction and intimacy grows…along with their fears for Abby.

Links are uncovered between Abby’s disappearance and Tori’s kidnapping, and Tori is forced to accept the monster who held her captive is back. But this time, Tori is all grown up, and there is no way she will let him hurt another little girl.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.eu/190CYmx
Amazon US: http://a.co/c5O5R7s
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/if-i-want-you-rachel-brimble/1127157672?ean=2940158911118
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/if-i-want-you

Bio: 

Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. Since 2013, she has had seven books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and an eighth coming in Jan 2018. She also has four Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical Press.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!

Links:

Website

Blog

Twitter

Facebook

Facebook Street Team - Rachel's Readers

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Brimble/e/B007829ZRM/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1490948101&sr=8-1

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1806411.Rachel_Brimble

Fake Friday With Sonja Price

Hello! I hope you've all recovered from the bank holiday weekend, and the sunny weather that finally arrived. Today I have the lovely Sonja Price on my blog. Sonja and I met at our RNA chapter meetings in Lacock, and she's here to talk a bit about herself and her writing. 

Sonja, did you manage to get the first book you wrote published, or is it tucked in a drawer somewhere?

THE GIANTS LOOK DOWN was the first one I sent in, but I have got another story languishing somewhere in a drawer. It’s part of a process so many authors go through. Writing a book is a learning curve which may lead to you holding back if the finished product just hasn’t got that special something. My heart goes ou though to the many writers who don’t have the confidence to try to get their stories published. They get put off by their first couple of rejections and never try again.

This is my Twitter style question: Describe your hero in 140 characters.

Tall with wavy dark auburn hair, Alastair is a Scottish student of architecture and an aspiring writer, who loves jazz music

My other Twitter style question: Describe your heroine in 140 characters.

Feisty but quiet, Jaya battles against the odds to try to become a doctor in the patriarchal society of 1960s Kashmir.

What do you read while you write, or don’t you?

Almost anything. What you read accumulates and morphs in your subconscious, and can be as inspiring as any real life experience. On the downside it can influence your writing to such an extent that a crime writer I know avoids reading anything too similar when she has a deadline for fear of it influencing her style. Deadlines aside, I read all kinds of books, good and bad (but always entertaining), because I think they can stimulate and improve your style. Knowing what doesn’t work is as important as knowing what does.

Do you have a favourite author?

Too difficult to choose but I do love Iris Murdoch, A S Byatt and Margaret Atwood

What do you do with a paperback once you’ve read it?

Books are like friends. When I see them sitting on my shelf, I immediately feel at home, especially if I’ve just moved house, which has happened twice recently. If I really enjoy one, I’ll keep it, paperback or not, but if it was a holiday read then I’ll pass it on- to a friend or the charity shop.

What’s the best bit of writing advice you’ve ever received or read?

Jim Crace once told me not to write a travel report if I’m describing a location I’ve never been to but to make it seem totally familiar. This led to my heroine who grew up in the Vale of Kashmir talking of the view from her bedroom window where the moonlight would create an old lady’s face when it played on the mountainside.

What advice would you give to new writers?

Never give up. It’s often the difference between a published and an unpublished writer

What things inspire you to write? Location, music, film or even in a book?

Well in the case of THE GIANTS LOOK DOWN it was location. My imagination was ignited by a report on the car radio of the Great Earthquake in Kashmir of 2005. I discovered that the Vale of Kashmir is breathtakingly beautiful with majestic snow-covered mountain ranges cradling a valley lush in sycamore woods and fields of saffron interspersed with a pearl necklace of lakes. I thought this would make a spectacular setting for a story and it did!

What is next on your agenda after publishing your (first) book?

My new novel is about a widow’s quest to solve the mystery surrounding her husband’s death in the Canadian Wilds. Just like in THE GIANTS LOOK DOWN my story inevitably contains an innate conflict, the construction of an oil pipeline across the sacred burial sites of Native American territory, and of course a romance.

Are you nervous about friends reading your book?

Not when it’s finished but I rarely show them a draft. Someone once told me never to show your work in progress to anyone you’d eat Christmas dinner with, because they’re never likely to give you an honest answer!

Do you love or hate Facebook?

Most of the time I love it! It helps me keep in contact with friends abroad and keeps me up to date with fellow writers. It also makes me laugh a great deal. As with most things you just have to apply common sense. If you post something controversial, you have to expect responses you disagree with.

Dogs or cats?

I love both! I have a black lab/springer spaniel mix, who is an absolute joy but wrote my debut novel with a cat on my lap. Sadly I lost her but am sorely tempted to get another.

Thanks so much for a fantastic interview! Good luck with the book, Sonja. And we'll catch up soon at the next RNA chapter!


Author Bio: Sonja’s short stories appeared in Stories For Homes, the Shelter Anthology of Short Stories and In these Tangles, Beauty Lies, an anthology in aid of the Beanstalk Trust for children with reading difficulties, before her first novel The Giants Look Down came out in 2016. Longlisted for the Mslexia First Novel Competition, it also made her a finalist for the Joan Hessayon Award. Born in Bristol, Sonja studied at the University of East Anglia. She completed a PhD in English Literature and teaches English at Jena University in Germany. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.


Blurb: At the age of 10, Jaya Vaidya decides to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a doctor, much to the chagrin of her mother and the patriarchal community of Kashmir in the 1960s. When disaster strikes, Jaya is faced with obstacles as insurmountable as the Himalayas. Just how far will she go to achieve her dream and will she have to walk away from love? Published by Robert Hale, 2016

Excerpt: Soft moaning sounds, like the ones my Granny made in her sleep, were coming from the house. The moans turned into cries of pain and the dog pulled away. Why wasn’t Pa doing anything about it? That was why we were here. Even with my hands over my ears I could still hear the woman. On and on it went. The man started shouting and the dog collapsed on the ground with a sigh. The woman’s cries reminded me of a Tibetan fox caught in a trap up in the forests around Lake Gangabal. Kaliq had to shoot it as the iron teeth had bitten clean through its back leg.

Silence. Even worse! Only swallows swooping overhead as the entire valley held its breath. Shattered by the cries of a baby and a jubilant ‘A boy!’ Brahma be praised, it was over. We could go home.

The dreadful screaming recommenced. Perhaps Pa had done something to her. I had to see what was going on. Like a snow leopard stalking a deer, I crept into the house, which was only slightly larger than our woodshed. It reeked of animal hide and smoke. My eyes took a moment to get used to the gloom. I could make out two rooms: a kitchen and another one where the woman lay. Our house was all sunny rooms and places where I could be by myself. I edged my way towards the grown-ups, towards the man with the bundle in his arms and Pa tending the woman, still writhing in agony.

She was so young. Why was the old man putting her through this? She could have been his granddaughter. Why choose a girl, in a place where so many women had been widowed by the troubles? Cast out by their families with children in tow. They would have been happy to have a husband, any husband. But this poor girl. It made me sick. I wasn’t going to have a baby, ever. She screamed and screamed and then I caught a glimpse of something round between her blood-smeared legs. Not another one! Pa eased out a head, then a shoulder and then the rest before the woman fell back onto the messy covers.

Limp, lifeless and smeary-white, it looked more like a skinned rabbit than a real baby. Pa tried to rub it to life but the woman was not moving either. He looked to the man for help but he merely shrugged his shoulders as if to say why bother with a girl? Pa laid the baby carefully in the cot by the fire, turned to the woman and drew up a syringe.

I ran around the bed and picked the baby up. I couldn’t believe how small she was. Tiny hands and feet just like my dolly. Only she was warm. The boy was crying for all he was worth, loud screeches that you’d never believe could come from someone so little. He was rosy and angry, and she was pale, almost white. Shiva! I wanted to shout. She was slipping away before she had even arrived. Pa was doing everything he could for the woman and there was no point in talking to the man if he wouldn’t even listen to Pa. I rubbed her like Pa had done before he put her down but she was growing colder and colder.

I stared into the flames and then my eyes rested on the one set of baby’s clothes laid out in front of the fireplace. It wasn’t fair! Why should she have to die? A ragdoll nobody wanted to play with. No! I wouldn’t allow this to happen. What had the herdsman done to the newborn yak? I bent and blew into her tiny mouth. Her cheeks soft and cool like goat’s cheese. No reaction. I blew more strongly into her. Nothing.

Tears pricked my eyes. I couldn’t help her. There was absolutely nothing I could do. Stupid of me to think I could make a difference. All I wanted to do was run outside. I went to kiss her goodbye but instead found myself trying one last time. The baby’s lips puckered; her face screwed up. She turned a deep red before letting out the most wonderful cry I had ever heard. The woman opened her eyes. Tears ran down her face as she reached out for her little girl. Pa looked from the baby to me and smiled.

Half an hour later we climbed back into the car, ‘When I’m big Pa, I want to be a doctor just like you!’

He stroked my head and switched the radio back on.


Contact Details:

Website: sonja-price.com

Twitter: @PriceSonja

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonjapriceauthor/

You can buy THE GIANTS LOOK DOWN on Amazon

Fake Friday With Lisa Hill #TuesNews

Today I have the lovely author Lisa Hill on my blog. Her debut novel, Meet Me at Number Five is published by Choc Lit on the 20th June 2017. 

Lisa and I first met, way back in 2011 at the RNA Conference as wannabe authors and have been friends since. We have quite a lot in common, especially both being mothers to boys. (Lisa has three, I stuck at two). 

I am thrilled to have Lisa on my blog as a published author! And I can't wait to read her book. 

Hello Lisa. Tell me, which of your characters is your favourite, and why?

So, Meet Me at Number Five is about heroine, Grace, who is desperate to have a baby but four days before she is due to start her first round of IVF her husband, Charlie, announces he’s got another woman pregnant and also heroine, Hennie, who is Grace’s cousin and is a single mum who has renounced men because all the hot ones take one look at the children and look away and those who aren’t frightened off by the children are dull. Hennie lives with Grace and Hennie’s Nana, Clara, who is the matriarch of the family; a septuagenarian racehorse owner who likes to live the high life. Clara is by far my favourite character; she is glamourous, forthright, kind and loves to be the puppeteer and meddle in everyone’s affairs (nothing like me, of course).

Did you manage to get the first book you wrote published, or is it tucked in a drawer somewhere?

No, the first book I ever wrote was called Meant to Be. I was a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme and it received a fantastic critique report but after going on a writing retreat with Julie Cohen I could see why it didn’t work so I rewrote it entirely and entitled it Heart in the Right Place. It’s set in Yorkshire and is about a heroine called Lottie who is the daughter-in-law in a family of estate agents and is desperate to have more than a part-time role whilst looking after her three kids. When the famous period drama actor, Tom Thorpe, arrives on the scene and offers Lottie the opportunity to act as a Relocation Agent for celebrity friends of his, it drives a big wedge between Lottie and her husband Drew and they go on a journey to overcome their differences. Heart was shortlisted in the 2015 Choc Lit Search for a Star competition and, having edited it some more, is currently under review with Choc Lit again so hopefully my original heroine, Lottie, will have her time in the limelight very soon.

Do you have a favourite author?

Yes and she knows how much I love her! I started reading Jill Mansell when I finished my A-Levels in 1998 and pretty much spent the entire summer reading her back catalogue. I think she is an inspiring author; I love her ability to make her stories about some quite serious subjects but with a light hearted tone too. She’s extremely talented. My favourite novel is Head Over Heels and it eventually inspired me to try and write a novel of my own.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee! I never drink tea; if you cut me open I swear caffeine would spurt forward!

I think this is why we get on so well. Our love for coffee! 

Starbucks or Costa?

Not fussy, especially if someone else is paying ;) Cappuccino every time which is a bit strange seeing I only every drink black coffee at home.

Thanks so much, Lisa, for popping over to my blog. Congratulations with the publication of your debut novel and good luck with the sales and reviews! 

Author Bio:

Lisa grew up in the village of Bussage, near Stroud, in the Cotswolds until she returned to Cheltenham as a teenager. She is married to her very own hero, Matt, and has three sons, Hamish, Archie and Laurence. Her first encounter of a romance author was chats over the garden wall between her father, Godfrey, and Mrs Cooper from the neighbouring village of Bisley. It came as quite a surprise in later life to find that Mrs Cooper was in fact Jilly Cooper! Lisa’s writing inspiration now comes from other Cotswolds authors including Jill Mansell and Katie Fforde.

Lisa writes contemporary romance with a light-hearted tone. What interests her most is people, their interactions, emotions and relationships. It’s probably why her career to date has been based in property; she confesses herself that she is ‘naturally curious’.

When she’s not busy writing, helping Matt run his electrical empire, or being her sons’ taxi service Lisa enjoys running with her gun dog, Sparky. They are both currently training for the Stroud half-marathon although Sparky’s motivation lies much more in chasing bunny rabbits.

Lisa is a graduate of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme and attributes this supportive and informative scheme to her winning the Choc Lit Search for a Star competition 2016 with her debut novel, Meet Me at Number Five.

Blurb:

What if finding happiness was a race against time?

Grace Cavendish knows a thing or two about horses – but what she doesn’t know is that her husband, top horse racing trainer Charlie Carrisbrook, is having a literal ‘roll in the hay’ right under her nose.

When the painful truth is revealed Grace has no choice but to move in with her highly-strung grandmother Clara and cousin Hennie; a single mum who has renounced men (at least that’s what she says!)

Determined to start again, Grace takes a job at the local restaurant, Number Five. And whilst serving up coffee and cake is a far cry from the stables, she enjoys it – especially as she gets to work alongside the rather scrumptious Sam Whittaker.

But the past is racing to catch up with Grace. Can her life still be a romp to victory or will a devastating secret stop her dead in her tracks?

Amazon UK: goo.gl/xc4Dxd
Amazon: goo.gl/cnirgC
Kobo: goo.gl/XHd8dC
iBooks: goo.gl/16tMWo
Choc Lit: goo.gl/FYD8kF

Author Links:

Twitter: @lisahillie
Facebook: goo.gl/bcjhE1
Website: www.lisahillwriter.wordpress.com

Fake Friday with Jenny Kane

It's been a while for my Fake Friday feature, but today I have Jenny Kane on my blog. Jenny and I get to meet up - not as often as we'd like - at our RNA Chapter meeting in Lacock. I feature on Jenny's blog a little while ago... and I wanted to return the favour. 

And so, over to Jenny...

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

No - I wanted to be an archaeologist- and I was! I didn't find out I wanted to be a writer until I was 33 years old - it happened by accident over a coffee and a Mars Bar scone…

Did you manage to get the first book you wrote published, or is it tucked in a drawer somewhere?

I did - but it took 13 years to happen! The first book I wrote, Another Cup of Coffee, was published in 2013 - 10 years after I’d had over 100 other stories, long and short, published (under the name Kay Jaybee). I simply didn’t think Another Cup of Coffee was good enough at first. It took me all that time to get it just right.

My Twitter style question: Describe your hero in 140 characters.

Rugged Cornish decorator, Max Pendale, is determined never to take a chance on love again, until he meets Abi…

My Twitter style question: Describe your heroine in 140 characters.

Young widow, petite brunette children’s illustrator, Abi Carter, is on the run from an unhappy life. A fresh start in sunny Cornwall is calling her.

What do you read while you write, or don’t you?

I tend to read genres that are opposite to those I write. Although I do sometimes read romance, I wouldn't read it while I was writing one of my own. I would be afraid the book I was reading would influence the plot I was writing.

What do you do with a paperback once you’ve read it?

I keep them. I can never bear to part with a book, even if I haven’t enjoyed it. My bookshelves couldn't be more crammed if I tried.

What’s the best bit of writing advice you’ve ever received or read?

To keep a list of all the words and phrases I tend to overuse, so that when I have finished a novel draft, I can go through the whole thing and check I haven’t been excessive with those words. For example, I am a horror for having the words ‘slightly’, ‘long’ and ‘little’ in my manuscripts too often.

What is next on your agenda after publishing your book?

Now that Abi’s House is published, I am working on adding the finishing touches to the draft of my next novel, Another Glass of Champagne. This is the fourth in my Another Cup of… series, which follows on from Another Cup of Coffee (novel), Another Cup of Christmas (novella), and Christmas in the Cotswolds (novella). This new novel will be out in early 2016.

How would your best friend describe you in 140 characters? (Another Twitter question). 

I asked one of my friends - and she said:

A work obsessed, underpaid, coffee drinking, pen wielding, novel writing, kink thinking, word loving, secretly shy person.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee - always black! I write a coffee shop blog called Have Americano and Pen…Will Travel – so I’ve sampled a lot of different black coffee’s in a huge number of café’s and coffee houses.

Starbucks or Costa?

No question - it has to be Costa. My local one even has a plaque over my usual table I write in there so often!

Chocolate or ice cream?

Chocolate.

Dogs or cats?

Dogs.

Thanks for some fab answers, Jenny, but I'm trying to do the maths and I thought you were a lot younger... lol! 

Blurb for Abi’s House:

Newly widowed at barely thirty, Abi Carter is desperate to escape the Stepford Wives lifestyle that her late husband was so keen for her to live. Abi decides to fulfil a lifelong dream. As a child on holiday in a Cornwall she fell in love with a cottage – the prophetically named Abbey’s House. Now she is going to see if she can find the place again, relive the happy memories … maybe even buy a place of her own nearby.

On impulse Abi sets off to Cornwall, where a chance meeting in a village pub brings new friends Beth and Max into her life. Beth, like Abi, has a life-changing decision to make. Max helps Abi track down the house of her dreams … but things aren’t quite that simple. There’s the complicated life Abi left behind, including her brother-in-law Simon – a man with more than friendship on his mind … Will Abi’s house remain a dream, or will the bricks and mortar become a reality?

Buy links

http://www.accentpress.co.uk/Book/12915/Abis-House

Amazon Kindle

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abis-House-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B00UVPPWO8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1426711175&sr=1-1&keywords=Abi%27s+House+Jenny+Kane


http://www.amazon.com/Abis-House-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B00UVPPWO8/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426711253&sr=1-2&keywords=Abi%27s+House+Jenny+Kane


Amazon Paperback

http://www.amazon.com/Abis-House-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783753285/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426711253&sr=1-1&keywords=Abi%27s+House+Jenny+Kane

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abis-House-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783753285/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426711343&sr=1-1&keywords=Abi%27s+House+Jenny+Kane

About Jenny Kane

With a background in history and archaeology, Jenny Kane should really be sat in a dusty university library translating Medieval Latin criminal records, before writing research documents that hardly anyone would want to read. Instead, tucked away in the South West of England, Jenny Kane writes stories with one hand, while working for a Distance Learning Company with the other.

Jenny spends a large part of her time in the local coffee shops, where she creates her stories, including the novels Abi’s House (Accent Press, June 2015), Romancing Robin Hood (Accent Press, 2014), the best selling contemporary romance Another Cup of Coffee (Accent Press, 2013), and the novella length sequels Another Cup of Christmas (Accent Press, 2013) and Christmas in the Cotswolds, (Accent Press, 2014)

Jenny’s next full length novel, Another Glass of Champagne, (Part 4 of the Another Cup of... series), will be published by Accent Press in 2016.

Jenny Kane is also the author of quirky children’s picture books There’s a Cow in the Flat (Hushpuppy, 2014) and Ben’s Biscuit Tin (Coming soon from Hushpuppy)

Keep your eye on Jenny’s blog at www.jennykane.co.uk for more details.

Twitter- @JennyKaneAuthor

Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/JennyKaneRomance?ref=hl  

Jenny Kane also writes erotica as Kay Jaybee. (www.kayjaybee.me.uk)

Fake Friday with Rhoda Baxter

Kids are back to school, and we're already wishing is it Friday yet? Therefore I have  real treat today for Fake Friday!

I am thrilled to have Choc-Lit author, Rhoda Baxter on my blog today talking about writing and her latest book, Doctor January. 

Hi, Rhoda, have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes. I also wanted to be over 5ft tall and an astronaut. I didn’t manage those other two.

Did you manage to get the first book you wrote published, or is it tucked in a drawer somewhere?

My first book was too long and too wordy and I really was trying hard to be writerly, which made it not very reader-friendly. I have it on my computer still, along with revisions which are much, much shorter than the original. One day I’ll edit it into shape. Until then, it’ll be there to remind me how far I’ve come.

What’s so special about your hero that makes your heroine fall in love with him?

Hibs from Doctor January – he was her friend first. He’s kind and considerate and clever. He makes her feel safe and he’s very supportive of her decisions (a lot of people in Beth’s life have not been). Notice I’ve not mentioned that he’s handsome. He is, but Beth has learned the hard way that handsome isn’t everything.

Why do you like writing romance?

I love that first kiss feeling. You know the one, when you’re watching a film (I ‘see’ what I write like a film, hence the example) and the two main characters look into each other’s eyes and you feel the excitement anticipation of their first kiss. That feeling. I can’t go around falling in love with random men all the time – I have a husband and, besides, who has that TIME for all that chasing around – so I just make up people who do it for me.

What do you do with a paperback once you’ve read it? 

I rarely read paperbacks now. I read on my Kindle. If I do buy a paperback, it’s usually a keeper. I have been known to read a kindle book, then go out and buy hardcopy to keep. If I do have a paperback I don’t want to keep, I tend to donate it to the local library.

What’s the best bit of writing advice you’ve ever received or read?
Write something you’ll enjoy. My first book (see above) was very worthy and I was trying too hard to be literary. When I let go and started to write a book with jokes in, I felt so much better. I also had more fun writing it, which shows. So don’t write what you feel you should be writing. Write what you want to write. In other words, have fun.

Are you nervous about friends reading your book? 

No. But I worry about my mum reading them. Which is why there aren’t any graphic sex scenes.

Cocktail or shot? Cocktail please. I really don’t want to be shot.

Tea or coffee? Tea. I only have coffee I want to feel hyper.

Chocolate or ice cream? What? It’s a choice?? Oh, okay. Chocolate. Or chocolate ice cream if that’s on offer.

Dogs or cats? Dogs. Awwww.

Thanks so much, Rhoda for taking the time to come on my blog! 

Author Bio

Rhoda Baxter always wanted to be a writer, but her parents told her she needed to get a ‘real’ job and write in her spare time. So she became a scientist and works in Intellectual Property. She now writes contemporary romantic comedies in whatever spare time she can fit around her day job and her family. Which means her parents were right all along. How irritating

Her latest novel, Doctor January is published by Choc Lit.

Rhoda can be found wittering on about science, comedy and cake on her website www.rhodabaxter.com, Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/rhoda.baxter.5), Google+ or on Twitter (@rhodabaxter). Please pop by and say hello.

Blurb for Doctor January:

If you keep looking back, you might miss what’s standing right in front of you …

Six months after a painful break-up from Gordon, Beth’s finally getting her life back on track. She has faith in her own scientific theories and is willing to work hard to prove them. She’s even beginning to see Hibs, her dedicated lab partner, as more than just a lousy lothario in a lab-coat and goggles.

So when Gordon arrives back from America without warning and expects to be welcomed back into Beth’s arms, she’s totally thrown. She also quickly begins to see that Gordon isn’t the man she thought he was … Hibs has always held a candle for Beth, but he can only wait so long for her to realise there’s more to life than being patronised and bullied by the one who’s meant to love and protect her.

Will Beth forsee the explosive nature beneath Gordon’s placid surface before he destroys everything she’s worked for, both inside and outside the lab?

Fake Friday with Debbie Johnson

Today I have Debbie Johnson, fellow HarperImpulse author talking about her new book 'Cold Feet At Christmas' which was published 6th November and writing.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes! From being very small – I had a slightly crazy childhood, and reading, then writing, was the best possible form of escape. I was always telling stories – first about puppies, then about men I fancied as a teenager, then about many other things as I (technically) grew up! I worked as a journalist for a long time though, which was an awesome job – so much fun, really hard work but such a blast, great social life (for that, read: going to the pub!). Partly the style of writing you use as a journalist, and partly that great social life, meant that writing fiction was put on hold for over a decade. It was only when I left the industry I was able to tap into that part of my brain again.

Did you manage to get the first book you wrote published, or is it tucked in a drawer somewhere?

Long, torturous story…I’ve written 6 books. One – an urban fantasy called Dark Vision – was published in spring, with the sequel out in March 2015. This book for HarperImpulse – Cold Feet At Christmas – and another for them. Plus two that have yet to see the light of published day, despite them being the first two I ever wrote, and despite one of them winning a big competition (the Harry Bowling Prize). Irons are in fires, however. I write fantasy, and romance, and crime, and am considering a Western or a spy novel to complete my set!

What’s so special about your heroine that makes your hero fall in love with her?

Leah, the heroine, is incredibly special. In fact, I’m kind of in love with her myself! She has had some truly crappy situations to deal with in life – the death of her parents, finding out her hubbie was cheating on her with the bridesmaid on the day of her wedding, falling for our hero and seeing her whole world fall apart as a result…but she always, always, stays bright. Optimistic. Sees the funny side, and celebrates her glass being half full. I wish I was more like her! She’s also incredibly loyal, lusty, caring and foul-mouthed. All qualities I admire in a woman!

What do you read while you write, or don’t you?

I read all the time, and the mix is ridiculous – I love crime fiction, dystopian, fantasy, espionage, horror, romance. But I do try to avoid reading a genre which I am at that time writing in – it only results in author envy where you see other writers doing it so much better than you feel you are!

What do you do with a paperback once you’ve read it?

My house is a book avalanche waiting to happen. They are piled up everywhere. I think I may have lost one of my kids behind my Charlaine Harris collection, in fact! So, new policy I try and stick to – if it’s a book I really love, or an author I really love, I find a space for it. If not, it gets taken to the charity shop or passed on to a friend. It’s always hard to part with them though…

What’s the best bit of writing advice you’ve ever received or read? 

To put your first draft away in a drawer (or the electronic version) for a couple of weeks after you’ve written. Your eyes really do see different things once you’ve taken a break from it! Also, re: edits – this is always a hard part of the job, but if you are even THINKING your book could possibly live without a scene, then cut it!

What things inspire you to write? Location, music, film or even in a book?

Location, very much so. Liverpool is wonderful for that – the waterfront, the coastline, the culture, the architecture, the characters you see! I travelled to New York last year to ‘research’ my second fantasy novel, Dark Touch, which is partly set there. And straight after a holiday to Cornwall, I wrote my second HarpreImpulse romance.I’m like an atmosphere junkie: I soak everything I see and hear and smell and feel, like a human-shaped sponge! I was also a pop writer on my local paper for 10 years, so music is important.

How would your best friend describe you in 140 characters? 

‘Funny, loyal, hard working, and often drunk!’

Do I need to check if that's 140 characters? Sounds just like me :) Thanks for visiting my blog and good luck with your book, Debbie. It sounds fun! 

Cold Feet At Christmas Blurb:

Running out on your wedding shouldn’t be this much fun!

A remote Scottish castle on a snowy Christmas Eve. A handsome husband-to-be. A dress to die for. It should have been the happiest day of Leah Harvey’s life – but the fairytale wedding turns sour when she finds her fiancé halfway up the bridesmaid’s skirt just hours before the ceremony!

Fleeing the scene in a blizzard, Leah ends up stranded at the nearest cottage, where she collapses into the arms of its inhabitant – a man so handsome she thinks she must have died and gone to heaven!

And when Rob Cavelli suddenly finds himself with an armful of soaking wet, freezing cold, and absolutely gorgeous bride on the run, he’s more than happy to welcome her into his snowbound cottage this Christmas…

About Debbie Johnson:

After spending many years working as a journalist, I decided to stop telling other people’s stories, and start making up my own! I work from home in a very messy house near the beach, and write in between pouring bowls of Coco Pops for my three children and my dog (only kidding – he prefers Frosties!). I’m married to a man who is both a librarian and a musician – the perfect combination – and love to write pure, escapist fun. As well as romance, I’m also a published author in fantasy, and am working hard on crime as well. Or writing about it, at least.

I am on www.debbiejohnsonauthor.com and www.facebook.com/debbiejohnsonauthor and @debbiemjohnson

Fake Friday with Angela Campbell

Oh, look, I've got fellow Harper Impulse author, Angela Campbell, on my blog, talking about writing and her new book, Spirited Away. Let's get to the questions! 

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. In elementary school, I would write stories and act them out with stuffed animals.

Did you manage to get the first book you wrote published, or is it tucked in a drawer somewhere?

It is tucked away somewhere, and I don’t even know where it is. Pretty sure it was garbage.

My Twitter style question: Describe your hero in 140 characters.

Dark. Mysterious. A total hottie who is only too happy to help his enticing new neighbor when she gets in trouble. Has ulterior motives.

My Twitter style question: Describe your heroine in 140 characters.

Borrowing from a reviewer (Chicks That Read): A tech geek. Give her a computer and she has the confidence of Naomi Campbell, but when the boss asks her to pet and housesit chaos ensues.

Why do you like writing romance?

It’s the only genre where a happy ending is pretty much guaranteed, and real life has too many sad endings. I’d rather write and read about happily ever afters.

Which of your characters is your favourite, and why?

I am fond of them all, but Spider is my favorite character so far. She’s so darn funny! We could totally be best friends.

What do you read while you write, or don’t you?

I read whatever I can fit into my schedule, which isn’t much. It’s always something in romance. When I’m writing, it takes most of my free time.

Do you have a favourite author?

No. I can’t pick just one!

What do you do with a paperback once you’ve read it?

I keep it! I absolutely cannot throw a book away, and it pains me to give it away. Occasionally I’ve exchanged them for different ones, but only if I didn’t particularly like the book. I have hundreds, maybe thousands of books in storage.

What advice would you give to new writers?

Everyone gets discouraged. EVERYONE. Determination and persistence are assets you will absolutely need to succeed in publishing.

Are you nervous about friends reading your book?

Yes. I have a very difficult time telling anyone I know that I’m published.

Cocktail or shot? 

If so, what one? Neither. I don’t drink alcohol. True story.

Tea or coffee? 

Tea!

Chocolate or ice cream? 

Chocolate.

Dogs or cats? 

Both!

BLURB:

Book 3 in the brilliantly witty ‘Psychic Detective’ series from Angela Campbell – perfect for fans of the Sookie Stackhouse & Stephanie Plum books!

Who knew pet-sitting could be so dangerous…or so sexy?!

Socially awkward Emma “Spider” Fisher prefers her laptop to people, so she’s more than happy to oblige her boss when he asks her to pet- and housesit while he honeymoons in London.

But it doesn’t take long for accident-prone Spider to lose a dog, get locked out of the house, and set off the house alarm!

Thankfully, her hot new neighbour is more than happy to come to her rescue. But Noah West is a mystery to Spider—and one she intends to solve.

AUTHOR BIO:

Angela Campbell read her first romance novel at 16 and immediately attempted to write one, too. Many attempts (and a couple of decades) later, she finally published her first novel. A mild-mannered newspaper reporter with more than 15 years experience as a general assignment reporter, features editor and graphic designer, she has also worked as a production assistant in TV and film. Learn more about her books at www.angelacampbellonline.com.

BUY LINK:

http://smarturl.it/campbellspirited

Fake Friday with Samantha Birch

I know I haven't had a guest in ages, and I'm delighted to have fellow Harper Impulse author, Samantha Birch for my Fake Friday slot!

I send over a huge questionnaire, and tell my guests that they don't have to answer them all! Just pick and choose. Samantha was concerned her answers were too long! However, I've let this one run, as she's given some fab answers.

So I'll hand over to Samantha...

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes, ever since I was little—my mum says I picked up a pen when I was three and I haven’t stopped since! I tried acting for a long time too—I trained as an actress from ages 13 to 18, and acted right up until I was 21—but there came a point where I had to make a choice. I chose writing for all sorts of reasons. Not being funny, but I feel like it’s a part of me: I’m that annoying person who twitches when they see apostrophes in the wrong place on restaurant menus—I can’t help it! Writing is how I’ve always expressed myself best, and when I was younger I used it to escape from the world and get the way I felt down on the page, or even just to fantasise about having a more eventful love life! Now I do it for the sheer love of it: I feel like it’s something I can be confident I’m good at, and I hope I can use it to help other people take some time out when real life gets a bit much—give them somewhere fun to be, and somewhere with a lot of hope.

Did you manage to get the first book you wrote published, or is it tucked in a drawer somewhere?

The first full-length book I ever wrote—80,000 words—is buried in a box at the bottom of our storage cupboard! I sent it out to one publisher, got rejected and gave up. It wasn’t so much about the rejection as it was about the fact I didn’t believe in the book anymore. Don’t get me wrong, it was really important that I wrote it—without it I wouldn’t have felt capable of writing The High-Street Bride’s Guide or the fiction I’m working on now—but it was something I wrote between the ages of 16 and 18, and when I got to the end it showed. Big-time. It was like a teenage fantasy of life and it would have taken a major overhaul to kick it into any kind of publishable shape. I just wasn’t interested in telling that story anymore—I wanted to do something different, but I didn’t know what that was yet.

What do you do with a paperback once you’ve read it?

I know I should do something meaningful with it—pass it on to a friend, give it to a charity shop—but honestly I put it on my bookshelf and admire it until I feel like reading it again! I don’t think that’s so bad—at least if I’m recommending it to my friends and not giving it to them it’s one more sale for the struggling writer!

What advice would you give to new writers?

Trust yourself, and enjoy yourself. Trusting your judgement can be the hardest thing to do when you’re so close to something, but you have to or you’ll never finish the book. If you feel in your heart of hearts that it’s funny, chances are you won’t be the only one. If it moves you, it’s likely to move the reader. But you have to listen to yourself, to write the book you want to read, and not write what you think is popular or what you think the reader wants to hear. That’s not to say you shouldn’t ask people to read it and give you feedback, just that you don’t always have to agree with all that feedback. The only tool you have to make your book stand out from all the other ones on the shelves is your own personality—you and your originality—and the only way to get that is to listen to your gut. So stop criticising yourself, watch, do or listen to something that makes you feel happy and relaxed, and give yourself the headspace to enjoy the writing.

What is next on your agenda after publishing your (first) book?

The next one! The one I’m working on right now is a fiction—the ‘something different’ I’ve been looking for all these years! It’s a steampunk fantasy and it’s got me genuinely excited, which I’m taking as a sign that the whole thing needs to be written, edited, passed on to my good friend and trusted adviser, sent to my editor and—fingers crossed!—published!

Are you nervous about friends reading your book?

Not my friends, no—it’s everyone else I’m nervous about: the reviewers and the readers! I really want the book to genuinely help people to plan beautiful weddings that they can be proud of without bankrupting themselves. It’s such a special day and it means so much to people, but they shouldn’t have to pay for it for the next five to ten years of their lives!

How would your best friend describe you in 140 characters? (A Twitter question).

I decided not to speculate. I got my actual best friend to actually do it, and this is what she said… ‘A surprisingly short germ-a-phobe. She is smart, loyal, and kind. She makes me laugh and gives excellent advice. She’s my favorite.’ Aw, shucks.

Do you love or hate Facebook?

Er… I’m gonna go with ‘necessary evil’. I got onto it at uni when it was essential for my social life. Now it’s essential for my working life. Don’t get me wrong, I love that it’s connected me to a lot of really lovely people, but it also haunts my waking hours with all its updates and messages… Gah!

Tea or coffee?

Tea. Decaf Earl Grey. I had to give up caffeine after I realised it was making me stressed. I’d get all anxious and try to work out what was getting at me, and it turned out it was just the caffeine making me twitchy. Weird, I know!

Dogs or cats?

Cats. We had them growing up and I miss them! I wish we could have kittens now but it wouldn’t be fair on them while we’re living in a tiny first-floor flat!

Thank you, Samantha, for telling us a bit about yourself - and some great writing advice there.

About The High-Street Bride's Guide

Brides-to-be, this one’s for you!

You can say your vows in a catwalk gown so beautiful it reduces your mum to tears (and not because she paid for it).

You can style a reception so stunning your guests won’t believe you didn’t hire an A-list planner.

And you can sprinkle the day with personal touches that make everyone feel like you gave them special attention before they even got there. Without spending a house deposit on it. Honest.

About Samantha Birch

So far I’m the author of one book: The High-Street Bride’s Guide. I’ve written about dresses, bridesmaids and cake toppers for Brides and You & Your Wedding, and regularly contribute to the likes of GLAMOUR and Love Baking – often while eating cake in my pyjamas. I live with my husband in a chaotically untidy flat in Letchworth, which I pretend is an artfully unkempt writer’s loft in St. Albans.

Twitter (me): @SamBirchWriter
Twitter (the book): @HighStreetBride
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-High-Street-Brides-Guide/503367949687522
Buy link: http://smarturl.it/highstbride