Book Extract: Sharp as any Thorn by Sue McCormick

Published November 9, 2026 | By Laura

Please join me in welcoming Sue McCormick to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Sharp as any Thorn.

1951 — Dame Elspeth ‘Holly’ Hollanby and her no-nonsense dresser, Ivy, drive to west Wales to join a star-studded Christmas concert. At only their first rehearsal, they hear a young singer has died, one of a group of talented students nicknamed the Four Canaries. Hers will not be the last murder…

Equally at home with the stars at the ghostly Nanteos Mansion and the students in their seafront digs, Holly and Ivy soon find themselves in a life-or-death race for the truth.

 

Sue has shared an extract from Sharp as any Thorn with us today. We hope you enjoy.  

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

Dame Elspeth ‘Holly’ Hollanby and her no-nonsense dresser, Ivy, have arrived in Aberystwyth to join a star-studded Christmas concert. Here, they’re settling in after their arrived at the ghostly Nanteos Mansion.

 

Taking his lead, the party broke up and said its goodnights. As we crossed the high entrance hall to the stairs, Ivy took my arm.

‘I want to see the Cup before I go to bed. Come with me?’

I indulged her and led the way to the library, a fine old room with heavy plaster mouldings, shelves of bound books and two long sash windows in the front wall. On a table between them, a locked glass cabinet held a piece of curved wood, dark with age and small enough to fit in the palm of a hand.

‘It looks ancient enough,’ I said.

Continue reading →

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks Writing Room: Character Challenge - Relationships : Novel Kicks Writing Room: Character Challenge – Relationships

Published November 4, 2026 | By Laura

Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Writing Room.

It’s week five of our character challenge. This week, we will be focusing on the relationships your character has with others.

As we progress through this challenge, we’ll take a character from a simple idea and gradually develop them into someone with a personality, history, relationships, flaws, fears and a meaningful character arc.

You don’t need to be writing a novel to take part. Your character can be created specifically for these exercises, or you can use a character from a story you’re already working on.

 

Characters become much more interesting when we see them with other people. Choose someone important in your character’s life.

It could be:

  • A partner.
  • Parent.
  • Child.
  • Sibling.
  • Friend.
  • Enemy.
  • Colleague.
  • Former lover.

Continue reading →

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Extract: The Little Campsite by the Sea by Elizabeth Holland

Published November 2, 2026 | By Laura

Please join me in welcoming Elizabeth Holland to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, The Little Campsite by the Sea.

Beth never planned to return to Llancariad—or to see Rhys again.

Beth Alden hasn’t been home in years. The small seaside village of Llancariad holds too many painful memories, but when her mother suffers a fall, she has no choice but to go home.

As Beth settles back into life in North Wales, she’s forced to confront how much time has passed and how much her mother needs her. While trying to save the family’s struggling campsite, Beth’s past catches up with her, stirring her anxiety and reminding her why she left.

Then Rhys Howell, her childhood best friend and first kiss, offers to help.

Rhys has never forgotten Beth or the kiss that changed everything. As they work together to revive the campsite, their friendship reignites, along with feelings he’s spent years trying to ignore. But while Rhys can imagine their future together, Beth is adamant she must go back to her life in the city.

Can Beth find the courage to stay, or will she run back to London, breaking both their hearts?

 

Elizabeth has shared an extract with us. We hope you enjoy. 

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

The Little Campsite by the Sea is a friends-to-lovers cosy romance set in North Wales. Beth and Rhys were childhood friends until something came between them. Before they could rekindle their relationship, Beth left for London. Now, a decade later, she’s home, and she’s not particularly happy to see Rhys again…

 

As he opened the gate, Rhys’s heart rate picked up. He could hear the thrumming in his ears, and his feet froze in place. Straight ahead, parked at the front of the house, was a car he hadn’t seen in a long time. He had many happy memories of being picked up in that car and driven back to the campsite. Although they weren’t talking at the time, Rhys had heard that on her seventeenth birthday, Evan had gifted his daughter the car. The woman he’d seen last night with her smile—had it really been Beth?

“There you are,” Carys called from the bench on the terrace. “I hope we’ve not put you out this evening.”

Continue reading →

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

A Moment With… Sarah Reynolds

Published November 2, 2026 | By Laura

What better way to kick off a new week than by welcoming Sarah Reynolds to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Traces of Alys.

1995- 15-year-old Emma sends her family a bunch of flowers and disappears. Her best friend Kate blames herself. That night in west Wales, Idris and his son find a crashed car, a teenage girl and a man trying to kill her.

The girl can’t remember who she is. Their neighbour says it’s her missing daughter, Alys, finally home, and takes her in. Twenty years later, a body is found during renovations at a local park where Emma was last seen.

Kate believes that she has, at last, found the end of Emma’s story; instead, it is only the beginning, as finally secrets will have to be faced.

A family mystery about escaping, finding home, and what- or who-is left behind.

 

To talk about how characters are the answers to plotting, it’s over to you, Sarah. 

 

When it comes to plotting, your characters have all the answers…

Traces of Alys is a novel with a strong plot. The narrative interweaves the lives of two women and there is more than one big plot twist along the way, but I didn’t start out with a roadmap in mind. In fact, I barely thought about the plot at all.

Like most of my stories, this novel began with a character. The first voice I heard belonged to Kate: at home with a newborn, sleep-deprived and wondering if she was losing her mind. I have been this woman myself. And yet Kate was not me. A bit like children, characters are born from the writer but grow into independent beings altogether.

Continue reading →

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks Book Club: Well, That Escalated Quickly by Sarah Turner

Published November 1, 2026 | By Laura

Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Book Club. 

Hello November.

This year has just flown by. We’re heading towards the end of the year already, and I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely ready for some cosy evenings, a blanket, a hot chocolate and, of course, a good book. November always feels like that little pause before the madness of Christmas begins. Haha!

As you would have already seen from the title, this month’s book pick is Well, That Escalated Quickly by Sarah Turner.

I have to say, the title alone caught my attention. It immediately made me chuckle… in a good way. We’ve all had those moments when life takes an unexpected turn and things seem to spiral rather quickly. Sometimes all you can do is laugh, pick yourself up and see what happens next. I’m looking forward to seeing what Sarah Turner has in store for us with this one.

As usual, anyone can join, whether you’ve already read the novel or will be reading along with me. I have placed a question in the comments below to kick off the discussion.

I really hope to see you there.

 

About Well, That Escalated Quickly – 

Continue reading →

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks is a blog for story tellers and book lovers.

Book Club

Novel Kicks Book Club

Archives

Recent Comments

Useful Links

Categories