Book Extract: Deadly Whispers in Lower Dimblebrook by Julie Butterfield
I’d like to give a lovely welcome to Julie Butterfield and the blog tour for her latest novel, Deadly Whispers in Lower Dimblebrook.
When Isabelle Darby moves to the delightfully cosy village of Lower Dimblebrook, she’s searching for peace and quiet as well as a chance to escape from heartbreak. After making friends with Fiona Lambourne, another newcomer to the village, Issie is left reeling when tragedy strikes and Fiona is murdered, the second wife Anthony Lambourne has lost in unfortunate circumstances.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the local gossips insist that Fiona had been embroiled in an affair before her death, something which Issie knows not to be the case.
Determined to clear her friend’s reputation and solve the mystery of the rumours, Issie takes on both the gossips and the handsome but stern DI Wainwright, making both friends and enemies along the way!
Julie has shared an extract with us today so grab that tea/coffee, comfortable chair and enjoy.
***** beginning of extract*****
Introduction
Living in a village on the edge of the Cotswolds, it was easy to imagine life in Lower Dimblebrook and the characters are all the sort of people I would like to meet myself – with the exclusion of the murderer of course! As a lifelong fan of Miss Marple and Poirot, I could imagine the keystones of the village being the vicar and those residents who were have lived in the same houses for generations and know every nook and cranny of their village. I decided to dispense with the vicar in Deadly Whispers but I definitely needed a vicar’s wife, one of those kind-hearted, totally dependable women who provide a rock of support for anyone who asks.
For a moment Issie thought she had found the house empty until she detected a snuffling noise approaching ever closer and the door flew open, two over-excited dachshunds tumbling out to sniff her feet and ankles with all the focus of bloodhounds. A pink-cheeked face appeared a few seconds behind them and Miriam Hollier wiped her hands on her flour-covered apron and tilted her head enquiringly in Issie’s direction.
‘Hello, Isabelle isn’t it? Do come in. Flounder … Scuttle come along now,’ and Issie found herself herded in the direction of a warm kitchen, rich with the scent of baking and with scones and cakes covering every surface.
by 
Book Review: The Island by C.L Taylor
Welcome to The Island.
Where your worst fears are about to come true…
It was supposed to be the perfect holiday: a week-long trip for six teenage friends on a remote tropical island.
But when their guide dies of a stroke leaving them stranded, the trip of a lifetime turns into a nightmare.
Because someone on the island knows each of the group’s worst fears. And one by one, they’re becoming a reality.
Seven days in paradise. A deadly secret.
Who will make it off the island alive?
Jessie, Jefferson, Milo, Meg and Honor have been going on annual holidays together for as long as they can remember. This year, they have been treated to a survival weekend on a small private island in Thailand.
To begin with, their adventure is fun but when they find themselves suddenly alone with no way of getting back to the mainland, their time there soon turns into something more sinister.
I am such a big fan of C L Taylor and so I was excited to have a chance to read The Island. From the beginning, the tension and suspense builds and this compelling novel kept me reading well into the night. Time just seemed to disappear.
I liked the fact that it was told from both the point of view of Jessie and Danny. Everyone became less reliable as the story progressed. I continuously tried to figure out what was going on and who was responsible. I didn’t see the end coming.
Each of these characters are in some way relatable and C.L Taylor doesn’t shy away from dealing with some tough subjects including grief, loss, bullying and mental health. It wasn’t hard for me to empathise with these six teenagers.
It has also made me realise that I never want to go to a private Island or jungle. Ever! The setting is described so vividly, I did feel as though I was there with them. This book would transfer to being a movie very well. I could see each scene as it played out.
by Book Review: Let Me Love You by Lasairiona E. McMaster
Jilted by the only woman he’s ever loved, Jeremy Lewis is a man on a mission to be a renowned player – both on and off the ice. Who needs monogamy anyway?
But when he falls during a game, Jeremy finds himself laid-up with a potentially career-ending injury and his support network, suddenly gone. His best friend, AJ, is busy in a new relationship, his teammates are pursuing their own dreams of hockey stardom, and Jeremy is left frustrated, broken and alone.
Will their friendship survive AJ’s new relationship? Are Jeremy’s feelings for Chelsea truly a thing of the past? And can he persevere through his recovery to get back on the ice?
Jeremy has dreams of being in the NHL. However, a fall on the ice means that he now has to take a step back from the game he loves and allow himself to heal. His parents are gone, he’s estranged from his brother and the woman he loves doesn’t want to be with him. Jeremy finds that he has to heal in more ways than one.
This is the second novel in the Jeremy Lewis series. Having not read the first book, I did wonder if I was going to struggle to keep up with what was going on but this was not the case. I immediately fell into the story.
I have to admit, what first drew me to this novel was the fact that he was a Ice Hockey player. I do like my Ice Hockey but once I started to read, I got drawn into Jeremy’s story. He is a tragic, complicated character who is so much more than the ‘tough guy’ exterior he projects to the world. He’s a much deeper character than that and the further I got into the book, the more I wanted to give him a hug. In-fact, I didn’t want to put this book down as I wanted to know he was OK.
by NK Chats To… Kate Ryder
Hi Kate, thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell me about your book, Beneath Cornish Skies and what inspired it?
Hello, Laura, and thank you for inviting me to be on your blog.
Cornwall has always inspired me. As a teenager, I holidayed on the North Cornish coast in a thatched cottage with impressive, uninterrupted views over a wooded valley down to the cliffs and the sea beyond. It made a huge impression and it’s this cottage that features in my fourth novel with Aria.
I like to write books that have a message; hopefully, readers will think Beneath Cornish Skies delivers. It’s not simply a contemporary romance, but also a story about a young woman’s journey in finding herself, with a little help from friends, nature, ancient magic and spirits in the landscape.
What’s your typical writing day like?
I like to be at my desk by 9am, working through to lunch when I meet up with my husband (who also has a home office). In the afternoon I catch up on any writerly loose ends, social media posts, etc., or if I have a WIP I concentrate on that. Our kitten-cat regularly visits and, having been turfed off the keyboard on numerous occasions, she settles on the printer and watches out for any pieces of paper to attack!
How do you approach the process from first draft to final edit and how has this changed since writing your first novel?
I’d like to be a plotter, but as my characters develop I’m often put in the pantser camp! I think I may be a plantser – a little of both.
Hopefully, the first draft is an unhindered stream of imagination. I’ve worked as a proof-reader, copy-editor and writer, so, at the final edit I put on my objective ‘editorial’ hat and heavily prune, removing any superfluous words and anything that hinders the story’s momentum.
Since writing my first novel there have been no major changes to the process, apart from having a keener idea about deadlines and pacing myself. I don’t panic so much and approach each ‘challenge’ a word at a time.
What, in your opinion, is the most common mistake made by aspiring authors?
Many people believe writing a novel is easy. You put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, and a publisher will soon snap you up and success will follow… but that couldn’t be further from the truth! To write, you have to master self-discipline, even when the words refuse to flow. It’s a hard way to make a living, but if you’re drawn to writing you cannot deny it. At the start of my writing journey, a more experienced author gave me this advice: ‘Have patience. Each novel is your apprenticeship.’
Do you feel character or plot is more important? Why?
by Book Review: When the Children Come by Barry Kirwan
Nathan, emotionally scarred after three tours in Afghanistan, lives alone in Manhattan until New Year’s Eve, when he meets Lara. The next morning, he notices something strange is going on – a terrified kid is being pursued by his father, and a girl, Sally, pleads with Nathan to hide her from her parents. There is no internet, no television, no phone coverage.
Nathan, Lara and Sally flee along the East Coast, encountering madmen, terrorists, the armed forces, and other children frightened for their lives. The only thing Nathan knows for sure is that he must not fall asleep…
I will be the first to admit that I don’t read a lot of books in this genre so I wasn’t expecting to like it.
When The Children Come is also my first introduction to Barry Kirwan. My first thought when I finished this novel was WOW!
Right from page one, this had me drawn in, asking questions and wanting to turn the page to find out what was going on. Why can’t Nathan fall asleep? How has a man who doesn’t want children end up being responsible for over two hundred? I just had to find out.
Nathan is a broken character and so you wonder whether he is going to step up when it counts. However, saying that, he is someone you immediately root for.
The author is good at threading doubt and fear for both the situation and the people in it. Who can Nathan, Lara and Sally trust? Can we even rely on them?
by Book Club
