Book Review: A Christmas Caroline by K.L. Crear
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming K.L. Crear to Novel Kicks and the blog blitz for her book, A Christmas Caroline.
Caroline’s got frugality down to a fine art. She can make a tin of soup stretch for days, considers “reduced to clear” her love language, and thinks Christmas is just a daft excuse for people to throw their money away on tinsel trimmed tat.
But Christmas Eve night takes a turn when her best mate, Marlene, drops in for a chat. Lovely, right? Except Marlene’s been dead for seven years and she’s got a message for Caroline, she will be visited by three spirits and if she doesn’t pay attention, her future’s looking bleaker than the contents of her fridge freezer.
Caroline’s convinced she’s having a hallucination. Ghosts? Surely not! But as the night goes on, she starts to wonder if she might just learn something worth more than her latest discount voucher. And for someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing, this might be the wake-up call she didn’t see coming.
Move over Ebenezer! This modern, laugh-out-loud retelling of the Dickens classic has a new Scrooge in town. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella.
*****
Caroline is not a fan of Christmas. She’d much rather spend 25th December alone than spend any money and time with others. In fact, to be more accurate, she’s not a fan of people and spending money throughout the year either.
However, she’s about to be shown the errors of her ways by a very specific group. Can Caroline find merriment in the festive season and beyond?
Oh I do love a festive story and this one did not disappoint.
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Book Review: The Garden of Shared Stories by Clare Swatman
It’s so exciting to be welcoming Clare Swatman back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Garden of Shared Stories.
Emma is at an all-time low the day she meets Nick. She sits down in a quiet rose garden in her local park, and from nowhere a handsome man sits next to her and turns her world upside down.
Over the weeks, she and Nick meet regularly, always in the same place, always at the same time. They discover they have a lot in common – shared heartbreak, and shared dreams. They tell each other stories about the people they’ve lost – things they’ve never told anyone else. Bit by bit, they get to know each other, and fall in love.
But there’s a catch, because however much they have in common, they have one big thing keeping them apart… twenty years apart. Because when Nick is sitting in the garden it’s 1999 – two decades before Emma is there.
Emma never expected to fall in love again, but now she has, she’s not going to give up on it without a fight. But how do you turn something impossible into a happy ever after?
*****
Emma is mourning the loss of her husband, Greg whist Nick is trying to move on after the death of his wife, Dawn. Through a twist of fate, they both find themselves visiting the bandstand in the town gardens at the same time. Will they see where life takes them or will they be kept apart by a force stronger than fate?
I have been a fan of Clare Swatman’s books for a long time and never pass on an opportunity to jump onto one of her blog tours if I can and so, I couldn’t wait to get started on The Garden of Shared Stories.
I want to start by saying how pretty this cover is. Stunning.
OK, so down to the story. In one word, masterful.
The author wastes no time in tugging at the heartstrings and pulling the reader right into the story and taking hold, not letting go until the end.
by NK Chats To… Darryl Barkwill
Hi Darryl, thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell us about your latest book, FC Farce and what inspired the idea?
Thanks Laura. FC Farce follows the mis-adventures of a lower league English football team. Initially known as Henlon Wanderers, the team is reluctantly inherited by Graham Farce.
After a series of mishaps, the club is forced to reform as FC Farce, which sets the tone for what lies ahead. Their debut season turns out to be a hilarious, ridiculous chaotic whirlwind, packing in just about everything that can go wrong at a football club. And at the centre of all the chaos is Graham, who is forced to try to restore the club’s reputation and ultimately save it from relegation.
What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any writing rituals like needing silence, coffee etc?
With two young kids, I was often writing FC Farce quite late at night, it was the only time I could get peace and quiet. No huge rituals, but at times, when I was struggling for motivation, I would open a beer and try to let my mind open up a bit! Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t…
What’s your favourite word and why?
Win. Because all wins are good. Football team ‘wins’. Quick ‘wins’. Massive ‘wins’.
How do you approach the planning, research, writing and editing processes?
Planning wise, I tried to get a strong ending first and work towards that. The ending is what the reader will remember, so it has to be strong. In FC Farce’s case, the research mainly came from my own experiences of being a football fan. The events were unique but inspired by events I’ve found amusing.
I aimed to write around 500 words a day, enough to see progress but not make it too heavy. With the editing, being a new author, I sent the first draft to a beta reader to get some professional feedback. That gave me great tips on how to elevate my writing.
If you were compiling a playlist for FC Farce, which songs would you include?
by Book Extract: A Family Affair by Joy Wood
It’s so exciting to be welcoming Joy Wood to Novel Kicks today and the blog tour for her book, A Family Affair.
Odele Gardia . . . married to wealthy businessman Howard, is the hard-nosed matriarch of the family and will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. She’s ruthless in the boardroom and not afraid to lean on adversaries.
Sebastian Gardia . . . Odele’s brother and business partner. His wife, Freya, reveals that she is pregnant with their first child.
Elliot . . . the prodigal son, is returning from America with his girlfriend, intending to propose to her.
Business is booming, her brother is going to become a father, and her son is coming home – it’s surely a time to celebrate. But Odele is hiding a huge secret and is constantly looking over her shoulder. If the secret came out, it would destroy the family.
Jimmy Alder . . . booted out of the police force, has been paid to spy on the family. The discovery he makes could have catastrophic consequences for them all.
A dysfunctional family, protectors of their power, wealth and each other, have no warning of the revelations about to erupt and the cost to their dynasty.
Joy has kindly shared an extract from A Family Affair with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
*****beginning of extract*****
Odele Gardia, matriarch of the family was sitting in their luxurious offices where her and her brother Sebastian ran a successful business selling upmarket properties in London. Seb is married to beautiful Freya who he is deeply in love with.
“Okay, what’s going on?” she asked.
“Freya and I have had a bust up,” his face crumpled as he scratched his forehead, “it’s a big one, she’s thrown me out.”
“Thrown you out? What the hell’s happened, Freya adores you?”
“Yeah well, not right now she doesn’t.” He took a deep breath, “She’s found out I’ve slept with someone.”
“You what!?”
“I know, I know, it was a one off. It just happened one night.”
“You bloody idiot! Why the hell would you do that?”
He shook his head but avoided meeting her eyes.
by NK Chats To… Robert Whanslaw
Hi Robert, thank you so much for joining me today and for inviting Novel Kicks onto your blog tour. Can you tell me about your book, Dark Orchid Affair and what inspired it?
It was an idea I’d had in my head for over ten years—how one event can change your life. I always knew I’d write it; it was just a question of when. I love understanding how people work: the psychology behind why a person is driven to do the things they do. The most interesting of those people are the ones with flaws in their character. We all have flaws, so my focus in my writing is on characters with major flaws.
What are the challenges of this genre. Also, what do to find the most fun about it?
Knowing the boundaries. Noir is dark, but you need a little bit of light in any story, so getting the mix right—and the importance of getting that balance—is something I worry about, and hope I get right. The fun parts are just that: pushing the boundaries.
What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any rituals?
It depends where I am in the writing. I am a big planner. This is what I would call my creative stage, and there’s no routine to this. I can wake in the middle of the night and think of an idea. I tend to wander around the world in a daze during this time. When I have the concept of the book in place, I write intensely, but I will break every thirty minutes for five to regenerate my energy.
What’s your favourite word and why?
I bought a book a few years ago about ‘words everybody should know’. I came across the word callipygian, which means well-shaped buttocks, and thought, “That is a word I am going to have to use one day.” The Dark Orchid Affair provided that opportunity when Ben watches Maxine get up from the table and head to the exit.
In your opinion, what are the most common mistakes people make when writing a novel for the first time?
by Book Club
