Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Secret
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt – The Lighthouse Keeper’s Secret
You inherit your grandmother’s remote lighthouse on a rocky peninsula, expecting a quiet retirement project. But on your first night, you discover a hidden room beneath the lamp chamber—one that doesn’t appear on any blueprints.
Inside, you find dozens of journals dating back decades, all written in your grandmother’s hand. The entries describe strange lights appearing in the fog offshore, always on the same night each month. The final entry, dated three weeks ago, reads simply: “They’re coming back. I won’t be here to guide them this time. Will you?”
by 
Book Review: Hopes and Dreams at the Chocolate Pot Café By Jessica Redland
I am so excited to be welcoming Jessica Redland back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Hopes and Dreams at the Chocolate Pot Café.
Sometimes all your hopes and dreams really do come true… ✨🌈
Life at the Chocolate Pot Café has never been sweeter for Tara Porter. Nestled on Castle Street in Whitsborough Bay, her café is thriving, her friendships are close, her foster parents are back where they belong—and she’s finally let herself fall in love with artist Jed Ferguson.
For Jed, returning from Australia feels like coming home in every sense. His teenage daughters have settled, his gallery opening is a success, and with Tara by his side, the future looks full of promise.
But the past can’t stay at bay forever.
When Tara’s estranged foster sister reappears, old wounds resurface. And when Jed is reunited with twelve year old Aaron – a boy he once believed was his son – secrets unravel and loyalties are tested.
Now Tara and Jed must decide whether facing the past will shatter everything they’ve built—or hope it gives them the strength and courage to dream again.
Warm, heartfelt and hopeful, Hopes and Dreams at the Chocolate Pot Café is a story of love, forgiveness and second chances.
*****
As Christmas ends and a new year begins, Tara is feeling optimistic about life. She loves her life in Whitsborough Bay. Her business, The Chocolate Pot Café is going well. In letting herself open up to people, she now has friends and her new relationship with Jed grows stronger every day. However, life rarely runs smoothly and soon, they are both facing more life changing events. Can they weather this storm together or will Tara retreat into the lonely life she had before?
As a huge fan of Jessica Redland’s novels, I will always jump at the chance to be a part of any of her blog tours. I couldn’t wait to get started on Hopes and Dreams at the Chocolate Pot Café.
by Book Review: Storm of Mercia By MJ Porter
I am pleased to be welcoming MJ Porter back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for their book, Storm of Mercia.
Wessex has never been Mercia’s ally, neither has it been her only enemy.
Wessex, AD836
The Viking raiders’ devastation has been halted once more by the shields of Mercia as opposed to Wessex. But their whereabouts are unknown.
King Wiglaf of Mercia is keen to ensure the Viking raiders are swept from his shared border with Wessex but these Viking ships are quick and difficult to track and Icel is once more deployed with Ealdorman Ælfstan warriors to do his King’s bidding. However, Icel’s quest is beset with many more obstacles and it’s not all about the seax and shield.
Worrying news from home overshadows Icel’s every deadly encounter. Will the storms of war keep him away or has he time to make one more desperate journey back to Tamworth?
With raging seas driving him ever further from Mercia’s shores, and the threat of a new conspiracy against the Mercian kingship will Icel overpower the sands of time, or will he be defeated by his deadliest nemesis yet?
*****
Storm of Mercia is the ninth instalment of the Mercia Chronicles.
Once again, Mercia’s shields have stopped the Viking raiders at the border with Wessex—but the invaders have vanished without a trace. Icel is dispatched among Ealdorman Ælfstan’s troops with the task of tracking the raiders and ensuring that they have truly left.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: The Question That Won’t Leave You Alone
Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Writing Room.
Today, our focus is all about the ‘question that won’t leave you alone’.
My hope with this exercise is that you’ll discover book worthy ideas by exploring questions and mysteries that genuinely intrigue you.
First of all, we are going to do a bit of a brain dump by answering the following questions. Don’t edit, just write down questions that fascinate or trouble you. It’s a chance to ask the who, what, why, where and when questions.
Try and write about ten questions. Anything and everything is welcome. Just whatever comes to mind.
Examples include –
What if someone woke up with someone else’s memories?
Why do people stay in situations that hurt them?
What happens to childhood best friends who lose touch?
Is it ever right to lie to protect someone?
What are ordinary people doing during extraordinary events?
What if plants could communicate?
Next, circle the three questions that you find most compelling. Once you’ve done that, pick the one that intrigues or pulls you to it the most.
Whilst you consider which one to pick, keep these questions in mind –
by
Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Book Club and hello to April.
The clocks have gone forward, the lighter evenings are here. All we need now is the sunshine and it’s a perfect excuse to settle down with a book.
This month, I have chosen a novel that, when reading the blurb, intrigued me greatly. I have to admit; the cover also had an influence on me picking it. I hope you find the story as interesting as I did. Even the tag line, ‘inside every book is a beating heart’. I love it.
This month’s pick is The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore.
So, how does. our book club work? Well, anyone can take part, at any point in the month, whether you’ve read the book already or starting it. I have put a question in the comments to get the discussion going.
I look forward to discussing this book with you.
About The Library of Borrowed Hearts –
by Book Club
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