Patricia M Osborne

My special guest today is fellow Chindi author, Julia Firlotte. Julia is this week’s ‘Chindi Author of the Week’. Not only is Julia celebrating being Chindi’s author of the week but it is also publication week for her debut novel Trust in You.  Julia has come along to ‘Patricia’s Pen’ to share ‘the benefits of reading for mental health’. So without further ado, let’s go over to Julia.

 

The benefits of reading on your mental health

Julia Firlotte

As I write this, worries about loved ones and friends weigh heavily on people’s minds and understandably the entertainment sector is featuring low on the agenda for many people.

With weeks of social distancing on the horizon, let us not underestimate though the importance of our mental health alongside our physical. It is widely acknowledged that reading can be hugely beneficial to our minds and spirits and it is a past time that has helped me personally take much valued ‘time out’ from unsettling and stressful periods in my life.

Writing romantic fiction has become my safe haven, allowing me to adventure anywhere and become anyone and enabling my readers to do the same.

So, if you are looking for a break from reality, my debut romantic suspense novel Trust In You provides just that. It tells the story of sheltered Ella Peterson who moves from England to America and is regrettably plunged into the depths of a criminal ring which only her charismatic boyfriend Adam Brook seems able to drag her out of. Adam appears to be everything she wants, but she soon discovers he is hiding dark secrets, but does that mean she can’t trust him?

Trust In You is a love story full of intrigue, lust and lies that will keep you on the edge of your seat, eager to turn to the next page and guaranteed to distract you from daily troubles, but even if romance is not your usual genre of choice, do pick up a book in the weeks to come. You’ll feel better for it.

Trust in you is now available in paperback and ebook

Click here to order your copy.

About Julia Firlotte 

Julia Firlotte is a romance author who writes page-turning love stories with intrigue, passion and unexpected twists. Trust always plays a key role in Julia’s writing and provides her with inspiration for more stories than she could ever find the time to write.

By day, Julia works in Logistics and looks after her young family (with whom she lives in West Sussex) and by night she is an avid reader, writer and book blogger of romantic fiction. She loves meeting friends (both fictional and real!) over a glass of wine or slice of cake.

For more information on Julia’s novels or to sign up for her monthly newsletter, go to her website or find her on social media.

Thanks for hosting me on your blog Tricia!

My pleasure, Julia. Do come back to ‘Patricia’s Pen’ soon. 

My guest today is Shirley Anne Cook who is a poet, children’s author and non fiction writer. She writes under the pseudonym, Shirley Harber for her children’s books.

I have known Shirley for a few years now, we met virtually on a Winners’ Poetry Forum set up by the former editor of Writers’ Forum Magazine. I met Shirley in person for the first time in 2016 on my first visit to Swanwick Writers’ Summer School. 

Shirley has come along today to talk about her writing so without further ado let’s go over to Shirley.

My Writing

Shirley Anne Cook 

Thank you, Trisha for inviting me to talk about my writing on your blog.

I enjoy writing poetry for all ages and books for children. I lived in Egypt and visits to the Valley of the Kings and Pyramids inspired several of these, such as The Snake Princess. Set in the time of Pharaoh Amenhotep (1386-1349) this is an adventure story about thirteen-year-old Shahira, a Nubian girl, who discovers she has special powers over snakes.

I have also published a book of poems for children, Ancient Egyptian Rhyme Time.

Working as a primary school teacher for over forty years, I often had to teach my classes about this period.  I could never find many poems specifically set in that time, so I wrote my own and recently published them. They cover a variety of formats from raps to ballads.

Another of my passions is genealogy and local history. I have spent the last two years researching the history of Broadfield House in Crawley, West Sussex. I lived with my family in the caretaker’s cottage on the Broadfield estate and grew up in the shadow of this once fine Georgian mansion.

My book traces the history of the house and the people who lived there from 1830, when it was built, to the present. It concludes with our own family’s anecdotes and photos.

It’s always hard returning to Broadfield; seeing how the estate has changed never fails to reduce me to tears. Most of the woods, fields and gardens have given way to housing development, and Broadfield House is a shadow of its former self.

I was lucky to grow up there when it was in its heyday. I hope my book will remind people of how beautiful it once was – a testament to our special childhood memories, and to all who made their lives there.

Researching the history of a house and its inhabitants can throw up all sorts of intriguing ideas for stories. I now have so many buzzing around in my head and hope to get started on one of those soon.

Broadfield House : history and memories, will be available to purchase soon on Amazon, as are all my books.

Thank you, Shirley, for sharing details about all your books to my readers.

Below I will include links as to where to find Shirley and where you can purchase her books but first let’s find out a little more about her.

About Shirley Anne Cook

Shirley Anne Cook is a poet and children’s author. Her poems have been published in a number of magazines and anthologies and been placed in numerous competitions.

You can find more about Shirley’s poetry by visiting her web site here.

Shirley’s books for children are written under the name Shirley Harber and can be seen here.

Social Media Links 

Facebook

Twitter

Linked-In 

 

Links to books 

Turning the map Over 

The Snake Princess

Ancient Egyptian Rhyme Time

Coming soon.

We may not have the freedom to get out and about right now, I know I’m missing getting out on my walks, but here’s the next best thing.

Go foraging online with Craig Jordan-Baker.

The video is a joy to watch and I personally can’t wait for the next one. I’m sure I am going to learn lots.

As an alternative to the Sunday Writing Challenge, I’ve invited Mark Anthony Smith back to ‘Patricia’s Pen’ to discuss what inspired him to write his new novella.

Over to you, Mark.

We can order the same or taste each other’s

Mark Anthony Smith

My novella was borne out of a big life change when I had to adjust to daily pains brought about by Cervical Myelopathy, a spinal cord disease. It’s really debilitating but even at my darkest of moments, I always think there’s a positive. ‘Love…’ , as Sylvia Plath once mused, ‘set[s] you going like a fat gold watch’ (Morning Song). The light is embodied through Marie in the Novella. She helps the male narrator grow through listening and allowing mistakes in a two-ways process.

We can order the same or taste each each other’s took me over a year to write with several false starts. However, early projects, including a short story, ‘Marie Awakes’, were needed to bring me to my final draft. People, I hope, will come away with their own ideas.
The message, for me though, is there’s always light in the darkest of darks.

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Thank you for that Mark.

If you’d like to read Mark’s novella, Ink Pantry have it on their website in three parts. Click on the links below to read.

Part I

Part II

Part III

If you’d like to know more about Mark and read some of his other work featured on ‘Patricia’s Pen’ – click here.

You can find Mark Anthony Smith on the following links.

Facebook

Twitter

For the last couple of years because of one thing or another, my piano playing has been neglected. However after visiting a piano gathering run by Andrew Quartermain, director of Procorda, at the 1901 Club, Waterloo, I have been inspired to make time to play. To be honest I don’t think it matters how rusty I am, because the main thing is that I feel much better after playing. ‘Music is definitely good for the soul’ as they say.

Andrew has recently set up an online Piano Sanctuary which I believe to be particularly important in these trying times.

If you’d like to sign up to Piano Sanctuary and listen to beautiful music direct from Leiston Abbey, click here.

Sign up to Piano Sanctuary and also receive piano tips from the lovely, talented pianist, Annabel Thwaite. Email pianosanctuary@procorda.com

Andrew Quartermain will be visiting ‘Patricia’s Pen’ as my Tuesday Guest at the end of July so watch this space.

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While I’m on the subject of the piano, I thought I’d share the first villanelle I wrote back in 2013 about the piano. See if you can guess what piece of music I’m talking about.

Magnificent Majesty

The black beast stands proud on the floor,
his exquisite profile radiates light.
A magnificent majesty we all adore.

The lip of his mouth is open to explore
inside; ivory white teeth, gleaming and bright
in the black beast that stands proud on the floor.

Black tails sits down and strikes a chord
or two, then soft raindrops descend and glide
along the magnificent majesty we all adore.

He extends his arm to turn over the score
as he practises his repertoire for tonight,
on the black beast that stands proud on the floor.

The shower’s wrath deepens to storm
whilst the pianist continues to recite
on the magnificent majesty we all adore.

The virtuoso in his glory performs and ignores
what’s around as he plays with pride,
on the black beast that stands proud on the floor,
His Magnificent Majesty we all adore.

Don’t forget if you’d like to join Piano Sanctuary click here

In January this year, Kellie Butler invited me over to her Northern Reads blog to talk about House of Grace. Today Kelly kindly featured me with The Coal Miner’s Son. Why not pop over here and take a look. 

Click on the link here to read about my earlier visit in January.

 

 

Belated congratulations to author, Joy Wood, who published her latest novel, Who’s Smiling Now? on March 17th 2020. Joy has come along today to talk about her writing so without further ado, it’s over to Joy.

My Writing

Joy Wood

I have been writing and publishing novels for five years. My debut novel For the Love of Emily was primarily an experiment to see if I could actually write. I hoped it would sell, and thankfully it did, but the greatest surprise was initially how many – I was gobsmacked. However, I need to add a caveat about my initial success so I don’t give the impression it was easy. I spent months and months promoting the book and advertising widely on social media. I forced myself to go on local radio despite my broad Grimsby accent, and I went on local TV even though my fear was looking 12 pounds heavier! Local café’s kindly facilitated book signings for me (some offering free cakes), I had posters up in any shop down the High street that would let me, and I visited some local community groups and libraries to spread the word about my precious new novel. Thankfully it paid off and while I don’t yet have a holiday home in the Caribbean on the royalties – here’s hoping.

Prior to writing I worked as a nurse in the NHS so the journey from ‘Bedpan to Pen’ has been quite a contrast to say the least, but it’s been an absolute joy. So much effort goes into writing a book and it’s a roller coaster of emotions as each launch day arrives. Once readers have finished one of my books, every single message, email and review from someone I have never met but is eager to tell me they’ve enjoyed my novel, means the world and spurs me on to continue to write. It certainly makes all the blood, sweat and edits worth it.

My fifth release, Who’s Smiling Now? is a slight variation away from my  previous books. I want to try and stretch myself and try something slightly different and while I’m pleased with the ‘finished product’ it’s quite a nerve-wracking time I have to say. Will readers like it? – Will they prefer my previous novels? – the whole idea of writing is to give pleasure to readers, so I’m keeping everything crossed that this novel is equally successful and enjoyed in a similar way to my others, otherwise it’s back to the drawing board!

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And here’s an extract from Who’s Smiling Now?

She heard her sister’s voice from behind her. “Here she is, the future Mrs Souter.”
Laura turned around at the same time as her mother. Danielle was balancing on her heels on the grass, clutching the arm of a much taller man.
Nothing had prepared her.
The smile faded from her face.
Her blood pressure plummeted.
She felt light-headed. Fuzzy.
It took every ounce of strength to keep breathing.
Danielle smiled eagerly at them both, “This is Cohan who I told you I met at work. Cohan, this is my mum, and Laura, who’s not only celebrating her twenty-first, she’s just got engaged tonight too.”
Her mum accepted his outstretched hand, “How lovely to meet you.”
“Likewise,” he replied, “Danielle’s told me about you all. Thank you for letting me be part of such a special evening.”
His dark eyes moved to lock with hers. Not a flicker of recognition from him.
His outstretched hand came towards her. The hand that caressed every receptive part of her naked body, the fingers that had stroked her intimately.
“Pleased to meet you, Laura,” he said through lips that had kissed her tummy and nipples only weeks earlier, “what a wonderful night for you. Congratulations.”
His smile was menacing. It urged . . . go on, I dare you.
She didn’t take his hand – she couldn’t.
How long had he been in the UK? And how in God’s name had he met her sister? He must have somehow engineered it.
Danielle was staring at her. “What’s the matter? You’ve gone really white?”
She shook her head to try and shake off the fuzziness, “Too many glasses of wine I think, you’ll have to excuse me.” She turned abruptly and quickly made her way to the house to lock herself away from him.
“Well it has been quite a night,” she heard her mother say, “the excitement must have got to her. Can I get you a drink, Cohan, and maybe something to eat?”

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Wow… Are you gripped? I know I am. If you fancy purchasing a copy, click on the following link.

Who’s Smiling Now? 

Further links will be listed below, along with Joy’s other novels, but before that, let’s find out a little more about Joy.

About Joy Wood

Joy Wood is a positive, enthusiastic person living in the beautiful seaside town of Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire. She is passionate about the NHS (and runs it from her armchair!) and spends her leisure time reading, walking, socialising and travelling. She loves cruising and can often be found in the ships libraries with passengers who are always looking for books; she has been known to drop into the conversation that she writes! Her greatest desire is to see someone on relaxing on a ship reading one of her novels.

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Links to books

For The Love of Emily  

Knight & Dey

Chanjori House

April Fool  

Who’s Smiling Now

Links to where readers can find Joy Wood on Social Media

Facebook

Twitter 

Website 

Email 

 

My challenger today is Janet Hardacre. In Janet’s Haiku she offers a bit of advice. Check it out.

It gives me great pleasure today to introduce author, Kellie Butler, as my Tuesday guest. Kellie has come along to discuss her family saga series ‘The Laurelhurst Chronicles’. Without further ado, let’s go over to Kellie. 

Thanks, Tricia, for hosting me on your blog to discuss my books. It’s a pleasure to chat with your readers.

The Laurelhurst Chronicles

Kellie Butler 

I’m the author of The Laurelhurst Chronicles, an Anglo-American family saga series set in the UK and the US between the 1940s through the 1970s. It centers around two siblings, Lydia (Lydie) and her brother Edward Cavert, who are orphaned during the first blitz of the Second World War.

I enjoy writing family sagas especially though because it allows me to explore some of those common threads that we all have: hope, loss, pain, joy, jealousy, fidelity, romance, revenge, passion. You know, all the good stuff. 😊 I get to follow these wonderful and sometimes devious characters around and chronicle their lives. I’m just the vessel for them, and I get to have fun doing it. It’s given me a creative outlet to express certain emotions through characters, and it’s very cathartic.

I think people are curious at times why my novels are partially set in Lancashire. First, it’s because I wanted to take Lydie far away from anything she’s known, and therefore make it more difficult for her (naughty, I know.) But secondly, I also have roots in northern England and Scotland. It’s through my research, especially into the Lancashire dialect, that certain phrases I’ve always heard finally made sense. Now I know where that comes from.

In many ways, exploring it through writing has felt like coming home. It’s part of why I host my Northern Reads Series on my blog, to showcase the immense beauty and talent that the north has to offer.

The Laurelhurst Chronicles Books:

 

Beneath a Moonless Sky

Nothing good ever happens past twelve. When thirteen-year-old Lydia Cavert returns to Laurelhurst Manor, the wild, lush boyhood home of her beloved Papa, she rediscovers that its secret rooms and locked doors are more sinister than any London street.
Orphaned by the blitz of 1940, her guardian uncle Alistair and his circle of friends hold Lydie captive at the estate. Lydie must unravel a dark web of deceit, jealousy, and revenge to expose who really murdered her mysterious aunt on that fateful night in 1932. Will she restore her family’s name or suffer her aunt’s fate?
Set amidst the backdrop of the Second World War, Beneath a Moonless Sky is a suspenseful coming of age tale of the power of memory, innocence lost, redemption restored, and the triumph of light over darkness.

Before the Flood

A beautiful, haunting celebration of the lasting bonds of family and friendship, Before the Flood returns readers to the world of the Cavert family and the Laurelhurst saga.

Fiery art student Lydie Cavert nearly has it all after putting the shadows of her uncle’s sinister legacy behind her: great friends, a blossoming art career, and romance with the handsome but reserved Dr. Henry Bainbridge, her brother’s best friend and colleague.

Her hope for peace is shattered when she returns to England to help Henry’s recovering sister Kate find her own happiness during the London Season. The sinister empire that claimed her uncle has plans for Lydia. Plans that could threaten her and Henry’s happiness by exposing secrets both would like to keep from resurfacing.

From New York City’s vibrant streets and the idyllic farmlands of Upstate New York to the cosmopolitan avenues of London and Paris, Before the Flood tells a story of the richness of family bonds, the searing heartbreak of betrayal, and the redeeming power of love and friendship.

The Broken Tree

 

Lancashire, Summer 1959. Fifteen years ago, Lydie Cavert Bainbridge left the dark memories of her youth at Laurelhurst Manor behind her.

Now thirty-two, an expectant Lydie returns with her family of five with two goals: to protect her children from her horrific experience at Laurelhurst and to spend a peaceful summer before the arrival of her fourth child.

When Lydie comes across an ancient oak tree split in the middle on the edge of the estate, it reveals an old secret from three hundred years ago involving an enemy along with the specters she had hoped to leave behind.

As the tree casts a shadow upon the house and loyalties are tested, Lydie must choose between the love she holds for her family and the love for her brother. Can the Cavert family stay together, or will splinter like the tree in the garden?

Out of Night (releasing June 2020)

1968

Two mothers living polar opposite lives, yet united by a common thread. Forcibly separated from their children and the ones they love, these two women will forge new paths to reclaim themselves, finding it in the most unexpected of places.

Kate:

The quintessential society girl, Kate has been a mainstay on Swinging London’s party circuit for years. As her old vices of alcohol and drugs consume her pain from yet another failed marriage, Kate finds herself left to her own devices as Lord Elliott Cutterworth, a master architect of chaos, kicks her out of her home and takes custody of their daughter, Violet. Kate is plunged into the seedy underbelly of London and must figure out a way to reclaim her life and get her daughter back. Determined to start anew, she finds assistance in her reluctant brother-in-law (and the one that got away), all while trying to stay away from Elliott’s evil clutches, lest she becomes yet another person to mysteriously disappear.

Lydie.

When Lydie and her husband Henry discover that their youngest son, Cole has intellectual disabilities, it leads them down a path of uncertainty. Faced with the institutionalization of her baby boy, Lydie enters into a deep sea of depression, and her once loving marriage to Henry is in jeopardy. After a lengthy series of ECT treatments at another hospital leaves her memory in tatters, Lydie is sent to the famed Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas.
When Lydie’s brother Edward and long lost childhood friend, Kit Alderley, come to visit her in Kansas, it opens a new set of problems. Will she make peace with her estranged brother, and will Kit’s presence spell more trouble for Henry and Lydie’s marriage, or will he reconcile them all?

Poignantly beautiful yet at times gritty, Out of Night mirrors the decade of the 1960s as innocence is lost, confusion abounds, yet hope is always on the horizon.

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Wow… what a great series. Wouldn’t you agree? Please see links below to purchase Kellie Butler’s books, but first let’s find out a little more about Kellie. 

About Kellie Butler 

Kellie Butler is the author of Beneath a Moonless Sky, Before the Flood, The Broken Tree, and the upcoming Out of Night, all part of the bestselling ‘The Laurelhurst Chronicles’ series. Born in the deep south and educated at Mississippi State University and Louisiana State University, she has traveled and lived around the globe. Besides writing books, she enjoys knitting, yoga, cooking, hiking, classical film, her MSU Bulldogs, and her dog, Chippy. She lives in Arizona with her family.

Links to Kellie’s books 

NOTE:

For a limited time Kellie has reduced her first three books to 99p/99c and you can download for FREE with Kindle Unlimited. Why not grab a copy while they’re only this price?

Kellie says:
‘We’re living in some uncertain times, so I feel my books should be more easily accessible to readers.’

Series buy link 

Pre-order Out of Night 

 

Links to follow Kellie on Social Media 

Facebook 

Twitter 

Instagram 

Pinterest 

 

 

Today’s challenger is Sarah Howes with her story ‘Childhood Guilt’. Enjoy.

I ran into the kitchen, hungrily scanned the cupboard and my eye fell on the newly-baked loaf; crusty, still-warm. I grabbed the knife and carved a doorstep, mouthwatering at the thought of that soft, yeasty dough in my mouth. But the butter had its own plan. Cold, hard in the fridge, with no give, it ripped the guts from the crust, leaving a mass of buttery crumbs on the surface. My anger spilled over as I grabbed the offending pieces in my bare hands and scrunched them up, stuffing them into my mouth in childish satisfaction.

96 words

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Now if the narrator was like me they wouldn’t have worried about the butter but just eaten the bread. I don’t eat butter anyway but can’t bear spreading anything on fresh bread because I think it spoils it.

How do you like to eat your bread?