Guest Review: The Clockmaker’s Cottage by Christie Barlow

Can love begin before time runs out?

Pippa Bell never expected to flee her own wedding — or to end up stranded on Puffin Island at the beautifully ramshackle Clockmaker’s Cottage, the perfect place to get away from it all for the summer.

Her stay gets off to a rocky start when she discovers she’s sharing with her old university nemesis, Theo Blake. But, faced with a ferocious summer storm and trapped inside the tiny house, they end up working together to discover long-buried secrets about the cottage’s original owners.

As the storm rages outside and the cottage works its magic, Pippa discovers that sometimes the best shelter is found in the most unexpected arms…

This is the latest book in the Puffin Island series from Christie Barlow. This place is a fictional island sitting off the north east coast of England and accessible via a causeway at certain states of the tide. Books in this series generally focus on particular residents or visitors to the island, and often a particular building. There are always recurring characters, but each book is complete in itself.

This story sees the island hosting a horologists’ convention. It is an appropriate location since two brothers famous internationally for clock design and production once lived there. Having run away from her own wedding, leaving a stunned groom at the altar and still in her wedding dress, clock restorer Pippa Bell travels to Puffin Island, a place she has long dreamed of visiting. However, when she arrives at her accommodation, Clockmaker’s Cottage, she is dismayed to find that she is sharing it with Theo Blake, a rival from university days. Unfortunately, the weather is absolutely atrocious and the island is soon completely cut off, forcing the pair to get along. Practically trapped inside the lovely old cottage, they begin to work together to solve an old mystery concerning the clockmaking brothers. While they are doing that, they also explore how they came to be rivals at university and make some startling discoveries about themselves.

This story had me hooked from the very start and kept me engaged right to the last page. I think it is certainly the best in this series so far and I highly recommend it. It has lots going for it - a wonderful location, even in a horrific summer storm, a long-standing mystery, some wonderful food and a growing romance. There is even a sighting of the eponymous puffins.

To order your copy now, just click here!

Guest Review: A Cottage in the Country by Katie Fforde

She's found her dream home but can she make her dreams a reality?

Hattie finds other people their dream homes for a living.

Surely she, of all people, has the connections and the knowledge to find her own forever home? Instead, she baffles those closest to her by choosing to pack up and move every few months from one housesitting job to the next.

Of course, that's because she knows where she wants to live. It's a beautiful house owned by a lovely old woman who'd simply love for Hattie to have it.

But nothing is ever that simple.

There's Clive who refuses to listen to his great-aunt's wishes about her house. There's Luke, Hattie's oldest friend, who just wants to see her happy. And there's Hattie herself. It might take a difficult client, an awkward teenager and a couple of dogs to help her see what really makes a house a home.

As soon as I saw the cover of Katie Fforde’s latest book, I knew I was in for a trip to the countryside with some interesting characters, and their dogs. This was one of those stories that had me hooked from the very start and was finished all too soon, leaving me missing the now familiar people I had met.

The story concerns Hattie, whose job, when she is not match-making, is to find the perfect home for other people. However, she has no home of her own, preferring to house-sit for others, moving every few months. Hattie has found the home of her dreams, but it is owned by an elderly lady who is her friend but who can’t sell her the cottage even though she would dearly love to do just that. What’s more, her great-nephew is suspicious of Hattie’s friendship with his aunt. Her family can’t understand Hattie’s nomadic life, but she is lucky to have some supportive friends, including Luke, who would do anything for her. When Hattie’s sister asks her to look after her teenage son, she is worried that he may not fit into her lifestyle, but finds him surprisingly good company. As it begins to look as though Hattie will have to find a permanent home once and for all, can she find the perfect match?

I enjoyed reading this charming, romantic story set in the picturesque Cotswolds. For me, Hattie was quite an unusual, if likeable, character. Having spotted the home she would dearly love to own, she could not imagine living anywhere else. Likewise, despite matching other people who were meant for each other, she could not seem to see the perfect partner for herself in a friend who was always ready with help when she needed it. I loved the relationship that Hattie built up with her teenage nephew; more than anyone in the family, he seemed to understand her. There was a touch of the supernatural in the story that I found a little out of place, but it did not spoil my enjoyment. All in all, this is a perfect book to settle down with and escape into the country for a few hours.

To order your copy now, just click here!

Guest Review: The Secret Beach by Veronica Henry

Nikki finally owns the little coastguard cottage of her dreams - and it's a few steps away from the hidden beach that means so much to her.

But when a handwritten note lands on her doorstep, she realises it's only a matter of time before the heartbreaking truth of her past is uncovered.

Twenty years ago, her whole world was turned upside-down when a terrible storm rolled into the small seaside town of Speedwell.

Ever since that night, Nikki has been keeping a secret. One she knows has the potential to destroy the lives of those she loves most.

Because as sure as the tide turns, there are no secrets in a small town...

Review: I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this new book from Veronica Henry, one of my favourite authors. The title suggests that once again I will be treated to a story set by the sea and I am already anticipating imagining the sound of the waves as I read. This book is set in the small Cornish seaside town of Speedwell, where 20 years previously the lives of the inhabitants had been turned upside down by a tragic summer storm, an event which is commemorated annually in the town.

The story centres on Nikki, who has finally had the opportunity to buy the coastguard cottage she has had her eye on for many years. Although in need of a large dose of TLC, the cosy cottage is in a marvellous position set high above a small cove that is hidden from view and accessed only by a precarious set of steps. The lovely beach below is associated with memories of an earlier time in Nikki’s life and a guilty secret she has kept for over twenty years. Her happiness at moving into her dream home and meeting up with her handsome new neighbour is marred by the arrival of an anonymous note. Someone apparently knows her secret, but who, and moreover what will happen if the truth comes out?

I can highly recommend this latest book from Veronica Henry. Its pages are populated with a cast of strong characters and filled with details of their lives, past and present. The story flits between present day and what happened to Nikki and her family twenty years ago. This is not my favourite form of narrative, but it was used to good effect here. Alongside the drama, there is also plenty of romance. I liked Nikki’s next door neighbour very much. He was very supportive and non-judgemental as well as easy on the eye. Nikki’s secret emerges slowly as the story progresses and the potential consequences of its being revealed become clear. I liked the way in which the reader is kept guessing as to the identity of the writer of the anonymous note; I certainly didn’t work it out. Although the book has an idyllic setting by the sea, there are copious reminders of its dangers.

To order your copy now, just cick here!

Guest Review: One Enchanted Evening by Katie Fforde

Ever since she can remember, Meg has wanted to be a professional cook.

But it's 1966, and in restaurant kitchens all over England it is still a man's world.

Then she gets a call from her mother who is running a small hotel in Dorset.

There's an important banqueting event coming up. She needs help and she needs it now!

When Meg arrives, the hotel seems stuck in the past. But she loves a challenge, and sets to work.

Then Justin, the son of the hotel owner, appears, determined to take over the running of the kitchen.

Infuriated, Meg is determined to keep cooking - and soon sparks between them begin to fly.

Will their differences be a recipe for disaster? After all, the course of true love never did run smooth...

Review: As soon as I became aware that this new title from Katie Fforde was on its way, I preordered the audiobook and began listening on publication day. This story is linked to some of her previous books featuring a group of friends who met through a cookery course, but I feel that it can still be read as a standalone; although there are many returning characters, the relationships to each other and to the central characters in this book are well established. This story is set in Dorset in the 1960s when attitudes towards women working as chefs were different from those held today. 

The story concerns 22-year-old Meg, a trainee chef who has ambitions to become an accomplished pastry chef. When her mother asks her to come and help in the country house hotel she is running, Meg arrives to find a charming but rundown establishment in dire need of someone to cater an impending formal lunch for a large group of local people. Despite interference from Justin, son of the hotel’s absentee owner, Meg uses her initiative in producing a meal that is well received using the available resources. She then begins to come up with ideas for modernisation of the hotel’s practices and facilities without sacrificing its charm. Initially, she has to fight Justin at every turn, but he begins to appreciate her abilities. If the two can work together, could the ailing hotel be saved after all and could they become friends, and more?

I found this an entertaining read full of friendship and romance. Having read the other books featuring some of the main characters, it was nice to catch up with them while meeting some new faces. I loved the setting of the story. The rather tired hotel sounded so cosy and the staff so welcoming, at least once a rather temperamental chef had left. Meg was a gentle character until roused, when she was a formidable force. I really enjoyed the interactions between her and Justin; he found more than he bargained for from this female interloper. I would recommend this book to fans of this author and newcomers to her work alike. It’s not necessary to have read the previous titles featuring Meg and her friends, but you may want to go back and read them if you enjoy this story. 

To order your copy now, just click here!

Guest Review: Family Secrets at the Inglenook Inn by Helen Rolfe

Welcome back to the Inglenook Inn, a cosy and welcoming place that instantly feels like home.

Rupert has been the chef at the Inglenook Inn for years. He loves working at the boutique hotel, crafting exquisite meals and fantastic desserts for each and every guest. When his boss, who is practically family, ​is called away on an emergency, Rupert has to step up and run the place. That would be challenge enough, but ​when his sister Natalie shows up, ​she brings a ​whole lot more ​baggage than ​her belongings.

Katy is out of a job and out of luck until she lands a temporary job at the Inglenook Inn. With her years of experience, helping to manage a hotel is a challenge she relishes. But there’s more drama under the ​one roof than she ​ever expected and ​on top of that she’s worried her dad might be making a ​major decision he’ll regret.

Rupert and Katy ​have their hands full, but there’s magic in the air at the Inglenook Inn, and as they work side by side they discover something new and unexpected.

Is it possible to fall in love in just a few short days?

This is the seventh book in the New York Ever After series from this author. For readers acquainted with the series, the storyline in this book takes us back to the boutique Inglenook Inn, housed in a Manhattan brownstone, and to some characters who appeared in earlier parts of the series as a whole. I have enjoyed all the other books in this series, and looked forward to being reacquainted with some familiar faces as well as meet some new ones. However, it is not necessary to have read the other books in the series to fully enjoy this story. 

As this story begins, the owner of the Inglenook Inn, Sofia, is called away by a family emergency, leaving the chef, Rupert, in charge and looking for someone to help him run things in her absence. He is lucky to find Katy, a young lady with years of experience in the hotel industry, who could step into the job immediately as she had just left her previous position. For her part, she is glad to find a live-in job that means she will not have to share an apartment with her dad and his girlfriend. All is going well until Rupert’s sister, Natalie, turns up at the hotel, acting strangely and causing Rupert and Katy extra stress and work. In spite of everything, as time passes, Katy begins to realise that she is developing feelings for Rupert and that perhaps they are reciprocated.

I very much enjoyed this story; I quickly became immersed in events at the Inglenook Inn and finished the book all too soon. Like the other books in this series, I can positively recommend this one, and if you haven’t read the others, they are worth seeking out as well. I liked all of the well-formed characters in this story. They were all dealing with worrying issues in one way or another, each of which was dealt sensitively by the author. Natalie’s behaviour made me want to dislike her, but I was sure that there was more going on than the others realised. The descriptions of Inglenook Inn once more had me longing to visit. The staff went to amazing lengths in order to make everyone’s stay perfect; who wouldn’t want to visit? 

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Blog Tour: Guest Post From Louisa Leaman Author of The Perfect Dress

 Today I am very excited to be part of the blog tour for The Perfect Dress by Louisa Leaman. The ebook is out now and the paperback comes out in February 2020. I have a fascinating post from Louisa today detailing the exquisite dresses featured in this novel. If you love the sound of that, you can click here to order the book now. Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour for more exclusive content and reviews!

Here's what it's all about...

Fran’s wedding dress shop isn’t like any other. A treasure trove of history, filled with gowns from every decade for every type of bride. But not as you’d expect.

Something bold for the shy and retiring.

Something simple for the woman who is unafraid to stand out.

And something dazzling for the bride who wouldn’t normally dare to be different.

No matter your expectations, you’d never guess your own perfect dress. But Fran knows… she feels the wisdom woven into every gown, a gift from the previous owner waiting to be handed down to the next bride.

When Fran finds a dress that seems to be perfect for her she can’t wait to know its complex history which starts with her getting to know the son of the previous owner…

And here's that insight from Louisa Leaman, author of The Perfect Dress...

‘Its form: full-length, nipped waist, sweetheart-neck, elegant lace sleeves, a dramatic full skirt and a train that goes on for over four meters.  She sits motionless for a minute, the dress spread across her arms, barely able to see straight, barely able to think. The lace overlay is impeccable. French, surely? Its dense and detailed flower pattern is hypnotic to the eye . . . Such attention to detail, such hand-stitched care – one of those wedding dresses. In fact, it is more than that. This one is exceptional, once in a lifetime.’

This is the moment my wedding-obsessed heroine, Francesca Delaney, uncovers her dress of dreams in a house clearance. Writing the details of exquisite bridal wear in my debut novel, ‘The Perfect Dress’, has been a joy. I wanted each of the gowns to feel vivid and distinct in readers’ minds. It helped that I had a rich resource to inspire me. Prior to starting the novel, I had researched and written about wedding dresses for the Victoria & Albert Museum website. Their collection of historic bridal-wear spans five centuries and includes dresses, veils, shoes, groom-wear and under garments.

I’m often asked which of the book’s dresses is my favourite. The truth is I love them all, but I have to pay homage to the ‘Alessandra Colt’ dress described in the extract above, as it is the one that changes Francesca Delaney’s romantic fortune. The idea of it originated from a real-life Norman Hartnell gown in the Victoria & Albert collection, worn by a woman called Margaret Whigham (who later become the Duchess of Argyll) in her marriage to stockbroker Charles Sweeny, at the Brompton Oratory in 1933.

Norman Hartnell made a name for himself as the dressmaker of choice among London’s youthful society debutantes. He was best known for dressing the ladies of the Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth II (watch Netflix’ ‘The Crown’ for a glorious reenactment of her dress fittings!). I was intrigued by the way in which designers of that era were so invested in their clients, building close relationships, often designing their entire wedding trousseaus, as well as evening gowns and occasion dresses. This inspired my fictitious fashion house, Garrett-Alexia.

Margaret Whigham loved publicity. Her daily life was chronicled in numerous gossip columns and she knew how to work the press (readers of ‘The Perfect Dress’ will see this echoed in fame-hungry reality-television bride, Karina T). Two thousand onlookers came to see Margaret’s nuptials and coverage dominated the next day’s front pages. The crowd was so large, traffic was brought to a halt, which can be seen in the newsreel clip ‘Brilliant Society Wedding’ on the British Pathe website.

For such a grand occasion Margaret Whigham required a dramatic dress. Norman Hartnell’s svelte design hit the mark, with its silk satin and tulle, embroidered with appliqués, seed pearls and glass bugle beads, hand-stitched by thirty seamstresses over six weeks. The most impressive feature, however, is its integral train, nearly four meters long and two meters wide. In my novel, Alessandra Colt’s dress was designed two decades after Margaret’s and represents a typical 1950s silhouette, but I knew I had to give at a Whigham-esque train. And where Margaret’s dress was appliqued with stars and orange blossoms, which have a traditional symbolic association with marriage, Alessandra Colt’s dress features humming birds, which represent infinity – ironic or a good omen, readers can make of that what they will.

Both dresses, real and fictitious, failed to secure lasting marriages, but they’ve each gone on to have exciting after-lives. Margaret Whigham’s dress has delighted and educated onlookers at exhibitions across the world, while Alessandra Colt’s dress has played its part in the realm of romantic happy endings, by encouraging good love between a pair of deserving souls.

Thanks so much to Louisa for stopping by today and readers please do remember to stop by the other stops on this tour!

Blog Tour: Guest Post from Deirdre Quiery author of Eden Burning

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Eden Burning by Deirdre Quiery. I have a guest post from the author today talking about what can be learned from the book. If you like the sound of that, you can click here to order your copy now. Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour for more exclusive content and reviews. 

Here's what it's all about...

Catapulting us into 1970s Belfast in the heart of the Troubles, Eden Burning pulses with conflict and introduces us to a cast of characters we profoundly care about, even when they are warring with each other. Above all, though, it is a novel with a true spiritual and emotional heart. --Rachel Connor, bestselling author of Sisterwives

Northern Ireland, 1972. On the Crumlin Road, Belfast, the violent sectarian Troubles have forced Tom Martin to take drastic measures to protect his family. Across the divide William McManus pursues his own particular bloody code, murdering for a cause. Yet both men have underestimated the power of love and an individuals belief in right and wrong, a belief that will shake the lives of both families with a greater impact than any bomb blast. This is a compelling, challenging story of conflict between and within families driven by religion, belief, loyalty and love. In a world deeply riven by division, a world of murders, bomb blasts and assassinations, how can any individual transcend the seemingly inevitable violence of their very existence?

WHAT CAN BREXIT LEARN FROM EDEN BURNING?

My Uncle Francie was abandoned at the age of 3 by my psychopathic Grandfather and placed as a three year old with his 4 siblings into the hands of my mother who was then aged 16. It was 1942 and Belfast was blitzed. You will see a little of that story in Eden Burning when Catherine goes into hospital during the blitz and gives birth to twins. Faction meets fiction. 

Francie became a controversial person as he grew up. He was at first invited to weddings but after a series of punching people in the face and blood running onto the wedding field, he lost invitations to subsequent weddings and funerals. By the way funerals are very important in Irish life – you celebrate, dance, play music and tap your hand on the head of the deceased who is non-living in the bedroom. To be isolated from a funeral is the equivalent to being barred from a wedding.

What has that to do with Brexit and Eden Burning?

Well – living in Northern Ireland with flags from either community – floating as symbols of hatred and narrow mindedness formed my thinking.

I understand violence. I grew up in it. To be put out of your house at gunpoint, to see the houses of others who felt that their only power of response was to burn to the earth that which they had built as their home and where they had created their livelihood – I understood within the flaming fires and smoke - hatred.

I also learnt about love within this experience.

Brexit for me as an author is about – isolation, narcissism of culture, division and a lack of a sense of that we are all in this together. We are on this planet. We need to co-operate to let the next generations live. The vote to leave reminds me so much of the hatred and vitriol exclusion of others. It reminds me of Northern Ireland in the 1970s.

What I wanted to do in writing Eden Burning was to explore this hatred which we are all capable of holding within us and to offer an Exit of redemption and love. I believe Eden Burning tells a story of the insanity of fragmentation, isolationism and a way out of our craziness through forgiveness and love. 

Thanks to Deirdre for stopping by today and readers remember to check out the other stops on the tour!

#LoveBooksTours

Blog Tour: Guest Post from Jonathan Whitelaw Author of The Man in The Dark

I am lucky enough to be part of another fab blog tour today. This one celebrate The Man in The Dark by Jonathan Whitelaw which comes out on Thursday. I have a guest post from Jonathan today and if you like the sound of that, you can click here to pre-order your copy of the book. Don't forget to check out the rest of the stops on the tour for more exclusive content and reviews!

Here's what it's all about...

The Devil's back - and he's STILL not had a holiday.

There's another mystery to solve - a woman kidnapped by terrorists and the world trying to find her. While he hates doing God's bidding, The Devil can't resist trying to put one over on Him. But nothing is EVER that simple.

While the Devil helps the London cops crack the case, there's trouble in the Underworld. And two of humanity's greatest backstabbers - Brutus and Cassius - are sharpening their knives with an eye on stealing his crown.

It's a race against time to find the girl, be the bad guy and maybe stop the apocalypse.

And here's Jonathan's words of wisdom on his inspiration...

            One of the real head scratching questions I’ve been asked since HellCorp came out has been - where did you get your idea from? The simple answer is - I’m not quite sure.

            Now I know that’s a cop-out. And it’s also strictly not true. So yes, I’m a big fibber. I’m terrible, I know!

            The idea for the series really came from my frankly appalling jealousy of all the great crime writers out there doing so much great work. Denise Mina, Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, seriously, they’re just SO good at what they do. And the green-eyed monster bit me bad. As a writer, I always knew I could try and turn my hand to anything. It comes from my work as a digital journalist where you don’t know what story will come across your desk next. One minute it might be breaking news about a terrible fire or car crash, the next you’re interviewing a stand-up comedian about their show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Then the next hour it’s onto the complexities and backstabbing of politics. And after lunch you could be covering court cases.

            Don’t get me wrong, I love it, I thrive on it and I’m very, very lucky to be able to do it almost every day. And that has normally translated to my fiction writing too. Except crime. I guess I was just too scared to start - which is always a killer for any project.

            I gave myself a shake and realised this was an itch that needed scratching. So I started thinking about what my leading character would be like. Now we’ve seen, quite literally, every sort of cop-on-the-edge there is. If they aren’t alcoholics they’re sociopaths. If they aren’t renegades who play by their own rules then they’re single parents struggling with the work/life balance. On and on and on, we’ve been there before a hundred times.

            I wanted my detective to be different. I wanted an anti-hero but they were all busy. So I thought, hold on, who’s the ultimate anti-hero? There really was only one candidate. The Prince of Darkness, Old 666, The Man in the Dark himself - The Devil.

            And from there the book really took shape. With that central character of a smart-alecky, fiercely intelligent, opinionated and suave Satan, the pieces all came together nicely. The rest of the cast slotted into place and HellCorp was born.

            Now we’re sitting with The Man in the Dark ready to go. The Devil is back but perhaps not as everyone is expecting. There’s set to be a few surprises even he wasn’t expecting. And throwing those curve-balls in his direction is what keeps me going. Brilliant stuff.  

Author Info

Jonathan Whitelaw is an author, journalist and broadcaster. After working on the frontline of Scottish politics, he moved into journalism. Subjects he has covered have varied from breaking news, the arts, culture and sport to fashion, music and even radioactive waste with everything in between. He's also a regular reviewer and talking head on shows for the BBC and STV. ‘HellCorp’ is his second novel following his debut, ‘Morbid Relations’.

Website: https://urbanepublications.com/authors/jonathan-whitelaw/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JDWhitelaw13

FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/JonathanWhitelawAuthor/

Twitter Handles

@urbanebooks 

@JDWhitelaw13 

#LoveBooksTours

Thanks so much to Jonathan for stopping by and sharing that with us today. Don't forget to check out the rest of the blogs on the tour!

Blog Tour: Guest Post from Paul Tudor Owen Author of The Weighing of The Heart

Today I am lucky enough to be part of the blog tour for The Weighing of the Heart by Paul Tudor Owen. I have a guest post from the author today and if you like the look of that, you can click here to order yourself a copy of the book now. Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour for more exclusive content and reviews!

Here's what it's all about...

Following a sudden break-up, Englishman in New York Nick Braeburn takes a room with the elderly Peacock sisters in their lavish Upper East Side apartment, and finds himself increasingly drawn to the priceless piece of Egyptian art on their study wall - and to Lydia, the beautiful Portuguese artist who lives across the roof garden.

But as Nick draws Lydia into a crime he hopes will bring them together, they both begin to unravel, and each find that the other is not quite who they seem.

Paul Tudor Owen's intriguing debut novel brilliantly evokes the New York of Paul Auster and Joseph O'Neill. 

Guest post – favourite character to write

My novel The Weighing of the Heart is about a young British guy living in New York called Nick Braeburn, who moves in with a couple of rich older ladies as a lodger in their opulent apartment on the Upper East Side. He gets together with their other tenant, Lydia, who lives next door, and the two of them steal a priceless work of art from the study wall.

The work of art that Nick and Lydia take is an Ancient Egyptian scene, and as the stress of the theft starts to work on them, the imagery of Ancient Egypt, the imagery in the painting, starts to come to life around them, and it’s intended to be unclear whether this is something that is really happening or whether it’s all in Nick’s head.

So Nick is the crucial character here and once I’d decided I wanted to write the novel in the first person, getting the narrator’s voice right was crucial.

I was always interested in establishing an unreliable narrator for this book who you initially trust and like, and then gradually become suspicious of – an interest that goes back to books like The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, a stunning novel about the prospect of wasting your life and the lengths you can go to to hide that from yourself. By the end of that book what the narrator, Stevens, is saying and what you as the reader take from that are two completely different things. It’s so skilfully done.

Another book I was thinking of when I was creating Nick’s voice was My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier, which is about a man who suspects the woman he loves is poisoning him. Throughout the novel, Du Maurier demonstrates an incredible ability to keep two entirely contradictory interpretations of the plot completely plausible in your mind, and I was aiming for something along those lines too.

And then from an early stage of drafting it I wanted Nick to be a Brit in New York, an outsider. Partly this was to allow myself to live out in writing a fantasy I had had since my late teens of living in New York – something I was lucky enough to be able to fulfil during the writing process. But partly it was because New York is a city of immigrants and newcomers and a melting pot for artists from around the globe and around America just as it is for everyone else, and I felt that that idea would come across most effectively through a foreigner.

In my view, some of the best writing and art and music about New York often comes from outsiders to the city who are looking at the place with fresh eyes. PJ Harvey, for example – whose Stories from City, Stories from the Sea is a quintessential New York album – is from Dorset, and I’ve always loved her description of a conversation on “a rooftop in Brooklyn / At one in the morning … We lean against railings / Describing the colours / And the smells of our homelands / Acting like lovers.”

Perhaps most significantly for my book, which is strongly indebted to The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald was from the Midwest, and his narrator in that unsurpassable depiction of New York, Nick Carraway, takes care to point out that all its key characters, “Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life.”

I wanted my narrator, Nick Braeburn, to share some of these qualities, and gave him a similar name for that reason.

About the author

Paul Tudor Owen was born in Manchester in 1978, and was educated at the University of Sheffield, the University of Pittsburgh, and the London School of Economics. 

He began his career as a local newspaper reporter in north-west London, and currently works at the Guardian, where he spent three years as deputy head of US news at the paper's New York office.  

Paul Tudor Owen’s debut novel The Weighing of the Heart is published by Obliterati Press and has been nominated for the People’s Book Prize 2019 and the Not the Booker Prize 2019

Twitter: @paultowen

Instagram: @paultowen

Website: https://paul-tudor-owen.tumblr.com

Thanks to Paul for stopping by today and readers, remember to stop by the other spots on this tour!

Blog Tour: Guest Post From Ray Clark author of Ryder On The Storm

Today I am honoured to be part of the blog tour for Ryder on the Storm by Ray Clark. I have a guest post from Ray today, talking about his writing process and location. Ryder on the Storm is out now and you can click here to order your copy. Thanks to Ray for stopping by today and don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour for more exclusive content and reviews. 

Here's what it's all about...

When builder Terry Johnson spots what he thinks is a bargain he can’t resist but to succumb to temptation. The large, detached house stands on the side of a railway track and would be perfect for his needs … and it’s cheap! But Billington Manor has a very tainted history, and the grounds upon which it stands were part of an unsolved murder back in the 1850’s. Terry is about to discover that the road to hell is not always paved with good intentions.

Based upon a true incident, Ryder On The Storm is a stand-alone supernatural crime novella from the author of the IMP series, featuring desk sergeant Maurice Cragg.

And here's the book trailer for you too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2CdRUB9tFw&feature=youtu.be

 And here's what Ray has to say all about location...

Ever since I started to take writing seriously, attending seminars, author talks, workshops and festivals on a regular basis, I listened to the professionals sharing tips on how to write: the best piece of advice they gave was, write about what you know. It’s very true, and it encompasses most aspects of your life, including location. Fans of John Grisham will notice most of his books feature a lawyer for his main character. If you love the Roy Grace series written by my friend, Peter James you will note that it’s set in Brighton – somewhere Peter knows very well.

One of the very first novels I wrote was called Calix, a cross genre novel about possession, set against the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials. The idea started from a trip to Salem, which is a lovely but strange place. I could never shake the feeling of being watched, wherever I went. The main characters are Martin and Sue Hawthorne, born and bred in America but who had settled into a peaceful life in the Yorkshire Dales. A lot of the action takes place in a Yorkshire village, or in the centre of Leeds. Martin Hawthorne was a musician and music producer. What I had managed to do was combine a number of aspects of my life and weave them into the story. I have been a musician pretty much since I left school, and I am very familiar with the towns and the cities in and around the dales so it wasn’t too hard to maintain the atmosphere.

Seven Secrets was another Yorkshire based novel, set on the NYMR (North York Moors Railway) between Pickering and Whitby: beautiful places trapped in a bygone era where time seems to have stood still. I have travelled that stretch of line more times than I care to remember and I wanted to see how the community would cope if I unleashed hell on them.

The IMP series featuring detectives Gardener and Reilly are set in and around Leeds, and I can remember the exact moment when I realized how perfect the city would be. I had always been an avid reader of crime fiction and many years ago I worked for a company delivering holiday brochures around Yorkshire: Leeds being just one of the cities we went to. It was a Thursday in mid summer, I had almost finished my run and there was a block of shops in Beeston, about a mile from Elland Rd (Leeds Utd football ground). I drove around the back of the shops, put the tachograph on to break and had some dinner. Keeping me company was a copy of Val McDermid’s, The Wire In The Blood, featuring profiler Tony Hill. I loved the book, which was also set in Yorkshire. I remember reading a pretty bleak, dark scene and glancing up. Given that the shops of Beeston were high up I had the perfect vision of what I wanted for book 1, Impurity. The following is a paragraph is from an early chapter with a name change:

“He sighed and peered down the street. To an outsider, Rawston appeared as a reassuring scene of frost-covered, two-up-two-down, back-to-back terraced houses set against the background of a thriving textile industry. Reminiscent of an Ealing Studio’s B-movie, the closeknit community would spend the night indoors huddled around the fire, wrapping presents for their broods of children safely tucked up in bed, encompassed by the mouth-watering aroma of chestnuts roasting in the grate.”

Based on what I’ve said above I think write about what – and where – you know is extremely important. It adds so much more depth to your writing.

Author Bio

Ray’s writing career started with a 3’000 word essay on the author Graham Masterton, published by The British Fantasy Society in 1995: A book length adaptation, Manitou Man: The World of Graham Mastertonfollowed in 1998, and was immediately nominated for both the British and World Fantasy Awards in the category of best collection.

Ray’s previous publications include The Priest’s Hole and Seven Secrets, published by Damnation Books.Calix, two short story collections, A Devil’s Dozen, and A Detective’s Dozen, published by Double Dragon books of Canada. 2016 saw the first crime novel in the IMP series, Impurity. Books 2 and 3, Imperfection, andImplant followed in 2017 & 2018, published by Urbane. The IMP series follows detectives D.I. Stewart Gardener and D.S. Sean Reilly around the West Yorkshire city of Leeds.

Future publications will include book 4 in the IMP series, Impression, and a stand alone cross genre novel entitled, Spirit, featuring characters from Seven Secrets.

Thanks again to Ray for stopping by today!