Exclusive Extract From The Guestbook by Holly Martin

  

Welcome to Willow Cottage – throw open the shutters, let in the sea breeze and make yourself completely at home. Oh, and please do leave a comment in the Guestbook.

As landlady of Willow Cottage, the young widow Annie Butterworth is always on hand with tea, sympathy or strong Norfolk cider - whatever her colourful array of guests require.  A flick through the messages in the leather-bound cottage guestbook gives a tantalizing glimpse into the lives of everyone who passes through her doors.

This includes Annie herself - especially now celebrity crime writer Oliver Black, is back in town. He might grace the covers of gossip magazines with a different glamorous supermodel draped on his arm every week, but to Annie, he’s always just been Olly, the man who Annie shared her first kiss with.

Through the pages of the Guestbook Annie and Olly, along with all the guests that arrive at the seaside retreat, struggle with love, loss, mystery, joy, happiness, guilt…and the odd spot of naked rambling!

Forget sending postcards saying ‘wish you were here’ - one visit to Willow Cottage and you’ll wish you could stay forever.

There is a review today on http://shelovestoread.weebly.com/

Read on for the second exclusive extract of The Guestbook, released on Valentine’s Day.  The first extract can be found onhttp://thischickreads.wordpress.com/

 8th – 14th March

Oliver Butterworth.  Black

Saturday:

I’m here to kill someone and I’m not leaving until I’ve done it.  

Oliver Black

Sunday:

I’m thinking of using a scythe, with a jagged serrated edge.  Though I don’t want my victim to die too quickly, it needs to be slow and painful, it needs to be bloody.  I want her to see her blood drain out of her, slowly, agonizingly feel her life force ebb away.  I want her to beg for her salvation.  I want that tough hard exterior to crumble in the last pitiful minutes of her pathetic life.  I want to see her cry.

My best laid plans continue to go awry.  As devious as I am in trying to catch my prey, she is as cunning at evading me.  I almost respect her for it.  Almost.

Oh Olly, you do make me laugh.  It’s good to have you back.  You do realise how this will look don’t you, or is that your intention?  I’ll have the police on me for harbouring a criminal.  If they come for me, I’m taking you down with me.  There’s no honour amongst thieves.  

Annie x

Careful Annie, or I may have to kill you.

Oh please do, I’ve been begging you to kill me off for years.  The bloodier and messier the better.  Could you chop off my head and tear out my innards?  Could you gouge out my eyes and keep them about your person as a memento?  You could have a whole box of eyes left over from your victims.  Oh and could you write some message on the walls using my blood? My brain could be the full stop.  I’d love that.

I bet you would you sicko.   Now leave me alone.  I came here for some peace and solitude, not to be bothered every five minutes by the dodgy landlady next door.  If you disturb me again I really will consider ripping out your heart and letting you watch as it beats feebly in my bloody hands.

Promises, promises.  Come for dinner tonight, don’t shut yourself away for the whole week, I’ve missed you.  If you come I promise to be good and quiet for at least a day.

Right, that’s it, you’re in for it now.  I need a big knife.

I have one.  You’re welcome to come round and borrow it.

Monday:

After dinner with my sister-in-law I feel much better about the murder.  We talked things through and she gave me some great ideas on how to commit the perfect crime.  I now know how I’m going to dispose of the body too.  No one will ever find her.  Claudette Montana is going to die tonight.  I will not rest until she is lying in the ground.

Claudette Montana?  Really? Please kill me off, not her.

I am not killing you off.  I’ve told you before, Annie Butterworth just isn’t sexy enough to be in one of my books.  Annie Butterworth sounds like an old granny with fluffy slippers and someone who wears cardigans no matter how hot it is.  Why do you think I changed my name to Oliver Black?  Oliver Butterworth would be smoking a pipe and sucking on his Werther’s Originals, he certainly wouldn’t be the number one crime writer in Britain, nay the world.

You think a lot of yourself don’t you?  And yes, I’m well aware I’m not sexy enough for you.

Are we still talking about the book here?  Let’s not go down that weird road again.   Besides you were in my last book, you obviously didn’t look hard enough.

I was not, I would have noticed that.

Try the very front of the book.

What’s this?  The Great Oliver Black having writer’s block?  Surely not.  

Sophia Lorenzo.  Cleaner.

Oh Annie.  Please tell me, with all your money, why you still haven’t got yourself a decent cleaner yet? Why do you still have this old bag hanging around like a bad smell?

Oliver Butterworth, don’t think you are too old to be put over my knee.  Sophia

Oh Aunty Sophia, are you still mad that I killed you off in Behind Closed Doors.

I was more bothered that you made me into a prostitute.

High class escort actually, I couldn’t resist.  Besides Sophia Lorenzo is a much sexier sounding name than Annie Butterworth.

You dedicated your last book to me!!  How did I miss that?  I can’t believe you did that.  That’s… Thank you.

Oh don’t get all soppy on me.  Jeez if I knew it was going to get this reaction I would have dedicated it to my local Chinese take-out, who kept me fed through the duration of the book.

And Sophia, it wasn’t so much writer’s block, more murderer’s block.  I had made the character of Claudette so clever, underhanded and cunning that she wouldn’t fall for the plots and ploys of Maxwell Hunt.  I also needed to make sure the reader would feel sympathetic towards him, they had to want Claudette dead almost as much as he did.

Tuesday:

It is technically Tuesday.  3.27 Tuesday morning to be precise.  But Claudette has been killed.  I feel like singing ‘ding, dong the witch is dead’.  I have cracked open a bottle of Whin Hill Cider to celebrate but may sneak next door and top up my celebrations with some of Annie’s amazing trifle.

Note to self: When breaking into your sister-in-law’s place either go blindfolded or call out to make sure she is decent first.  I don’t know who was more shocked when I walked in to find her stark naked tucking into the trifle.  Admittedly we’re experiencing one of the hottest springs since before dinosaurs roamed the earth but still, one should wear a robe when wandering about downstairs.  

Why should I wear a robe in my own house?  Normally my guests don’t just take it upon themselves to wander into my house and help themselves to my food.  That’s not part of the service.  Besides you have seen me naked before.

Yes.  You’ve put on weight since the last time.

Oh my god! Thanks very much!

Annie! You know very well that I meant that as a good thing.  You were a bag of bones the last time I saw you.  I’m so glad you’re eating properly again now.

Nag, nag, nag.

I’m just saying, what I saw in the light of the fridge for those brief seconds was damned sexy.

Sexy enough to be in one of your books?

No.

If you won’t kill me off how about making me into a murderer instead?

Annie Butterworth, blonde hair, blue eyes, face like an angel, cast as an evil murderer, who would believe it?

Wednesday:

My sister-in-law has gone mad.  Maybe the grief of my brother dying has finally got to her and it’s pushed her over the edge.  She tried to kill me three times yesterday.  

The first time she leapt out of a cupboard with an axe.  Scared the bloody crap out of me, but only because she was screaming like a banshee.  When I turned around and saw Annie brandishing an axe in her little flowered blouse and denim shorts with those stupid oversized sandals she loves so much I burst out laughing, hardly the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.  

The second time a quiche appeared in my kitchen with a packet of rat poison next to it.  The quiche tasted amazing, Annie always could cook.  

I had to give her points for trying on the third attempt.  I woke to find her straddling me, dressed head to toe in a black leather cat suit, her hair slicked back, her eyes lined with black and a knife pressed to my throat.  I must admit she did look mean, but I was too busy trying not to be turned on to be scared of her.  Quite frankly if she had killed me then I would have gone with a huge grin on my face.  

Annie, I know you just don’t have it in you to be a killer. I’ve seen you stop the car for a frog to cross the road.  You didn’t even have the guts to use a real knife, you had a spoon handle pressed to my throat.

I didn’t want to hurt you.  I could be believable as a killer, just you wait and see.

Thursday:

Annie may be a better killer than I thought.  Last night I nearly died laughing.  

She had made a dummy by stuffing old clothes with newspapers, a head out of an old melon and fastened it all together to look like a body then wrapped it in a black bin bag.  Just as it was starting to turn dark she went out to her front garden, and in full view of the rest of the village, dug a hole to bury the body.  She obviously wanted to raise suspicions and prove that people would think she was capable of such a thing.  

She was in luck.  David Lambeth, the local constabulary, was driving past and he stopped when he saw her digging.  I think she nearly did a little victory dance that he would ask her what she was doing and to explain the body shaped bag on her front lawn.  But without a word, David went to the shed, grabbed another spade and helped her to dig the hole only stopping once to clarify how deep she wanted it.  I laughed so much I think I ruptured something inside.

Even when I told him I wanted the hole six feet deep he didn’t bat an eyelid.  I did relent in the end and told him I’d finish the hole the next day.  He’s coming round later to help me finish it off.

Friday:

I’m being kicked out today.  Apparently a paying guest is more important than family.

You can stay in my spare room, you know that.  I promise not to jump you.

I’d prefer to keep the boundaries a bit stricter, after last time.

Prude.

I’ll be back for the grand re-opening of The Painted Plate.  Take Care Annie, Sophia, take care of her.

I will.  Don’t stay away so long next time.  Sophia x

**********

Tomorrow is Publication Day for The Guestbook!!! Join me onhttp://fromfirstpagetolast.wordpress.com/ to listen to me talk about the inspiration for The Guestbook and onhttp://theloveofagoodbook.wordpress.com/ there will be another review.

Link to buy:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HVD8VX2?ie=UTF8&at=aw-iphone-pc-uk-21&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links

Now YOU can get involved too, here is our very own Guestbook online, take the time to visit and leave a comment, join in the fun and tell us what you thought of your experience. Meet new friends or be nosey and see what others have got up to before you! 

http://theguestbookhollymartin.wordpress.com/

Review: This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

Review: I'd heard a lot about this book which made me really want to read it. I was very excited when I found it in my local library and when I eventually got around to reading it I was glad that I did. This book is a great book for young adults because it tackles issues such a bullying, in real life and cyber bullying. Self esteem and how children cope when their parents are separated. It also teaches readers to go for what you believe in and not just follow the crowd. This is definitely something I'll be buying for school! 

From what I'd heard people say I thought this book was going to be a total contemporary book full of slushy romance but it really wasn't it was very real. Elise is a great characters. The reader can tell straight away that she is unhappy with her life and confused about the kind of person she wants to be, but she knows the kind of person she definitely doesn't want to be, and totally stands behind that 100 percent. She is loyal to her family and seems to have endless energy to go after her true passion which is djing! She has some very interesting friends and other characters in the book surrounding her and I think the quirkiness of these other characters really make the book what it is. 

The issues dealt with in this book make for some difficult reading in parts and you definitely shouldn't pick this up if you're feeling down in any way. The talks of such ideal jbehaviour will definitely bring you down even further. The issues and the bullying that Elise faces make for really compelling reading,however, and you find yourself turning the pages quicker and quicker to learn what her eventual fate is going to be. I really enjoyed reading about her relationship with her parents and how that develops, and her trying out being a DJ for the first time. There is also the issue of you glove, and whilst this isn't explored fully in the pages of this novel, it is touched upon and of course, only adds to the issues that Elise has to cope with. 

Overall I thought this was a really good, solid read. I read it very quickly because whilst it is a short book, it is also a real page turner. You should definitely be aware that this book deals with touch issues very honestly and it will definitely dredge up some memories of your own high school bullies, but overall this is definitely worth a read! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon 11/2/14

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over there at The Broke and the Bookish. I'd love to share my lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

And interesting one this week, I love reading romance novels and I love to swoon over a gorgeous man or a swoon-worthy event. I have to say though, I haven't read about many swoon-worthy men very recently so I'm going to have too dredge some up in my memories to come up with my top ten today! 

1. Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. Luke Brandon-need I say more?

2. Sex and The City by Candace Bushnell. A bevy of men and accessories, definitely swoonable! 

3. The Grestest Love Story of All Time by Lucy Robinson. The title says it all really, but Dave-oh Dave! 

4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen-Mr Darcy!!!!!

5. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen-Colonel Brandon all the way! 

6. It Started with a Kiss by Miranda Dickinson. Spending a whole year searching for the guy that kissed you, definitely swoon! 

7. Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone. This love story definitely made me swoon! 

8. The Fault in Our stars by John Green. This one was just so touching, I swooned back onto my pillows on more than one occasion! 

9. First Last Kiss by Ali Harris. Oh my goodness, so much swoon! 

10. The I Heart Series by Lindsey Kelk. I swoon over Alex every single time! 

Let me know if you've swooned over these books too, or what made it onto your list of books to swoon over. Have a great week! 

Review: Bonkers by Jennifer Saunders

Jennifer Saunders' brilliant comic creations have brought joy to millions for three decades. From Comic Strip to Comic Relief, from Bolly-swilling Edina in Absolutely Fabulous to Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia, her characters are household names.

But it's Jennifer herself who has a place in all our hearts. This is her funny, touching and disarmingly honest memoir, filled with stories of friends, laughter and occasional heartache - but never misery.

From her childhood on RAF bases, where her father was a pilot, to her life-changing encounter with a young Dawn French, on to success and family, the book charts her extraordinary story, including the slip ups and battles along the way.

Review: aww what a lovely, touching autobiography! I was hooked into this book straight away and found it compulsive reading right from the first page, literally such a quick read because you feel like Jennifer saundersnis speaking to you and only you and you want to finish this wonderful conversation that you're having with this fabulous comedienne before going away and doing anything else. I actually got this on audiobook and as it is read by the author, this feeling of being in conversation with her intensified even more. 

I love the structure of this book because, like any goo autobiography which is designed to keep you entertained, it doesn't simply go over event chronologically, there are massive tangents to go off and on and she merely highlights events that were key for her, not making a massive event over the more trivial points, or the points which will make a better sale of the book. She knows her audience and knows the kind of anecdotes that they will want to hear about her relationship with her comedy partners, her husband and her battle with breast cancer. 

I have to admit that whilst I was a big fan of Jennifer Saunders before, I am an even bigger fan now! She just makes herself so endearing to hear readers and you don't even realise the amount of things she's been involved in and this book lays them all our for you, showing how much of a struggle it was for her in what was predominantly, a mans world, to make it big. She loves her friends a family and you can tell she enjoyed telling some of the tales that she told in this book, even if It was a massive effort to sit down and write it! I would recommend this book to anyone, it would make a fantastic present for someone who doesn't normally read because it is just such an easy book to get into and makes you want to get to the end before even moving again. 

Sorry this has been such a short review but it was just a lovely autobiography! 

Video Reveal! The Guesbook by Holly Martin Teaser...

Last week I brought you a cover reveal for The Guestbook by Holly Martin. I Subsequently met Holly at the Launch for Rosie Blake's How To Get A (Love) Life and she was lovely which makes me even more excited to be bringing you this gorgeous video teaser for her book. If this video doesn't want to make you snuggle down and read her book then I don't know what will, without further ado, I'll let you sit back and watch... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqvEk6r1BZ0&feature=youtu.be

Keep your eyes on the blog for more fabulous books being reviewed next week, I've got quite a queue of them! 

Review! Who Framed Klaris Cliff by Nikki Sheehan

People used to call them 'friends' and said how they were good for your brain. And then a day came when all that changed . . . when they became our enemy.

Now, anyone found harbouring a rogue imaginary person is in for the Cosh, an operation that fries your imagination and zaps whatever's in there, out of existence.

That's why I wish Klaris Cliff had never shown up. And why I know that proving her innocence is the last hope I have of saving myself.

Review: I was sent a proof of this book to review and read it after having met the author at a fabulous event organised by the publishers. I am lucky enough to have a signed copy of this fabulous cover as well. This book wasn't entirely my taste but I think it was a well written story and such an original idea for a novel. Hearing the author talk about imaginary friends and the research she had done into this area, I could see how much work she had put into this novel. The concept that imaginary friends are banned and they're going to zap children's imaginations in order to remove these friends because they are causing havoc in society it hilarious but also terrifying. When asked about how this reflects society today, the author said that the research into imaginary friends hasn't seen any deflation in the number of children having imaginary friends, but I think that there really is a metaphor for children losing their imagination and creativity because of the technology that they use today compared to the amount of technology they had access to say, twenty years ago, and I think that this is a really good media to explore that issue through.

In terms of the structure of this book, it was definitely a slow burner. It took me a while to get into it. The chapters are really short though which meant that this was a super quick read. At first I felt a little like everyone knew what was going on and who people were except me. When I got to know the characters, however I got much more into the storyline. The story follows main character Joseph trying to prove that Kalris (the imaginary friend of Flea) isn't doing the things she has been accused of, that other people were to blame. The ending of the novel is a belter skeeter ride of him sharing this evidence chapter by chapter and then discovering something even more exciting. The twists and the turns at the end of the novel had me desperate to discover the real truth behind the whole thing! 

I wasn't sure about the character of Joseph. He has his best friend who lives next to him, and his dad, but he does seem like a bit of a loner and not very endearing. Having read the book, I see that these character traits were necessary to allow the imaginary friend storyline to take place, but I don't know how many readers will warm to him. Flea was a lovely character, I loved the innocence and belief there and the other members of the Cliff family were just random, I couldn't work out if they were meant to be strange or just perceived as being strange. 

Overall I think this was a really original novel and I'm glad I read it because its something really different for me, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed every second of it. I think it will definitely appeal to young adult readers and those who enjoy a smattering of fantasy or dystopia in their reads. I think the pace of the book was good (once it got going) and it won't take many readers more than a couple of days to get through. A really interesting, well-researched storyline. 

Review: How to Get A (Love) Life by Rosie Blake

Some people book last-minute holidays, walk barefoot in the grass or party on a week night. Not Nicola Brown. Nicola is the kind of girl who double-locks the front door, leaves the plastic covering on new furniture, sticks to a super-strict diet and definitely, absolutely Does Not Date.

Her colleague Caroline – loopy, warm and exasperated by her, knows that Nicola's reluctance to lose control means she's living only half a life. And so she lays down the gauntlet: Nicola must cast aside her hang ups and go on as many dates as it takes to find true love in time for Valentine's Day.

The pick of local men is, quite frankly, a bit rubbish. And there are only three months until February 14th. Surely it's an impossible task? But, as Nicola is about to find out on her dodgy dates, letting go isn't quite as scary as she imagined. In fact, it's rather a lot of fun...

Review: I was very lucky to get a review copy of this fabulous debut novel and I was extreme,y excited to read it. This is just the kind of book you need to banish those Winter blues. It's funny and light-hearted and has that all important chick-lit formula. I loved the concept behind the story-the idea that Nicola has to find a date before valentines day, a challenge if you will. We've all been in the position of need edging a date for a certain event or time in our life and it made it all the more fast-paced that Nicola had that deadline. 

The structure of the book is great and definitely makes for some page turning. Each chapter is introduced with a personal ad, all of which link to the events of the previous chapter. These all end with a different box number so I'm not sure if these are inspired by real life,or just the fictional events in the story, it made each chapter start with a chuckle though... It's also wonderful because Nicola goes on all these disaster out dates. Again people will identify with these dates because we've all been set up with someone entirely unsuitable or ended up meeting someone from an Internet date and them turning out to be not quite who we thought they were...

I really liked he main character of Nicola. She began the book a little weak, overruled all the time by her brother and her workmates but she really came into her own as the book went on. I really liked her relationship with her boss, James and her attitude to all these failed dates. There is a storyline which involves her starting a carpentry class and describes her achievement when she actually made something, I think that this was a real turning point for her in the novel and I really respected her from that point on. 

This book definitely has a happy ending, for all the characters. The date that Nicola does end up with is the one I was rooting for all along, and I'm sure many readers will feel the same. Some parts were definitely a little predictable, but that's what made the book more enjoyable for me, I knew what I was getting and I was happy with that. If you're looking for something light and funny and very much against the slushiness of valentines day then this is definitely one for you. Fans of other chick-lit writers will definitely find something special here and it's a lovely quick read that will keep you entertained this valentines day!