Spring Paths ...

... the third in the series of multi-genre anthologies is almost here.  The first two books, Autumn Paths and Winter Paths, are still available to purchase.  Read on for more details about Spring Paths ...

I and my colleagues on the other side of the pond have finally completed the next set of stories for you to read.  The theme for this collection is spring, and, as in the other books, we have all got a very different take on what that might mean.

In my last post, I mentioned that we had some new faces this time around, so here is our new photo montage.  Eden Monroe - top left corner - provided the introductory words to Winter Paths.  For this book, she is joining us as a writer in place of Monique Thébeau.  Monique has other priorities, and I have particularly missed her input on this book.  In the bottom right corner, we have Gianetta Murray in place of Jeremy Thomas Gilmour.  Gianetta is an American from California who lives here in the UK.  Yay!  I'm no longer alone on this side of the sea!  She also writes cosy mysteries and is working to get her first book published.  Meanwhile, Jeremy is busy working on a new book.

My story in this collection involves a mystery, of course.  Although it's not quite what it seems at the outset.  But my characters, Alice Tomlinson and her dad, Peter, from the first collection of stories, are back.  And it's Alice who is joining all the dots and making all the discoveries to lead you to the resolution of the puzzle.  But, there is a secret that even Alice knows nothing about.  My story will take you back to Beauregard in central France, along with some old and some new faces in the sleepy little village.  And keep watching this space, the release date for the new book is coming very soon.

about the book ... Sometimes, a compelling short story is all you need.

Let our tales of gods, ghosts, alien worlds, mystery, secrecy, love, loss, and horror get under your skin for a while.

Nine North Atlantic writers have collaborated to create this anthology, the third in a series of multi-genre fables that will entertain, possibly unsettle, and cause you to think about the present in which we live.

Curl up on the sofa and allow yourself to be lost in the pages of this fascinating book.

If you haven't read the first two anthologies yet, you can get each one here AutumnPaths and here WinterPaths

The print version of Spring Paths is now available Here and the E-copy will follow very soon.

Come and join me...

 ... at the Craft Fair in the beautiful North Yorkshire village of Kirk Smeaton (WF8 3LB) on October 14th...

This super event will run from 11.00 a.m. until 3.00 p.m. and is being held in Saint Peter's church.  It may be a small building, but it dates from the 12th century and has an interesting history.

There will be all sorts of stalls. Come and explore the stunning bags and scarves that have been created, or take a look at the table with various knitted goods.  There will be racks of vintage clothing for you to browse, too.

Perhaps you are looking for some early Christmas presents or decorations for the house, in which case check out the stall selling candles.  The local florist will also be there with arrangements and wreaths, and you can stock up on jams and chutneys, too.

I will also be there with my books, and perhaps something to read might be the answer to that nagging question about what to get Aunty So-and-so for Christmas this year.

In addition, there will be refreshments available throughout the day, and you can try your luck in the raffle.

I can guarantee you a lovely day out in stunning, historic surroundings.  So please drop by and say hello.  Entry to the fair is absolutely free.

October 14th, St Peter's Church, Main Street, Kirk Smeaton, WF8 3LB

Entry to the Fair is FREE 

Friend and author, Jessica Thompson ...

 ... returns to my blog today.  Hello Jessica, thanks for being here, and I believe the last
time you visited, I asked you loads of questions.  You can find Jessica's interview Here  But first, here's Jessica's writing bio, which is followed by an extract from her book...

about the author … Jessica Thompson is the author of the Amazon best-selling mystery novels A Caterer’s Guide to Love and Murder and A Caterer’s Guide to Holidays and Homicide. Her second book was a Whitney Award nominee in the mystery category, and her first book was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards. She also curated an anthology called Beyond the Woods: A Supernatural Anthology. She is active in her local writing community and volunteers as the Assistant Communications Chair for the Storymakers Guild.
Jessica lives in the suburbs of Austin, Texas, with her husband and two children. When not writing, she’s getting her boots dirty at her parents' nearby Longhorn cattle ranch.
Whether she’s revving up chainsaws or wrangling charging bulls, she sees it all as plot-inspiring material for her next mystery.

SHOOT SHOVEL & SHUTUP

Bria’s shoulders relaxed to finally be alone, despite being crowded and poked by clinging hollow branches. She crept through the brush, crackling and snapping with each step. She gripped her open pump 12 gauge at her hip with both hands. Gunshot blasts tapped the distant air all around her with an emptiness. Unlike yesterday, the wide-open field offered no echoes and the dogs barked freely as they ran back and forth. With her eyes on the sky, watching for her prey, her mind was free to daydream.
She grunted as she broke free of one of the more persistent branches and let her gun wave around in one hand as she struggled to push her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose and push Kenneth out of her mind.
Now her thoughts wandered to the things she could be stepping on. Pictures of the tiny biting mites called chiggers and the deadly rattlesnakes that lived here made her brain itch as the barking of the dogs grew closer and closer. Five doves sprang into the air and appeared in the window of sky available to Bria’s view. She pumped the shotgun’s action forward and raised it to barely hook the top of her shoulder. Nestling her cheekbone on the stock, Bria was about to take her shot when a strange cry and a nearby blast split the air.
Bria froze. Was that a dove? Or a dog? Doves around here gave the oddest gurgling crows, but it had not sounded like that.
When the sound came again, she took off running toward it. The same sound cracked in a desperate, gagging wail. It was nearby and somewhere in the direction of the fence that Bria knew was to the right of her. Luckily her father and brothers kept the fence lines mowed because when Bria reached the long, abrupt clearing and set her gun down, she was able to see the fence stile that she had used to cross this fence many times as a teenager and the crumpled body that lay on the other side of it.
Red. Two flowing red pools. The more orange of the two was a perfectly splayed wave of hair, and the other was a thick and exquisitely crimson fluid that looked like a red scarf draped on the ground.
Bria had no time to react before being struck from behind.
 

about the book … After a fight over the family ranch, Dad's young fiancée is found dead. Bria risks her family's disapproval to sneak around and investigate as the tragedies pile up. Luckily, she has help from her childhood crush and from the handsome new deputy. 
When new love blooms in two directions and her suspect dies, she must face her grief and discover the family's secrets before she loses everyone she loves.

You can get the book  Here

You can follow Jessica on her Amazon Author Page  or on her Website and on  Facebook  Instagram  Goodreads and

Bookbub

Please welcome friend and author...

...AK Adams to my blog this week.  AK and I bumped into each other at a Promoting Yorkshire Authors event in Harrogate Library a couple of months ago.  He very kindly agreed to answer all my questions.  Come and meet him...

AW Thanks so much for being here today, AK.  What first got you into writing and why?

AKA When I retired in 2010, I needed to occupy myself.  I had started to read crime thrillers and began by writing short stories in this genre.  That progressed to my first novel, published in April 2013.

AW You write true crime, and your book In the Dead of Night was released a couple of years ago and is set in France.  Why this particular story?

AKA Not all my novels are true crime, but I’d read about this unsolved crime and decided it could make the basis of a good story.  I liked the sound of the characters and the basic plot.  I have friends in Saint Plantaire in central France, so that was an influencing feature, too.

AW The research required for writing true crime must be quite onerous.  How do you cope with that?  How do you know when enough is enough?

AKA I like to make sure that actual facts are correct.  I use Google and Wikipedia for most of my research, although I do speak with ‘experts,’ too.  I tend to add the information at the end of a day’s writing, going back to the manuscript and inserting where necessary.  It isn’t too onerous.

AW And what about other types of writing?  Have you dabbled with fiction or short stories?

AK with friends in France

AKA Yes, I’ve done both.  A newspaper article or a comment from someone can be the catalyst for a novel or a short story.  To date, I have written about 75 short stories, from flash fiction to much longer ones.  Some of my novels are set in places I’ve visited, which adds to the credibility of the plot.

AW Famous authors such as Roald Dahl and Dylan Thomas had a special space for writing. Do you have a writing shed of your own?

AKA Not as such.  I always write in one room of our bungalow using my laptop.  It’s comfortable and quiet.

AW And finally, if you had a whole afternoon to yourself and could choose to spend it with any one individual, living or dead, or a character from a book, who would it be, and what would you discuss?

AKA I’d choose Charles Dickens.  I haven’t read all of his work, but from books, film and TV programmes I’ve watched, his travelling around the country that gave him inspiration would be wonderful to talk about!  He used a now-closed school a few miles from where I live as the inspiration for Dotheboy’s Hall in ‘Nicholas Nickleby.’

about the author… I began writing short stories in 2010 following retirement.  After a university degree, I had started a teaching career in 1969 before going into the medical equipment industry.

Having written about twenty short stories, I decided it was time to begin my first novel.  It was titled An Unknown Paradise and published in April 2013.

One novel did not seem enough, and I had really enjoyed the writing process.  So began the second one.  Searching for Juliette came along a year later.  Retirement meant that my time was my own, and I got into a routine of writing in the afternoons.

I had tried to get published through the normal channels but then found a London-based publisher with whom I formed a relationship.  Several books followed before I then ventured into self-publishing through the Amazon website.

Now, here I am, nine published crime thrillers later!

about the book… The Johnson family are looking forward to their motoring holiday to the south of France.  Gordon is planning to meet up with an old friend, and Anna, his wife, is hoping for fine weather on the journey down.  Elizabeth, their teenage daughter, plans to test her knowledge of French whenever she can.

But Anna doesn’t like the man who introduces himself to her at the Dover ferry.  He has an odd manner, but Elizabeth seems to like him.

Three men who live in central France are hoping to visit an art exhibition in a French town not too far from where the Johnsons will be staying.  One of the men is being hunted by the police in connection with a murder.

At the campsite one night, there are noises outside of their tent, and Gordon takes a look. When he doesn’t return, Anna goes looking for him.  In the quiet of the darkness, Elizabeth decided to search for her parents.

But nothing was ever the same again.

You can get In the Dead of Night and any of AK's other books from Amazon and you can follow him on his Facebook page and on World of Books

You can hear AK talking about his book at the recent Books and Beverages event at Harrogate Library Here