Spotlight Post: Stop!! Waking Up Tired…, by Ralph Montague

Stop!! Waking Up Tired … by Ralph Montague 
Genre: Non-fiction
Pages: 150
Publisher:  FCM Publishing
Format:  UK prints / eBook 

Blurb 

FED UP WITH WAKING UP TIRED & EXHAUSTED?

You are most certainly not alone. Many people long for a better quality of sleep, however, it’s been made unnecessarily difficult with contradicting advice, thousands of sleep studies and unpronounceable words leaving you more confused than when you started on your quest to simply get a good night’s sleep.

THIS IS WHERE “STOP!! WAKING UP TIRED…” CAN HELP!

This workbook was written to make things simple and easy to action, with a no-nonsense approach to sleep. The information and advice is easy to follow, light-hearted in nature and will help you achieve the deep sleep that dreams are made of.

In this workbook, we will cover the core areas in your life where change needs to happen, in an approach that is easy to action. Split into three sections: Remove, Improve and Action

With journal-style questions and prompts throughout the book, as part of the actioning process, STOP!! Waking Up Tired… allows you to get a clear understanding of where you are today, where you can be in a matter of just a few days, and where you could only dream of a few days ago, for a new more energetic and happy future you.

When partnered with other titles within the series, STOP!! workbooks can help you become the person you always dreamed you could be.

IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT NOT WAKING UP TIRED EVERY MORNING, HAVING MORE ENERGY AND SLEEPING BETTER BUT DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START, THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN FOR YOU.

Continue reading “Spotlight Post: Stop!! Waking Up Tired…, by Ralph Montague”

Review: The Wonderland Murders, by Millie Ravensworth

The Wonderland Murders

 A quirky and funny series for fans of a good mystery and compelling characters. Can you solve the crime before our dressmaking duo?

After losing her job at an exclusive London hotel, Penny Slipper is only too happy to help when her grandma asks her to take charge at the Cozy Craft sewing shop in charming rural Suffolk.

With cousin Izzy on hand as the expert dressmaker and Penny’s head for business, what can possibly go wrong?

But Penny’s in town for less than a day when the local librarian is poisoned and Penny fears she might even be accidentally responsible. Penny and Izzy are forced to turn detectives to uncover the true cause of death, while finishing a costume commission for their first customer.

Matters take a further deadly turn when a second body is discovered.

Can Penny and Izzy unpick the mysteries of the past and sew the pieces of this puzzle together before it’s too late?

If you enjoy fast-paced mysteries, charming country towns and characters who you want to spend hours with then you’re going to love the Cozy Craft Mystery series.

Start your next murder mystery adventure today!

Purchase Links

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BH13Q1F4

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BH13Q1F4

Continue reading “Review: The Wonderland Murders, by Millie Ravensworth”

Blog Tour Calendar: Cozy Craft Mysteries by Millie Ravensworth

I’m reviewing each of the books:

It’s a busy couple of weeks. There will be a giveaway below each review, for a chance to win a copy of The Wonderland Murders and other bits.

And in surprise news about the author!

“It’s been a poorly guarded secret for quite a while but Millie
Ravensworth isn’t just one writer but two! The Millie Ravensworth
books are the product of long-term collaborators Heide Goody and Iain
Grant. Heide and Iain have been writing together for more than a
decade. Together they have written various comedy novels and, in
recent years, have written the Sam Applewhite series of comedy crime
novels.

“There are a number of reasons why we did this but part of the reason
is because of the silly algorithms Amazon uses to identify what books
readers might like. Not everyone who reads one series by us will
necessarily like books we’ve written in another series. Therefore, to
avoid confusing the AI algorithms and to avoid disappointing some
readers, we’ve written the latest batch of books under the pseudonym
of Millie Ravensworth,” said Iain.

“We write other books under our own names but they’re nothing like the
Millie Ravensworth books,” said Heide. “The fifth book in the Cozy
Craft series is coming out in the middle of May and we hope to have
book six written soon too. I hope people will continue to enjoy
reading them as much as we enjoy writing them.”

Cheers
Heide and Iain”

I’ve reviewed Heide and Iain’s books before; in July 2021 I reviewed their Sam Applewhite series of mysteries set in and around Skegness. In 2019 I shared an extract from their novel ‘Candy Canes and Buckets of Blood’ and reviewed ‘Jaffle Inc’. They’ve always been good about sending me copies of their books, and I do rather enjoy the writing style.

Extract Post: Intercludae, by Felicia Ketcheson

Interlude by Felicia Ketcheson
Release Day – 31st March 
Genre: Young Adult – Dystopian
Format: ePub

Blurb 

In the isolated city of Lexum, following your heart’s desire against the will of the collective 

could be deadly. But for seventeen-year-old Breel Sorep, the urge to express herself is just too tempting.

With her passion for drawing on the list of banned activities, Breel is devastated when she receives her final warning. Art offers an escape from the harsh realities of her life, but to be caught once more would have dire consequences for the rebellious teen.

If only Uncle Famut’s stories of the fictional world of Intercludae were real. Then Breel could be free to express her creativity instead of being trapped in the field of computer programming—a career chosen for her as a small child. 

Starting in a new role, Breel encounters Cafrec, a co-worker with striking sparkling blue eyes, who’s unlike anyone the young woman has ever met. Together, the pair begin to decipher a series of clues which seem to reveal that Intercludae may not be so fictional after all.

Using her programming skills and cunning, Breel must decide how far she’s willing to go to have the freedom she so desperately wants. But as Breel and Cafrec try to escape the forces of oppression, can Breel leave everything she knows and risk her own life for the faint hope of finally finding freedom.

Continue reading “Extract Post: Intercludae, by Felicia Ketcheson”

Promo post: Bewitching, by J.E. Nice

Bewitching by J E Nice

Genre: Paranormal fantasy

Publication Date: 4th April 2023

Standalone Fourth book in a series

Estimated Page Count: 393

Author Content Warnings: Manipulation, a man taking a teenage girl (although she goes willingly), a mugging, one of the protagonists is drugged, and a five-year-old who becomes scared and distraught


Blurb

A teenage girl tempted from this world over a carpet of bluebells…

A house full of shadows and a presence waiting to be let in…

Finally, everything is going well for Erica Murray, witch and paranormal investigator. That is, until the mother of a missing teenage girl recognises Erica’s fae lover, Alfie, for what he is and begs for his help. Erica must step into Alfie’s world to find the girl, but it means discovering secrets about her lover that might tear them apart.

Meanwhile, Jess Tidswell has other things on her mind. Her parents are meeting Jess’s new dog and, more importantly, her fiancé for the first time.

That’s not the worst of her problems. Her parents, keen for a new adventure, have bought a house and it comes with some unexpected residents. Shadows that move of their own accord, a curious spirit and something malevolent that lives on the periphery.

Unable to contact Erica, can Jess handle this terrifying ordeal on her own and protect her family?

Deep in another world, can Erica find the missing teenager and bring her out of harm’s way?

It’s going to be a long weekend.


Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1912903415/

US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1912903415/

Author Bio – J E Nice is a fantasy author who lives in a city filled with dragons, woodland where the fae hang out, on an airship home to a crew of sky pirates and, sometimes, on the outskirts of Bristol in England. Wherever she is, there is always cake.

Social Media Links – www.instagram.com/writeintothewoods (@writeintothewoods)

Review: Wedded Wife, by Rachael Lennon

Imprint: Aurum
Pub Date (UK): Apr 20, 2023
Price: £16.99 GBP
ISBN-13: 978-0-7112-6711-4
Format: Hardcover Book
Pages: 256


Blurb

In this fascinating and insightful book, feminist curator Rachael Lennon provides an intimate and intersectional examination of the history of marriage around the world.
With a lively and accessible style, Lennon tells a remarkable story of how this institution has developed from the ancient customs of the stone age through to the modern form it takes today. This book also explores themes such as the pressure to marry, the politics surrounding proposals, the spectacle of marriage, the business behind it, and the politics tied to consummation as well as issues such as taking a man’s name, the nuances of marriage vows and obedience, ‘having it all’ and trying to keep up the fight to have an enduring marriage.

Having married her wife just a few years after the legalisation of same sex marriage in the United Kingdom, Lennon interweaves her own personal experiences of marriage with stories and anecdotes from throughout
history to explore how marriage has transformed over the years.

Continue reading “Review: Wedded Wife, by Rachael Lennon”

Extract Post: Starlight Stables Gang, by Esme Higgs and Jo Cotterill

Information About the Book
Title: The Starlight Stables Gang (The Starlight Stables Gang #1)
Author: Esme Higgs
Author: Jo Cotterill
Illustrator: Hannah George
Release Date: 30th March 2023
Publisher: Puffin Books UK
Genre: MG (8 – 12 year olds)

Summary:

Summer has always loved horses but she never thought she’d be able to learn how to ride them – not with money being so tight at home. Then she discovers the Starlight Stables where she meets a new gang of friends and learns how to ride in return for helping-out with the horses. It’s a dream come true!

Summer falls in love with life at the stables and especially with Luna, a beautiful dapple-grey pony. But one day, Summer arrives at the stables to find that Luna has been stolen in the night. It’s up to the Starlight Stables Gang to follow the clues and rescue Luna before it’s too late!

Full of fun, friendship and and mystery, this is the first book in the brand-new Starlight Stables Gang series. Beautifully illustrated by Hannah George.


Author Information

Esme Higgs

Esme Higgs is one of the biggest social-media content creators in the equestrian world with over 1.5 million followers. She’s a writer, presenter, video producer – and a horse-mad ordinary girl.

Her online videos are a mix of tutorials, horse-care videos, and vlogs about her horses (Mickey, Joey and Casper) and her life. She is also a proud ambassador for the Brooke charity and a patron to her local charity riding stables – Team Tutsham.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/thisesme

Instagram: http://instagram.com/this_esme

Tiktok: http://tiktok.com/this_esme

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thisesme

Jo Cotterill

Jo Cotterill is a multi-award-winning author with over forty books for children and young people. Her novel A Library of Lemons has sold into twelve countries and her superhero-comic strip series Electrigirl has encouraged many reluctant readers to enjoy reading. She has written stories for Disney and Doctor Who, and her background in acting and teaching makes her a hit on school visits. Jo lives in Oxfordshire with her daughters, one of whom is a massive Esme fan!

Instagram: http://instagram.com/jocotterillbooks

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jocotterillbook


Extract

There are two routes to school. One goes along pavements and across roads. The other is twice as long and involves going down a little alleyway and round the back of the houses. For maybe fifty metres, the path borders a couple of fields. In one of the fields there are two ponies. One of them is a small chestnut gelding who stays at the other end of the field, but the other is a dapple-grey mare and she always, always comes to the fence to say hello.

When we first moved here, I was miserable – until I discovered the path behind the houses, and now I visit the grey mare on my way to and from school. She’s my best friend, which is either amazing or very sad, depending on how you look at it.

This morning I leave the house extra early so I can spend even more time with the pony. She makes this funny sound when she sees me – they call it ‘nickering’: it’s like a cross between a snort and a purr. She trots over and nuzzles me. I used to give her an apple, but then a sign appeared on a fence post saying PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE PONIES’ so now I pull up handfuls of grass because I figure she eats that anyway. And I check to see that no one else is around, in case I get into trouble.

‘Hello,’ I say softly this morning. I don’t know what her name is, but I call her Pebbles because the markings on her back look like pebbles in a stream. I rub her velvety nose and she tips her head and bumps it against mine. ‘How are you today, Pebbles? Have you eaten any nice dandelions recently?’ I place my hand against her neck, feeling the muscles

underneath. She’s warm and solid and has this smell that I can’t describe – like biscuits and friendship.

I tell her about the video I watched this morning where a girl my age was talking about the three ponies she owns, and about the different tack she uses, and Pebbles nods like she understands. I think Pebbles is a Welsh Cob, according to the pictures I’ve looked at on the internet. She’s the most beautiful pony I’ve ever seen.

Even though I’ve got to the field early, I’m nearly late for school because I always lose track of time when I talk to Pebbles. I would spend all day talking to Pebbles if I could. Even simply resting my head against hers makes me feel … I can’t explain it. Calm. At peace, like all my worries and fears have gone away. I wave goodbye and have to run the rest of the way, arriving at school breathless ten seconds before they close the gates.

Extract post: Fade Into You, by Catriona Child

Blurb 

It’s 1994, Kurt Cobain has just died, and teenager Alex is spending the summer working in her Aunt’s Bed and Breakfast in rural Argyll. The village pace of life is slow compared to home in Edinburgh and Alex resigns herself to a quiet summer spent serving breakfasts and making beds. Everything changes however once she meets the twin brothers who live next door.

Spanning the next fifteen years of Alex’s life, Fade Into You is a love letter to growing up in Scotland in the 90s and 2000s. Set against a backdrop of T in the Park and the war in Iraq, soundtracked by Britpop and Grunge mixtapes, with the sweet taste of tablet, it is a novel about growing up and growing apart. It explores the intensity of childhood friendships, how they change as we get older but how they never really leave us.

Continue reading “Extract post: Fade Into You, by Catriona Child”