Extract: Feel-Good Stories, by Sarah Swatridge

Feel-Good Stories by Sarah Swatridge

Overall Blurb – An eclectic mix of heart-warming stories, full of memorable, quirky characters. Read about the heroic postie, the eccentric duke, a spoilt parrot, a true friend and a determined would-be husband. Perfect bite-sized reading with your favourite drink.

Choose Your Words Carefully page 36 For people interested in the importance and power of words. Generally, a gentle story that might make you think twice.

Can Mollie use her heartfelt words to get her message across to Joe? And therefore, save a potential unhappy relationship.

Choose Your Words Carefully by Sarah Swatridge

“You shouldn’t do it. It’s not honest Joe,” snapped Mollie from her chair beside him.

“It’s only a bit of harmless fun,” said Norah.

“Harmless!” screeched Mollie, waking up at least two of the residents of Dove Farm Nursing Home. “You shouldn’t meddle in other people’s affairs, especially not affairs of the heart.”

Mollie stood up and made her way out of the communal lounge, as quickly as she could, on legs that had seen too many decades.

          “What’s wrong with Mollie?” asked Heather, the warden.

          “Joe’s written a song. It’s lovely. Read it Joe,” urged Norah.

Joe read out his lyrics. When he came to the last line, some of the residents clapped.

          Heather looked puzzled. “It’s very good Joe. What’s made you start writing love songs at your age?”

          “That lad you’ve had on work experience,” admitted Joe, “he’s had a tiff with his girlfriend, and wants to make up. They sing in a band and he wanted to write a love song for her to show he really does care. I said I’d help, but Madam’s got a bee in her bonnet about it!”

          “Stop him!” cried Mollie, from the doorway. “Don’t let him give that song away,” she said to Heather urgently.

     “Calm down Mollie, he’s only trying to help.”

          “He’ll do more harm than good. It’s dishonest, that’s what it is.”

     “She’s only jealous,” chimed in Norah.

          “Not now Norah,” soothed Heather as she straightened her crisp, white uniform. “Sometimes I feel more like a referee than a Carer.”

          “She’s bitter and twisted. She should have appreciated Sid when he was alive,” continued Norah, unable to let go.

          “You leave Sid out of this.”

          “Ladies please. Why don’t I go and make a tray of tea, while you two make up?”

     “I’m going to lie down,” announced Mollie. Heather followed her as she went to put the kettle on, but Mollie refused to come out of her room.

          “There’s no need for all this fuss,” began Heather. “And be careful about calling other people dishonest. You’re forever telling people you’re sixty-nine, but we both know you’re nearer seventy-nine.”

          “Ok. Point taken,” agreed Mollie. “But please stop Joe handing over that song.”

     “I don’t know that I can,” admitted Heather.

          “Well, if you can’t, maybe I can,” said Mollie getting up and making her way along to Joe’s room.

     “Not you again,” said Joe by way of a greeting.

          “Just hear me out,” asked Mollie. Her voice was tired and pleading.

     “You’d better take a seat, if I’m in for a lecture.”

          “Not a lecture Joe, just a life story….

Want to read on?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feel-Good-Stories-Sarah-Swatridge/dp/1914199626/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2FNLUJ9D53D89&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.013ojV4EN5qbFr–iaUL2Q.ryTj0Q1cBuwkA_BG9LYneOc5z_v9iw5i5qgsDVrVcQo&dib_tag=se&keywords=feel-good+stories+by+sarah+swa


Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feel-Good-Stories-Sarah-Swatridge/dp/1914199626

Author Bio

ADRIAN POPE COPYRIGHT2024

Sarah Swatridge’s name can often be seen in women’s magazines worldwide such as My Weekly, Woman’s Weekly, Fiction Feast. She also writes novels, mainly historical, which can be found in the Large Print section of your public library. These novels are standalone and the themes vary from – women setting up a co-operative together in response to dishonest traders in the area (United we Stand) to stories set around employees in a biscuit factory (Biscuit Wars, Gentle Annie, Cakes in the Biscuit Factory etc) to the work of pawn brokers (Adam’s Emporium) or a woman in 1900 wanting an adventure before agreeing to marry (Biddy’s Big Adventure – also available from Calibre Audio if you have problems accessing print in the traditional way)

Social Media Links – www.sarahswatridge.co.uk

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084730450618

Giveaway to Win 2 x Paperback copies of An Honourable Wager by Sarah Swatridge (Open to UK Only)

https://gleam.io/C3Bqe/win-2-x-paperback-copies-of-an-honourable-wager-by-sarah-swatridge-uk-only

Lizzie’s badgered by the local paper who want to print a story about her.

They’ve challenged her to be self-sufficient for a year. Eventually she 

accepts – but on her terms. It’s not an easy year, but she does learn 

what’s important.

Win 2 x Paperback copies of An Honourable Wager by Sarah Swatridge (UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Review: The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror, by Stephen Cox

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror (The Crooked Medium 2)

True terror is a murderer you can’t stop.

London 1882. A carpenter is killed by a train – an eerie, brutal crime. Flamboyant medium Mrs Ashton and her sapphic partner Braddie seek justice for the widow.

A charismatic new medium takes London by storm. Dock-lass Maisie sees her frightening prophesy of vengeance.  A noble family is devastated, but worse is to come.

Outgunned and bewildered, the three confront a deadly conspiracy. They risk losing everything.

A reckoning from beyond the grave.

Giveaway

  Win 4 x Signed Books by Stephen Cox (Open to UK Only)

Prize includes – Our Child of the Stars, Our Child of Two Worlds, The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder and the Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror.

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Purchase Links

https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-crooked-medium-s-guide-to-terror

Continue reading “Review: The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Terror, by Stephen Cox”

Audiobook Review: Witch Hunt, by B.D. Spargo

Series: DCI Liam Doyle Crime Thrillers
Narrator: Aubrey Parsons
Release date: 27-03-26
Language: English
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 10 hrs
Publisher: Howfen Press

Murder, witchcraft, and a race against time – welcome to Pendle Hill.

A young woman is found brutally murdered and mutilated at the foot of Pendle Hill and the local police are in no doubt who the killer is. Newly released from a psychiatric unit, Will Perkins has delusions that the victim is a witch. When DCI Liam Doyle and his team are brought in to investigate, the suspect is already in custody and the case apparently wrapped up. Except for one key detail – evidence.

Is it really possible the origins to this murder lie in Pendle’s infamous past?

Recently returned to work, DS Anna Morgan is battling her own demons. The physical wounds from her last case have healed, but the psychological trauma still haunts her. When another body turns up the investigation is blown wide open and Doyle has to face up to the horrifying possibility that he could have prevented this killing.
Can Doyle overcome his own doubts and track down the killer before they strike again? Will Morgan be able to conquer her fear before it destroys her?

Set in and around Lancashire’s legendary Pendle Hill, Witch Hunt is a gripping British crime thriller with dark humour and a nail-biting climax. This fast-paced novel, the second in the series featuring DCI Doyle and DS Morgan, will have readers on the edge of their seats.

Purchase Links

UK Links:

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B0GV51STB8

USA Links:

https://www.audible.com/pd/B0GV5659QN

Continue reading “Audiobook Review: Witch Hunt, by B.D. Spargo”

Cover Reveal: First Contact, Second Chances, by Fey Abernethy

First Contact, Second Chances

Everyone deserves a second chance. Even humanity.

Ex-British Army officer Joe Llewellyn is captain of the Shantivira, the alien space station secretly protecting the Earth from invasion. After Joe reveals the Shantivira’s existence to the UN, everyone wants a piece of him. Except his mother. They’re no longer speaking.

But it’s not only Joe’s relationship with his mam which is in jeopardy. His alien bosses have given him an ultimatum: either he persuades Earth’s authorities to completely restructure the global economic system – to distribute resources fairly without exceeding ecological boundaries – or the space station will be reallocated to another, more deserving planet.

With vicious, cannibalistic space pirates prowling the galaxy, brutally stripping and enslaving entire worlds for profit, Joe can’t afford to fail.

This third instalment of The Shantivira fantasy solarpunk series is a must-read for fans of Becky Chambers, Ben Aaronovitch, Ursula Le Guin, Doctor Who and anyone who enjoys supernatural sci-fi.

Book will be available for purchase on 4th May at these places

Amazon series page: https://mybook.to/shantivira 

Author website: fayabernethy.com

Author Bio –

Fay Abernethy left the UK twenty-five years ago, seeking adventure.

When not diving with sharks or falling off horses, she worked as an engineer in the automotive industry. Later, she started her own translating business and settled down in Germany with the man of her dreams.

Pre-children, they explored the Alps together – on foot in summer and on skis or snowshoes in winter. She now lives the life of a respectable citizen, having discovered that being a parent is the greatest adventure of them all.

Social Media Links –

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fayabernethybooks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fayabernethybooks/

Amazon author profile: https://www.amazon.com/Fay-Abernethy/e/B09966L52C

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21656346.Fay_Abernethy

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/fay-abernethy

The Storygraph:

https://app.thestorygraph.com/authors/add296b4-04aa-4782-a3f2-20dea238f900

Review: The Swan Dress Murders, by Millie Ravensworth

The Swan Dress Murders

Cozy Craft Mysteries can be read in any order. A funny whodunnit series, full of charming characters and mysteries that will keep you guessing to the very end.

A wedding is a cause for celebration. Not only do dressmakers Penny and Izzy get an invite to the big day but they have an unusual dress commission to complete for one of the guests.

It seems Penny’s only problem is deciding which potential boyfriend to take as her plus-one guest — practical handyman Aubrey or cultured fabric expert Oscar.

But bigger problems arise when the maker of the wedding cake is found dead in the grounds of the stately home where the wedding is to take place.

And when another key individual in the wedding plans is also murdered, it seems like someone has deadly plans to prevent this marriage.

Can Penny and Izzy unravel the mystery and solve this crime before the big day is fatally ruined?

If your ideal book features mystery, friendship, cute romance, crafting and a charming rural setting then this is the book for you.

Purchase Links

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BH14X68M

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BH14X68M

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

Review: Caring Conservationists Who Are Changing Our Planet, by Kate Peridot, illustrated by Sarah Long

Caring Conservationists Who Are Changing Our Planet.

Travel around the world and discover the stories of 20 conservationists and the endangered animals they are helping to save, including the orangutang, blue whale, Indian tiger, rhino, honeybee, Komodo dragon and sea turtle. Positive, uplifting and packed full of information, with 20 fun activities for children to try, this book will show children no one is too small to make a difference.  

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Caring-Conservationists-Who-Changing-Planet/dp/1529506158https://www.amazon.com/Caring-Conservationists-Who-Changing-Planet/dp/1529506158

Continue reading “Review: Caring Conservationists Who Are Changing Our Planet, by Kate Peridot, illustrated by Sarah Long”