A dress causes a huge debate across
the world as some see it as black and blue and others see it as white and gold.
The white and gold people suddenly start to get even stranger visions and
develop super human abilities making the black and blue people seem old and
inadequate. The government try to quarantine and control their power but the
white and gold people react setting the stage for a war between the rival
groups.
Frankie: The Woman Who Saved Millions from Thalidomide
Thalidomide:
patented in Germany as a non-toxic cure-all for sleeplessness and morning
sickness. A wonder drug with no side-effects.
We know differently
now.
Today, thalidomide
is a byword for tragedy and drug reform – a sign of what happens when things
aren’t done ‘the right way’. But when it was released in the 1950s, it was the
best thing since penicillin – something that doctors were encouraged to prescribe
to all of their patients. Nobody could anticipate what it actually did: induce
sleeping, prevent morning sickness, and drastically harm unborn children.
But, whilst
thalidomide rampaged and ravaged throughout most of the West, it never reached
the United States. It landed on the desk of Dr Frances Kelsey, and there it
stayed as she battled hierarchy, patriarchy, and the Establishment in an effort
to prove that it was dangerous. Frankie
is her story.
Today I’m taking part in the cover reveal for Sparky the Dragon Bus by Sue Wickstead, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources. Without anymore ado, click ‘read more’ for the cover.
Bex Ellman and Ketty Smith are fighting on opposite sides in a British civil war. Bex and her friends are in hiding, but when Ketty threatens her family, Bex learns that her safety is more fragile than she thought.
The Battle Ground series is set in a dystopian near-future UK, after Brexit and Scottish independence.
Rachel Churcher was born between the last manned moon landing, and the first orbital Space Shuttle mission. She remembers watching the launch of STS-1, and falling in love with space flight, at the age of five. She fell in love with science fiction shortly after that, and in her teens she discovered dystopian fiction. In an effort to find out what she wanted to do with her life, she collected degrees and other qualifications in Geography, Science Fiction Studies, Architectural Technology, Childminding, and Writing for Radio.
She has worked as an
editor on national and in-house magazines; as an IT trainer; and as a freelance
writer and artist. She has renovated several properties, and has plenty of
horror stories to tell about dangerous electrics and nightmare plumbers. She
enjoys reading, travelling, stargazing, and eating good food with good friends
– but nothing makes her as happy as writing fiction.
Her first published
short story appeared in an anthology in 2014, and the Battle Ground series is
her first long-form work. Rachel lives in East Anglia, in a house with a large
library and a conservatory full of house plants. She would love to live on
Mars, but only if she’s allowed to bring her books.
Charles and Ada: the
computer’s most passionate partnership
The partnership of Charles Babbage and Ada
Lovelace was one that would change science forever.
They were an unlikely pair – one the
professor son of a banker, the other the only child of an acclaimed poet and a
social-reforming mathematician – but perhaps that is why their work is so
revolutionary.
They were the pioneers of computer science,
creating plans for what could have been the first computer. They each saw
things the other did not; it may have been Charles who designed the machines,
but it was Ada who could see their potential.
But what were they like? And how did they
work together? Using previously unpublished correspondence between them , Charles and Ada explores the
relationship between two remarkable people who shared dreams far ahead of their
time.
Fran made the biggest mistake of her
life when she had an affair with Ben. Both families live in the village of
Oakheart; their children are friends. Fran’s guilt shadows her days. But it’s
no more than she deserves, or is it? At least she’s managed to protect her
husband, Hector, from the harsh truth.
But for how long?
Tessa has left her troubles in the past
and now has the perfect life. Ben might have his faults, but his life has not
been easy. They need each other, and Tessa will do whatever it takes to eliminate
any threats to her marriage.
Threats from women like Fran.
A cliff overlooks a disused chalk-pit. The locals
call it High Heaven. It’s a place of secrets. And it’s where Oakheart newcomer
Maria died. When Fran discovers a link between Maria and Ben, disturbing
questions arise to which she has no way of knowing the answers.
Faced with an ultimatum from Tessa, time is running
out for Fran. She’s scared, every minute of every day.
I live in Brighton with my husband
and a tabby cat called Chester. After a career in public sector admin, most
recently at the University of Brighton, it was time to stop dreaming about
being a writer and actually do something about it! Fast forward to the present, and now I’m both
traditionally published and self-published, with five women’s fiction novels
under my own name, and five ‘cosy’ reads, writing as Zara Thorne. I’ve also published a book of short stories,
most of which were previously published in The People’s Friend magazine. ‘The
Wife’s Revenge’ is my first foray into the psychological suspense genre.
Hallowed Ground: The Mystery of the African Fairy Circles
This magical story is inspired by the most haunting and
least explored country in the world – Namibia – with its foggy Skeleton Coast,
buried goldmines, shocking secrets and awe-inspiring sand dunes.
Spread across the face of its deserts are hundreds of miles
of ‘fairy circles’ : vast enough to be seen from space. They grow and die with the same lifespan as
humans, yet no-one has been able to explain why or how they appear.
Then one day, three teenagers and their families arrive from
different parts of the globe. Helped by bushmen, the buried possessions of a
Victorian explorer, and a golden leopard, they solve the mystery of the African
Circles. What will be discovered beneath the hallowed ground? And how will it
change the future of the planet above it?
