Saturday, July 31, 2021
RRR presents... CAPTIVATING THE CYNICAL EARL by Catherine Tinley - REVIEW!
Friday, July 30, 2021
RRR presents... PLAYING THE DUKE'S Fiancée by Amanda McCabe - REVIEW!
Thursday, July 29, 2021
RRR presents... THE DEVIL'S TUNE by Fran Kempton - SPOTLIGHT + EXCERPT!
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
RRR presents... HAUNTED by Tessa Buckley - AUTHOR Q&A!
How long have you been writing?
I started writing my own stories almost as soon as I could read, but as I got older, life got in the way, and by the time I was working in my first job, the writing tailed off. It was really only when my children were in full time schooling that I decided to start again. It’s definitely easier to write fiction when you are older and have more life experience to draw on.
Do you write non-fiction as well as novels?
Soon after my first child was born, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. At the time, there were no treatments for the disease, but after I discovered the research that had been done on diet and MS, I changed my diet and improved my health dramatically. I then wrote a book about the benefits of nutritional therapy (The Multiple Sclerosis Diet Book) and was lucky enough to find a publisher quite quickly. I have since written a lot of articles about nutrition and healthy eating.
What gave you the idea for the Eye Spy series?
One day the voice of Alex, my teen detective, just popped into my head, and I heard him describe his life with his Nan, a school dinner lady, and his eccentric inventor father. It was only later that I realised that he and his twin sister, Donna, were inspired by memories of a brother and sister I knew when I was a child. It wasn’t difficult to choose a setting for the series either – a small seaside town - as I live in a seaside town myself, so it was familiar territory to me.
What are your favourite hobbies?
I do a lot of cooking, but I am also passionate about family history. I am hoping to write a book about my mother’s ancestors, a lot of whom ran successful coaching inns. I’m also researching my husband’s family, who have a very different background in mining, socialism, and trade union activism.
What is it about writing that has given you the most enjoyment?
When I am writing, I can escape into an imaginary world, just as I did as a child when I read Enid Blyton, or the Narnia stories. Today’s children are under a lot more pressure than my generation were, trying to navigate their way through a much more complex and uncertain world, and if my books can provide them with some enjoyable escapism in difficult times, then I will have achieved my goal.
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Happy BOOK BIRTHDAY to... THE VISCOUNT MADE ME DO IT by Diana Quincy!
RRR presents... LOVE ME TENDER by Lorraine Mace - SPOTLIGHT + EXCERPT!
Monday, July 26, 2021
RRR presents... SUN, SEA, AND SUMMER VIBES by Zoe Allison - SPOTLIGHT + GUEST POST!
In Sun, Sea, and Summer Vibes Nina’s best friend Isla is a singer who suffers trolling on social media. Make no mistake, trolling is a form of bullying and it surprises me not only that people would be so cruel as to inflict that kind of behaviour upon a fellow human being, but that some people seem to think others are immune to it. As if it doesn’t count when somebody is famous. I think that latter point is something we are all guilty of to some degree.
I have witnessed unpleasant comments on social media towards celebrities from people who would never speak in such a manner not only to people in real life, but to other ‘ordinary’ people on social media. But guess what? We’re all ordinary. All the same human beings no matter how many people know, or don’t know, who we are.
I’ve found in life that people are much more likely to speak up if they feel negatively about something than if they feel positively. Why is that? Surely the end point is that you only end up spreading bad vibes rather than good. I for one believe that, overall in life, you at least want to be fifty-fifty in the kind of energy you put out into the universe. Better still, get your positive to outweigh your negative.
Perhaps a good way to go about things is when you’re tempted to be negative on social media, ask yourself why. Is it going to achieve anything? For example, if there has been a bad experience from a service which is significant and speaking out would help others? Or are you only doing it for the sake of it? If you must pass a negative opinion then remain polite and remember you are still dealing with a human. If you’re criticising a service, often the person you’re speaking directly to isn’t responsible for the issue, merely a representative of said service so make sure you speak to them in the manner in which you would wish to be spoken to yourself.
When it comes to art and artists or creators, often people will want to express their dislike of something. But is that useful? Does it make you feel good? I personally only choose to comment if I have something positive to say because if I dislike something then it just means it’s not for me, not that it’s bad. And there’s certainly no need to personally insult a creator just because their work was not to your taste. Remember that such comments say a lot more about the commentor, than the person they’re directed at.
When navigating social media remember that everyone on there is a real person (except for the bots! LOL) and really think about what you’re commenting. Would you say the same nasty things if they were right in front of you with a hurt look in their eyes? Perhaps with their spouse or children standing with them, wondering why you’re being so horrible to their loved one? If you would still say the same things in that situation, then I think some real soul searching needs to be done on your part and I hope that one day, you can find happiness.