Jenny Kane & Jennifer Ash

Jenny Kane: Coffee, cupcakes, chocolate and contemporary fiction / Jennifer Ash: Medieval crime with hints of Ellis Peters and Robin Hood

Category: Contemporary Romantic Fiction Page 44 of 57

Guest Post from Celia J Anderson: Moondancing Blog Tour

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On January 13, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

Today Celia J Anderson returns to my blog as part of her latest blog tour. Why not grab a cuppa, put your feet up for five minutes, and read all about Celia’s new book, Moondancing.

Over to you Celia…

tourbutton_moondancing

You’re probably reading this on the day after Moondancing jumped out of Amazon’s shelves and became part of the real world. If yesterday felt like Christmas for it, today is its Boxing Day. This fourth book – and my first, initially disastrous attempt to be a writer – is the one that took the longest to write, and took in a whole load of worry, pain and also fun in the process. Life’s been something of a roller coaster for me over the last few years. The loss of both parents and my husband have been character-building, I guess (although with hindsight I might have chosen a smaller character and a bit less angst) but my new marriage gave me the nudge to get on with life and to get this book finished at last.

Moondancing_by_CeliaJ_Anderson-500

So, after many, many edits and rewrites, here it is. Initially called ‘Something for Molly’, then renamed ‘Start Again’, it’s now got its final title. Moondancing is a prequel to my earlier book, Little Boxes, and in it we see Molly in the earlier days of her marriage. Her much-loved children are a handful and she often finds herself wanting to shake her husband, Jake. I hope you enjoy the final product and if you haven’t already, have the chance to read Little Boxes to see what happens next!

Moondancing_by_CeliaJ_Anderson-FB_banner

Extract:

Driving along the narrow country lanes into town, Jake’s anger develops into a huge black cloud of self-pity. Why did Molly have to go off the rails on a school night when they’ve both got a hard day at work to get through?

He sighs heavily, feeling the snatched bowl of Weetabix beginning to churn in his stomach. Being a foreman at the brewery is a steady job, even if it’s not that exciting, but he needs to be alert to do it properly. It’s not his dream job – not even close – but it pays the mortgage. Last night’s broken sleep was as bad as the early days with teething babies. Jake doesn’t need this. He loves Molly and his four kids, his home, his allotment and his prize-winning leeks; in that order, usually. He likes to cook, if somebody else has done the shopping and if he can use his home-grown vegetables.

He looks after his pride and joy carefully – an ageing Range Rover, temperamental but solid. At weekends, he gives a hand with the cleaning, if he’s not at work or on the allotment. In all his thirty-nine years he’s never really wanted more than a quiet life. Is he demanding? Jake thinks not.

The September morning sunshine is breaking through the mist, but Jake’s mood darkens even more as he drives along the winding lanes to Hopton. The early rays warm the freshly-cut grass along the verge, the evocative smell bringing unwelcome memories of a time, years ago, when he lay in the wild meadow at the edge of the sports field, trying to persuade Molly to let him see her new bra.

‘Honestly, Moll, you can’t get pregnant just by taking off your PE shirt,’ he’d said hopefully. Molly’s aertex PE shirt was all that lay between Jake and the wonderful lace and wire construction that kept her chest in order, but there was no way she was letting him do more than stroke the bare skin of her back.

‘Look, it’s all right for you, no one calls you a slag if you let them feel your… you-know-whats…’

‘But I haven’t got any you-know-whats.’

‘Don’t be pedantic.’

‘How can I be pedantic, I don’t know what it means? Anyway, I only want to give them a bit of a rub – over your bra, not even under it.’ He’d shuddered at the wonderful thought of actually being allowed underneath a girl’s bra.

Jake sighs as a sharp pang of nostalgia for such simple times brings a lump to his throat. The radio plays Eva Cassidy – a heartbreaking song about leaving in autumn, leaves turning, and all manner of other sad stuff. Can the day get any worse?

Blurb:

Together since their teens, Molly and Jake have four children, a house in a sleepy village and jobs that bore them to distraction. Their marriage is an accident waiting to happen. When Nick arrives in Mayfield, young, disturbed and in desperate need of mother-love, Molly doesn’t realise that he will be the catalyst that blows everything apart. Add a headmaster whose wife doesn’t understand him and Molly’s unpredictable, frustrated best friend to the mix, and the blue touch paper has been well and truly lit.

Buy Links: http://celiajanderson.co.uk/books/moondancing/

celiaprofile

Author Bio:

Celia J Anderson teaches English in a small South Derbyshire town and dreams of living by the sea. Having her previous books published (Sweet Proposal, with Piatkus Entice and Little Boxes and Living the Dream with Tirgearr) has whetted her appetite for the author’s life, but at the moment she is juggling her love of junior drama and writing classes, reading thrillers and drinking too much wine/eating too much cake while she keeps on top of the marking pile. One day…

Website: http://celiajanderson.co.uk/

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

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/celiaanderson1

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GIVEAWAY!

Make sure to follow the whole tour—the more posts you visit throughout, the more chances you’ll get to enter the giveaway. The tour dates are here: http://www.writermarketing.co.uk/prpromotion/blog-tours/currently-on-tour/celia-j-anderson-4/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Many thanks for stopping by on your tour Celia. Good luck with your new book.

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny xx

 

 

Another Cup of… The Dawn of a Series

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On January 11, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

As I approach the publishers editing stage of the draft of Another Cup of Champagne– the fifth in the Another Cup of… series, I can’t help but look back on how it all began. I’ve had so much fun writing the adventures of Amy, Kit, Jack and their friends- but I honestly never thought I’d still be telling their stories five books later!

Another Cup of Coffee - New cover 2015

Although Another Cup of Coffee was the first book I wrote under the name Jenny Kane, it is actually my seventh novel. Without exception, all of my other works, be they long or short, have been formed from a single moment of inspiration- a flash point of certainty sparked from a conversation, location, or random thought, that has expanded and developed as I’ve penned the words.

Another Cup of Coffee however was a very different cup of tea! (If you’ll pardon the pun!). It’s dawn was thirteen years ago, shortly after the birth of my first child, and it started by accident. My youngest child never slept at night as a baby, nor did she feel inclined to eat much, so she was constantly awake, starving and grumpy (although she is totally lovely now!!), and as a sanity buster in the middle of the night I would lay on the sofa with her, and think back to all the wonderful times I’d had as a student when I worked as an archaeologist, all the fun I’d had with my university friends, I’d reminisce about how I met my husband, all the places we used to go, the music we used to listen to, the mistakes we made…and then, as the long nights wore on, I found I’d begun to think about the ‘what if’s’ in life.

It was these ‘what if’s’ that made me reach for a piece of paper- What if I hadn’t met my husband when I did? What if I’d met him years later in a totally different place? What if my first boyfriend had hurt me badly, rather than finishing things amicably? And what if he’d been my best friend ever since- as, in fact, he is- but with the past still an open wound between us, rather than just something we look back on fondly as a lovely adventure on the way to growing up? (I use the term ‘growing up’ very loosely!!) What if my heart had been so broken that I’d run away from all my friends and started a new life many miles away? What if…..?

ACOChristmas- New 2015

I wrote all those thoughts down- and then did nothing with them. Then, when my second child was born, and the lack of sleep began again, I picked up that piece of paper, and gave the characters associated with this ‘what if-ness’ names- although not the names in the book now- the main character was called Jenny back then, rather than Amy as she is now…

Thirteen years ago Amy Crane ran away from everyone and everything she knew, ending up in an unfamiliar city with no obvious past and no idea of her future. Now, though, that past has just arrived on her doorstep, in the shape of an old music cassette that Amy hasn’t seen since she was at university.

Digging out her long-neglected Walkman, Amy listens to the lyrics that soundtracked her student days. As long-buried memories are wrenched from the places in her mind where she’s kept them safely locked away for over a decade, Amy is suddenly tired of hiding.

It’s time to confront everything about her life. Time to find all the friends she left behind in England, when her heart got broken and the life she was building for herself was shattered. Time to make sense of all the feelings she’s been bottling up for all this time. And most of all, it’s time to discover why Jack has sent her tape back to her now, after all these years…

With her mantra, ‘New life, New job, New home’, playing on a continuous loop in her head, Amy gears herself up with yet another bucket-sized cup of coffee, as she goes forth to lay the ghost of first love to rest…

As you can see from the blurb, I took all those midnight mixed up memories, those sips of coffee from my life- a life which has involved one hell of a lot of caffeine- and weaved them into the story I first played with thirteen years ago!

CITC- New cover 2015

Christmas at the Castle

It was been an amazing amount of fun to write a series of stories which run so close to my own life and yet, at the same time- are nothing like it…with maybe one exception. There is a character called Kit in Another Cup of Coffee– she is an erotica writer, she has two children, she is happily married, she never wears make up, can’t be bothered to worry about clothes, and she sits in a cafe all morning to write her stories, and she is the co-host of a literary festival!! Beyond that she isn’t like me at all…honest…

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You can buy Another Cup of Coffee as either a paperback from all good bookshops or an eBook from-

Amazon UK- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Coffee-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783751126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377605533&sr=8-1&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee

Amazon US – http://www.amazon.com/Another-Cup-Coffee-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783751126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377605667&sr=8-1&keywords=another+cup+of+coffee+jenny+kane

It is also available on Kobo and Nook.

Another Glass of Champagne will be out this coming summer.

Another Glass of Champagne_edited-1

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Happy reading,

Jenny x

Special Announcement: Abi’s House is to have a sequel!

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On January 6, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

It is with great pleasure- and several celebratory cups of coffee- that I can announce that Accent Press have commissioned me to write a sequel to my bestselling novel, Abi’s House!

Set in the beautiful Cornish village of Sennen in the Penwith Peninsula, Abi’s House tells the story of Abi Carter and her emotional and geographical journey from an unhappy life as a young widow in London, to a new life in search of her dream home in Cornwall.

Abi's House new cover

Thanks to all you wonderful readers, Abi’s House has proved so popular that a couple of months ago, a sequel was requested by my publisher. Since then I have been working out what sort of storyline I could weave next against the backdrop of Cornish sunshine, cream teas and fish and chips.

After much thought, and a chat with a local Abi’s House fan (thanks Jo), I developed a new plotline and the words were soon flowing.

It is with great excitement therefore, that I find myself already 50,000 words into the first draft of Abi’s Neighbour.

Obviously I don’t want to give too much away, but I can tell you that Abi Carter is about to get a brand new next door neighbour…and there is a very real worry she has bought the Stepford Wife style London City attitude that Abi had fought so hard to escape, along with her…

House for Abi- Sennen

And when will Abi’s Neighbour be ready and waiting for you to read? Well, I’m afraid it won’t be until Summer 2017!! However, I do have another coffee based novel almost ready to be released in June 2016…so watch this space for more news…

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

Sunshine Dreaming: Abi’s House is ONLY 99p

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On January 5, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, Romance

With the weather wet, windy and cold, what could be better than escaping into a book of Cornish sunshine?

I’m delighted to say that my Cornish friendship and romance novel, Abi’s House is on special offer, at only 99p or 99c on Kindle!!

Sennen

Blurb

Newly widowed at barely thirty, Abi Carter is desperate to escape the Stepford Wives-style life that Luke, her late husband, had been so keen for her to live.

Abi decides to fulfil a lifelong dream. As a child on holiday in a Cornwall as a child she fell in love with a cottage – the prophetically named Abbey’s House. Now she is going to see if she can find the place again, relive the happy memories … maybe even buy a place of her own nearby?

On impulse Abi sets off to Cornwall, where a chance meeting in a village pub brings new friends Beth and Max into her life. Beth, like Abi, has a life-changing decision to make. Max, Beth’s best mate, is new to the village. He soon helps Abi track down the house of her dreams … but things aren’t quite that simple. There’s the complicated life Abi left behind, including her late husband’s brother, Simon – a man with more than friendship on his mind … Will Abi’s house remain a dream, or will the bricks and mortar become a reality?

Abi's House_edited-1

Here are some of the lovely review’s Abi’s House has received…

“A summer read as scrumptious as its Cornish backdrop. Brilliant!”

“This novel is a box of delights…the perfect escapist read…”

“Better than a Cornish Cream Tea…”

“Reading a Jenny Kane book is like opening a journal by a much loved friend…”

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To pick up your copy Abi’s House at only 99p or 99c, visit these links

 
Happy reading,
Jenny xx

Happy New Year: A Quiet 2016? Ummm….

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On January 1, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, crime, Fiction, Historical fiction

Happy New Year 2016

I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas and that 2016 has kicked off for you in fine style.

Last night, as a sipped a delicious glass of Baileys- complete with Maltesers (it has to be tried!); I was seized with the sudden sensation that I hadn’t achieved very much in 2015. Somehow it seemed to arrive and disappear at such speed, that I hardly had time to catch breath, let alone write all the words I intended to.

No sooner had I shared this view with my husband, when I found myself on the receiving end of a look of total disbelief, followed by a brief lecture on the subject on the subject of ‘remember you are only human, there are only 24 hours a day, and you do occasionally have to eat and sleep!’

He has a point. I do have a habit of thinking that whatever I’ve done, however hard I’ve worked, it’s never enough. So, as Big Ben chimed, and the time for New Year Resolutions came, I said (recklessly perhaps) that I would try and be a little kinder to myself work wise this year. We will see…

2015 was, now I think about it, rather busy. The main event was certainly the release of my Cornish romance, Abi’s House. My bestselling novel to date, I have been touched by the number of kind reviews, personal messages of thanks, and encouragement from so many of my readers after it was published last summer.

Abi's House new cover

Of course Abi’s House was actually written in 2014, it was my forthcoming novel, Another Glass of Champagne which took up my writing time in the early part of 2015. The fifth and final instalment in my Another Cup of Coffee range, this full length novel will be out in the summer (probably June), and continues the story of the Pickwicks Coffee House crew, Amy, Jack, Kit, Phil, Megan, Peggy and Scott.

I’ve loved every minute of writing my ACOC series, and even though I still have the pre-publish edits to do, I’m already bracing myself for how much I’m going to miss writing about Peggy and the gang. Since Another Cup of Coffee came out, I’ve written a Pickwicks story every year since, including Christmas at the Castle, which came out last November.

Christmas at the Castle

So, now I think about it- in 2015 I wrote one novel (Another Glass of Champagne), edited another (Abi’s House), and wrote a novella (Christmas at the Castle). Then, of course, there was the publication of my children’s picture book, Ben’s Biscuit Tin Adventure, my adult books under the pen name of Kay Jaybee, and all the coffee blogs, guest blogs, reviews, articles and- not forgetting- my ‘real’ job.

Title Page

So perhaps I haven’t been quite as slack as I thought over the last 12 months!

So what of the next 12 months? What can I promise you in 2016 as well as Another Glass of Champagne?

You’ll have to wait and see…but I have been plotting the chapter plans for two new novels, a novella, and I have very exciting news to share on top of all that…

OK- it’s looking like I’m going to be breaking that New Year resolution fairly quickly!

Happy New Year!!

Jenny x

Guest Blog from Deborah Carr: Looking Forward to Welcoming 2016

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On December 29, 2015

In Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

I’m delighted to welcome Deborah Carr, aka Georgina Troy, back to my site today to reflect on a truly non-stop 2015!

Over to you Deborah….

I write under my own name D M Carr (historicals for Green Shutter Books) and also a pseudonym Georgina Troy (my Jersey Scene Series for Accent Press). Writing is an addiction for me and one I can’t imagine ever wanting, or being able, to give up. It’s one activity that you can work hard at for years and still not achieve your ambitions, but it’s also something that you can completely lose yourself in, and seeing your books available to buy online, or in the shops is a joy I’ll never get used to.

D Carr

2015 has seen a few writing changes for me. Firstly, A Jersey Kiss (the first book in my Jersey Scene series) was a finalist in the Joan Hessayon Award for new writers and then I amicably parted ways with my fabulous agent, who represented me as Deborah Carr for three years.

Writing is an activity that rarely runs smoothly. Just when you think you’ve achieved something it doesn’t end up as you had expected it to. For example, my historical novel, Broken Faces beat 7,000 other entrants to be a runner-up in the Good Housekeeping Novel Writing Competition 2012, the book then received a Special Commendation from the Harry Bowling Prize, and then as if that wasn’t exciting enough, Luigi Bonomi, one of the judges of the Good Housekeeping competition asked to see the full manuscript and then offered to represent me. 2012 was an amazing year and I thought 2013 would be ‘my year’ – it was a good year but not in ways I’d expected. Luigi was wonderful and when Broken Faces almost, but not quite found a home with a publisher, I then wrote two psychological thrillers for him. Both were well received, but didn’t get taken up.

A Jersey Dreamboat

I then concentrated on my contemporary romances – The Jersey Scene series – which are based in Jersey but also Sorrento, South of France and Vietnam. This series is published by Accent Press with book 4, A Jersey Bombshell coming out next April. So, in 2013 I saw my first two books for sale online and in local book shops, then I signed a contract with Accent Press in 2014 for four books in the series and 2015 saw the third book in the series being published.

Still though, Broken Faces was languishing in the ether and having spent six years promoting other authors as deputy editor for Novelicious.com looking after the Alternative Thursday posts, interviews, reviews, etc, I decided I needed to step back and rethink my writing career. So Luigi and I parted ways, amicably, and for the time being I’m just reviewing and contributing for Novelicious – because they are the greatest team ever. This month my debut novel as D M Carr (me), Broken Faces, was published by Green Shutter Books. To finally see a book that’s so close to my heart finally published is a dream come true.

I’m excited to welcome 2016. I’ve already been contacted about three exciting events during the year, but none that I can share with you, just yet. All I know is that whatever happens I’ll keep on writing and loving it. Perseverance is the key when it comes to writing and I’m nothing if not persistent.

Happy 2016 everyone!

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Georgina Troy -Headshot
Twitter:
@DebsCarr
@GeorginaTroy
Facebook:
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Many thanks for a great blog Deborah, I wish you a very productive and happy 2016,
Happy reading everyone,
Jenny x

A VERY HAPPY COFFEE FILLED CHRISTMAS

By

On December 24, 2015

In Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

I just wanted to pause from the merriment to wish you…

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

blue-christmas-2015-lights-missouri

Many many thanks for all your support over the last year.

I hope you are all having a truly peaceful and huggled Christmas, with extra coffee and a mince pie or three.

Christmas at the CastleCITC- New cover 2015ACOChristmas- New 2015

Much love,

Jenny xx

Emergency Christmas Kindle-ing: Naughty and Nice!

By

On December 22, 2015

In Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

It’s almost here!! It’s almost Christmas!!

If you’re anything like me you are, despite all your intentions to the contrary, you are still buying last minute gifts! I had planned to have everything wrapped and labelled, and the tree up, and the shopping sorted….but of course, none of that has happened yet!!

So- what are you going to buy during your last minute shopping spree? Fancy a book or two? Not sure if you want a cosy coffee time read, or something spicy?

Here’s a few suggestions to help things along- paperbacks to pop in those stockings, or ebooks to adorn the new Kindles currently stock piled on Santa’s sleigh!

SPICY (OVER 18’s only)

Digging Deep (erotic romance)

DD cariad

An erotic romance novella set in an archaeological dig, in the grounds of the
Ancient Roman city of Leptis Minus in Tunisia by Kay Jaybee

As site supervisor on an archaeological dig, in the grounds of the Ancient Roman city of Leptis Minus in
Tunisia, Dr Beth Andrew’s hands are well and truly full. Her first foreign excavation, which she co-runs with the American archaeologist Dr Harrison Harris, gets off to a shaky start due to the jealous interference of Harrison’s ex, and an overzealous student… Love and lust really can cloud even the cleverest person’s judgement!

A Sticky Situation (erotic romance)

Sticky Situation- cariad

An erotic romance novella by bestselling author, Kay Jaybee.

If there is a paving stone to trip over, or a drink to knock over, then Sally Briers will trip over it or spill it. Yet somehow Sally is the successful face of marketing for a major pharmaceutical company; much to the disbelief of her new boss,
Cameron James.
Forced to work together on a week-long conference in an Oxford hotel, Sally is dreading spending so much time with arrogant new boy Cameron, whose presence somehow makes her even clumsier than usual.

Cameron, on the other hand, just hopes he’ll be able to stay professional, and keep his irrational desire to lick up all the accidentally split food and drink that is permanently to be found down Sally’s temptingly curvy body, all to himself.

 

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COSY COFFEE TIME READS

Another Cup of Coffee

Another Cup of Coffee - New cover 2015

Thirteen years ago Amy Crane ran away from everyone and everything she knew, ending up in an unfamiliar city with no obvious past and no idea of her future. Now, though, that past has just arrived on her doorstep, in the shape of an old
music cassette that Amy hasn’t seen since she was at university.

Digging out her long-neglected Walkman, Amy listens to the lyrics that soundtracked her student days. As long-buried memories are wrenched from the places in her mind where she’s kept them safely locked away for over a decade, Amy is suddenly tired of hiding.

It’s time to confront everything about her life. Time to find all the friends she left behind in England, when her heart got broken and the life she was building for herself got completely shattered. Time to make sense of all the feelings she’s been bottling up for all this time. And most of all, it’s time to discover why Jack has sent her tape back to her now, after all these years…

With her mantra, New life, New job, New home, playing on a continuous loop in her head, Amy gears herself up with yet another a bucked-sized cup of coffee, as she goes forth to lay the ghost of first love to rest…

 

Another Cup of Christmas
ACOChristmas- New 2015
Another Cup of Christmas is a festive sequel (of sorts!) to Jenny Kane’s fantastic debut romance, Another Cup of Coffee. Five years ago the staff of Pickwicks Cafe in Richmond were thrown into turmoil when their cook and part-owner, Scott, had a terrible accident. With help from his friends, his wife Peggy, and the staff at the local hospital, he made an amazing recovery. Now Pickwicks is preparing to host a special Christmas fundraiser for the hospital department that looked after Scott.
Pickwicks’ waitress Megan has been liaising with the ward’s administrator, Nick, as all the staff who helped Scott’s recovery are invited are invited. As the problems of organising the fundraiser take up more and more of their busy lives, Megan and Nick contact each other more frequently, and their emails and phone calls start to develop from the practical into the flirty.
But can you actually fall for someone you’ve never met? As the fundraiser draws closer, Megan is beginning to think that she had imagined all the virtual flirting between herself and Nick – he promised to arrange to meet her for real, but he hasn’t done so. Now he’s bringing someone with him to the fundraiser, and they’re just bound to be everything Megan feels she isn’t …
Romancing Robin Hood
RRH- new 2015

Dr Grace Harper has loved the stories of Robin Hood ever since she first saw them on TV as a girl. Now, with her fortieth birthday just around the corner, she’s a successful academic in Medieval History, with a tenured position at a top university.

But Grace is in a bit of a rut. She’s supposed to be writing a textbook on a real-life medieval gang of high-class criminals – the Folvilles – but she keeps being drawn into the world of the novel she’s secretly writing – a novel which entwines the Folvilles with her long-time love of Robin Hood – and a feisty young girl named Mathilda, who is the key to a medieval mystery…

Meanwhile, Grace’s best friend Daisy – who’s as keen on animals as Grace is on the Merry Men – is unexpectedly getting married, and a reluctant Grace is press-ganged into being her bridesmaid. As Grace sees Daisy’s new-found happiness, she starts to re-evaluate her own life. Is her devotion to a man who may or may not have lived hundreds of years ago really a substitute for a real-life hero of her own? It doesn’t get any easier when she meets Dr Robert Franks – a rival academic who Grace is determined to dislike but finds herself being increasingly drawn to… 

 

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Hope this has given you a few ideas!!!
Happy last minute panic shopping everyone!!
Jenny xx

The Christmas Do

By

On December 14, 2015

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

Up and down the country- whichever country that may be- men and women are laying down their laptops, putting aside their PC’s, closing their diaries, and switching on the answer machines so that they can head out on their ‘Work Christmas Do!’

As a self employed writer, if I went on a ‘Work Christmas Do’ all that would happen would be that I’d have a gingerbread muffin alongside my usual cup of coffee.

Or should I say, would ‘usually’ be- because this year I was invited to the RNA Christmas meal for the SW Chapter (Wilts and Somerset)! I’d like to thank the lovely Rachel Brimble for organising a wonderful evening at The George, Lacock last week.

RNA evening in lacock

Even though I’ve worked ever since I was 15 years old, this was my very first works Christmas outing. Every year until this one, something has happened to stop me attending. Whether it was illness, snow, flood, bad timing, or life just not playing fair- or in the case of the company I have been employed for as an outworker for the last 15 years- never being invited, something has always prevented me attending. So as you can imagine, as I was travelling from Devon to Wiltshire to attend, I was on tenterhooks, waiting for something to wrong.

stuck in snow

OK, so when I got to Lacock I initially went to the wrong pub – such mistakes are very me! But once I’d found everyone, I had the best time; catching up on what we’ve all been up to over the last year, and putting the writing world in general to rights. Not only did I have a wonderful time with my author friends, I met new kid on the block Fay Keenan, who turned out to be an even bigger Robin of Sherwood fan than me!

Writing, by its very nature, is an isolating profession; this makes any writer get together very value. At Christmas, when our loved ones and friends are off to party after party, and we’re all living in our own imaginations at our desks, such gatherings are more precious than ever.

Whatever the time of year, whether there are Christmas cracker to pull or not, writers need writers- without each other to talk to, I swear their would be homes for bewildered authors springing up all over the world!

So once again- thanks Rachel- you’re a star.

Happy Christmas Do-ing Everyone!

Jenny x

 

 

Christmas at the Castle: Scottish romance, with coffee

By

On December 5, 2015

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

Read as a stand alone story, or as a sequel to Another Cup of Coffee, Another Cup of Christmas and Christmas in the Cotswolds, Christmas at the Castle takes author Kit Lambert away from the comfort of Pickwicks Coffee Shop, and into the beautiful Deeside region of Scotland…

Christmas at the Castle

Christmas at the Castle is a seasonal treat from Jenny Kane, featuring much-loved characters from her bestselling novel Another Cup of Coffee.

When hotshot businesswoman Alice Warren is asked to organise a literary festival at beautiful Crathes Castle in Scotland, her ‘work mode’ persona means she can’t say no – even though the person asking is her ex, Cameron Hunter.

Alice broke Cameron’s heart and feels she owes him one – but her best friend Charlie isn’t going to like it. Charlie – aka famous author Erin Spence – is happy to help Alice with the festival…until she finds out that Cameron’s involved! Charlie suffered a bad case of unrequited love for Cameron, and she can’t bear the thought of seeing him again.

Caught between her own insecurities and loyalty to her friend, Charlie gets fellow author Kit Lambert to take her place. Agreeing to leave her London comfort zone – and her favourite corner in Pickwicks Café – Kit steps in. She quickly finds herself not just helping out, but hosting a major literary event, while also trying to play fairy godmother – a task which quickly gets very complicated indeed…

tartan christmas

***

Here’s a tasty taster for you… Author Charlie, and her business woman friend Alice are in a café in Banchory, Scotland, discussing the literary festival they are trying to run. Charlie is convinced that Alice is holding out on her- but she doesn’t know why…

“…Charlie was convinced her friend was lying, but she wasn’t sure why. ‘Loads of Scottish towns have festivals. Come on, Alice, why did you choose here?’

‘It’s a beautiful place. More people should see it; although I grant you the festival is three miles away at the castle, so not everyone will come into the town itself.’

‘I can’t argue with the knock-out location argument,’ Charlie said, ‘but why really? Please don’t do the mysterious hot-shot businesswoman bit with me Alice..’

Not looking at her companion, Alice reached into her designer bag and pulled out a notebook and matching pen, and mumbled, ‘Cameron asked me to.’

Charlie’s cheeks instantly went red. ‘Cameron Hunter? He doesn’t live here anymore. I thought you guys were a thing of the past?’

‘We are. But I owe him. He asked me for help. He’s working up at Crathes Castle, running the estate management team. Tasked with bringing in new events to improve the out-of-season tourist figures.’

Speaking slowly, as if trying to get her head around a difficult sum, Charlie said, ‘Cameron Hunter is back? Cameron who treats me as though I’m invisible?’

Alice rolled her eyes. ‘He never thought you were invisible! Honestly, Charlie, I can’t believe you’re still going on about that. I thought you were paranoid at the time, but it was five years ago! And you wouldn’t want him now anyway, would you?’ She studied her friend more shrewdly. ‘Or would you?’

‘Not even if he was soaked in chocolate, but that is not the point.’ Charlie couldn’t believe Alice had put her in this position. ‘He made me feel small and worthless. I bet if you mentioned me by name to him he wouldn’t know who the hell you were talking about.’ Charlie closed her eyes for a second while she tried to calm the anger that was rapidly tightening in her chest. ‘We used to spend hours chatting while he waited around for you to beautify yourself, and yet the second you arrived he acted as though you two were the only people in the world.’

Alice raised her eyebrows. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, it was never like that. And it’s hardly his fault you got a crush on him.’ Shaking her head as if to dismiss a non-existent problem, like she would at work, Alice said, ‘The thing is, his job at Crathes is currently temporary. Cameron has to secure a profit-making event in the first four months of his job for it to become permanent.’

Crathes Castle

Crathes Castle

Charlie’s palms had gone as clammy as if it was the middle of summer. ‘But we’re holding the festival at the castle.’

‘That’s what I’m saying! Cameron couldn’t find anyone willing to run an event at such short notice so close to Christmas. Craft fairs have been done to death and it’s too cold for outdoor theatre. So he came to my company for ideas.’

‘The man whose heart you broke. The man you left without a word so you could go and be a big city success?’ Charlie couldn’t get her head straight. ‘Why didn’t you tell me he was here, or that it was his festival I was helping plan?’

Sensing that she might have pushed Charlie’s good nature too far, Alice said, ‘Because you’re my friend. You’re helping me, not Cameron. I need you, sweetie. My reputation is on the line. I promised I’d make this one hell of an event.’

Seeing the thunderous expression on the normally calm Charlie’s face, Alice realised she was close to losing the help of the person she’d been depending on most. ‘Please, Charlie! I’ve secured a top line-up of authors and no one wants to see them!’

Speaking through gritted teeth, Charlie said, ‘You mean I’ve secured you a top line-up of authors.’

‘Yes, well, same thing,’ Alice flipped open her notebook. ‘But despite that, this festival isn’t getting any local interest.’

Keeping quiet her thought that things not going to plan for once could do Alice a lot of good, Charlie had to agree that even though the posters displayed all over town proclaimed a line-up of bestselling authors that would be the envy of many established festivals, the situation was far from rosy.

There were eight main events, but not one ticket had been sold. The website for the festival was up and running, but no one had visited it yet. The Facebook and Twitter pages were in full working order, but the number of followers was lacklustre to say the least. People obviously had more important things to spend their money on so near to Christmas.

Forgetting her determination not to let her hair do its unruly impression of a haystack, Charlie ran a hand through its curls and let out a strangled cry of frustration as she got to her feet.

‘You’re right, you do need help.’ Charlie grabbed her bag and scarf. ‘I’m glad you’ve finally worked out you can’t always be a one-woman band. In a small town, you need lots of volunteers to run something like this. You also need to learn how to ask nicely for that help, rather than assuming one flutter of your eyelashes will do the trick.

‘Obviously, I won’t be helping any more. You knew that I wouldn’t be able to once I learned Cameron was involved, which is presumable why you didn’t tell me before.’ Without pausing, Charlie leant across the table and whispered, ‘You let me watch while you took what you wanted from Cameron, knowing I liked him more than you did, and then, once he’d fallen for you hook, line, and sinker, you disappeared and dumped him by text. I made a total fool of myself trying to comfort him. The relief I felt when he left was huge, and yet, fool that I am, I still missed seeing him around. The only good thing I ever got from Cameron was the plot to The Love-Blind Boy!’

Catching her breath, gratified by the shocked expression on Alice’s face, Charlie added, ‘As it happens, I don’t want this festival to fail. Too many hardworking authors are travelling a long way to come here.’ She scribbled two names onto a paper napkin. ‘These people might help, if you’re nice to them.’

Slamming the napkin onto the table, Charlie gathered her coat into her arms and walked away, leaving a stunned Alice staring after her…

***

If that has whetted your appetite, you can find out what happens next, and if there is a literary festival left, by the time Kit Lambert leaves London for Scotland, you can buy Christmas at the Castle from-

Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-at-Castle-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B015J87DTI/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1442588560&sr=1-2&keywords=christmas+at+the+castle

Amazon US

http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-at-Castle-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B015J87DTI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1442603723&sr=1-1&keywords=christmas+at+the+castle

***

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

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