Jenny Kane & Jennifer Ash

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

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Tiny Taster: Autumn Leaves at Mill Grange

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On May 16, 2023

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Jenny Kane, Mill Grange, Romance

This week I thought I’d share a tiny taster from the second novel in the #MillGrange #series,

Autumn Leaves at Mill Grange.

Thea, Tina, Shaun and co are working hard to make Mill Grange into a retreat – but archaeology keeps getting in the way…

Blurb

At Mill Grange, the work – and the fun – never stops! As autumn brings coolness and colour, change is in the air for all at the manor…

Sam Philips’ time in the forces changed him forever. Supported by his friends, Sam is keen to help make beautiful Mill Grange a safe retreat for injured army personnel… but his crippling claustrophobia means Sam is living in a tent on the grounds! Enlisting the help of charming village stalwarts Bert and Mabel Hastings, Tina Martins is determined to find a way to help him conquer his fears. But why does she feel like he is keeping a secret?

After discovering evidence of a Roman fortlet on the manor’s grounds, Thea Thomas is thrilled at the chance to return to her archaeological roots and lead the excavation. She spent the summer with handsome celebrity archaeologist Shaun Cowlson – but now he’s off filming his Landscape Treasures show in Cornwall, and Thea can’t help but miss his company. Especially as someone else is vying for his attention…

Welcome back to Mill Grange and the beautiful village of Upwich, full of larger-than-life characters you can’t  help but adore.

(Autumn Leaves at Mill Grange follows on from Midsummer Dreams at Mill Grange, and is followed by Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange and Winter Fires at Mill Grange. It can also be read as a standalone novel.)

Here’s a tiny taster…

‘Take pity on an old man, lass.’

Bert fluttered his grey eyelashes as he helped Tina carry a large cardboard box full of tea, coffee, milk and biscuits from her car into Mill Grange’s kitchen. ‘I love Mabel to pieces, but she is driving me mad.’

Tina laughed. ‘But it’s only been two months since the restoration project came to an end. Doesn’t Mabel have heaps of committee work to do? She runs every social club this side of Exmoor.’

As he placed the box on the oak table that dominated the manor’s kitchen, Bert’s eyes lost their usual optimistic shine. ‘Since Mill Grange was sold Mabel’s been so aimless. She led the volunteer restorers here for over five years and now that’s over…’

‘Mabel doesn’t mind Sam owning this place, does she?’

‘Not for a minute. For a little while it was all she could talk about. She’s that proud of your young man for buying the very thing that frightens him. For taking his fear of being inside by the scruff of the neck and buying a house to be enjoyed by other people.’

Tina put her box of groceries on the side and laid a hand on Bert’s shoulder. ‘I’ll talk to Sam. There must be something Mabel could do around here.’ She played with her pigtails as she thought. ‘I’m not sure we can afford to pay her yet though.’

‘You wouldn’t have to. Making her feel part of the team again is all I’m asking for.’ Bert’s smile returned to his eyes. ‘How’s it going here anyway? Sam getting into the house at all, or is he still overseeing things from that screen thing outside?’

‘He hasn’t been inside the manor since he bought it.’ Tina focused her attention on emptying the boxes of biscuits ready for Mill Grange’s first visitors, hiding her…

Available as an ebook and audio from Nook, Kobo, as well as on Kindle and in paperback from Amazon UK and Amazon US and all good retailers.

Happy  reading everyone,

Jenny xx

Tiny Taster: Midsummer Dreams at Mill Grange

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On May 9, 2023

In Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Jenny Kane, Mill Grange, Romance

Midsummer Dreams at Mill Grange is, the first in a series of four novels. Introducing you to Thea Thomas, Tina Martin, Shaun Cowlson, Sam Philips, and the unstoppable Mabel Hastings; you’ll be taken into the beautiful Exmoor countryside, on the Somerset/Devon border, where adventures behind the doors to Mill Grange are opened…

Blurb

A warm-hearted, feel-good romance from Jenny Kane, a Kindle #1 bestselling author.

Thea Thomas needs to get away from her old life… and the interfering ex who won’t leave her alone. When she lands a job heading up the restoration of Mill Grange, a stunning Victorian manor in Somerset, it feels like the perfect opportunity to start afresh.

What Thea didn’t anticipate was how hostile the volunteer team, led by the formidable Mabel Hastings, would be about accepting new leadership. And with the deadline looming before the grand opening, Thea is in desperate need of more volunteers.

A broadcast appeal on the local news attracts the interest of arrogant but undeniably attractive celebrity historian Shaun Cowlson, who wants to make a TV programme about the restoration. It’s hard enough adding one more big personality to the mix – but then her ex turns up as one of the volunteers! What seemed like a dream come true is fast becoming a total disaster! Can Thea find a way to save the manor?

Here’s a tiny taster…

Positioned at the top of a high rise of land, not far from the southern border of Exmoor, the Victorian manor house called Mill Grange rose from the centre of a gravelled drive, taking command of the surrounding scenery. Three tiers of a once-loved terraced garden fell away from the house in tatty overgrown rows. At the foot of these gardens ran a semi-encircling band of encroaching woodland, which the Ordnance Survey map Thea was clutching declared to stretch down to the River Barle on one side and the meandering River Exe on the other.

Huddled beneath her thick jumper against the sharp March wind, Thea was enfolded in a sensation of freedom and peace. The very stillness of the air, the lack of any visible overhead wires or street lighting, made her feel as if she’d driven into a Victorian time capsule. A Roman historian and archaeologist to the bone, she felt daunted by the prospect of taking on the restoration of a manor centuries removed from her field of expertise. With its fourteen bedrooms, seven bathrooms, numerous associated rooms, outhouses, and the mill after which it was named, a quarter of a mile away on the edge of Upwich village, it was not a task for the faint-hearted. However, the early spring sunshine, which caused the house’s granite walls to glitter with welcoming promise, seemed to be telling her it was going to be alright.

Alongside her Roman studies at university, Thea had trained in industrial archaeology and museum management, and was well-qualified for the job in hand. But this challenge, to turn Mill Grange into a heritage centre, was vastly different from her last posting at the Roman Baths in Bath. She could feel herself prodding the outer edges of her comfort zone…

If you’d like to read on, then Midsummer Dreams at Mill Grange is available as an eBook, audio or paperback from all good retailers, including…

Amazon UK 

Amazon.com 

Kobo 

Nook

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny xx

PUBLICATION DAY: Bluebell Season at The Potting Shed

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On March 30, 2023

In Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Jenny Kane, Romance, The Potting Shed

Bluebell Season at The Potting Shed is out today!!

I’m so excited to be able to bring you more adventures from Devon, and The Potting Shed garden centre.

Blurb

Maddie and her sister Sabi are back at The Potting Shed, but are their troubles over?

Bluebell Season at The Potting Shed is the sequel of Frost Falls at The Potting Shed, part of a new series by #1 Kindle bestselling author, Jenny Kane, that revolves around a family-run garden centre.

Spring has arrived at The Potting Shed and things seem to finally be going Maddie’s way. Her relationship with lovable lawyer Ed is going well and the business is thriving with the help of her new friend Jo and his bright orange coffee van.

But troubles are just around the corner… The upgrade of The Potting Shed from a nursery to a garden centre is at a critical point – turning part of Maddie’s business into a building site, and just as she has to temporarily move out of her home, a major garden centre announces its grand opening only twenty miles away.

With money running out Maddie and her sister Sabi must think fast – they only have until the end of bluebell season to save The Potting Shed…

Anyone who follows me on social media, will know that I’m a huge fan of nature, walking, and the great outdoors. One of my favourite seasons of the year is spring – in particular, bluebell season. There is something totally magical about seeing blankets of bluebells appear across our countryside. I just adore walking amongst them (taking care not to stand on them) every year. It felt natural, therefore, to set the second novel in The Potting Shed series at such a time that Maddie and her team could enjoy the bluebell season as much as I do.

Carrying on a few months after the end of Frost Falls at The Potting Shed,, Bluebell Season reintroduces us, not just to Maddie, Sabi, Ed, Jem and Henry – but allows us to get to know Jo (owner of a bright orange camper van which bestowed amazing coffee), his friend Sara, the amazing Little Acorns, and the mysterious Hazel Cooper…

Although Bluebell Season at The Potting Shed is the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone story.

You can find the paperback and ebook from today via all good book retailers.

Amazon UK, Amazon US, Kobo, Nook and Waterstones. 

I hope you enjoy my latest story. I’ll leave you now, as I need to edit the third book in the series – which is out in September!

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Opening Lines: Bluebell Season at The Potting Shed

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On March 28, 2023

In Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Jenny Kane, Romance, The Potting Shed

Bluebells Season at The Potting Shed is published this week!

Out on Thursday, Bluebells is the second book in #thepottingshed #series.

Today, while getting ready for launch day, I thought I’d share the opening lines from Maddie, Ed and Sabi’s second adventure in #Devon.

Blurb

Maddie and her sister Sabi are back at The Potting Shed, but are their troubles over?

Bluebell Season at The Potting Shed is the sequel of Frost Falls at The Potting Shed, part of a new series by #1 Kindle bestselling author, Jenny Kane, that revolves around a family-run garden centre.

Spring has arrived at The Potting Shed and things seem to finally be going Maddie’s way. Her relationship with lovable lawyer Ed is going well and the business is thriving with the help of her new friend Jo and his bright orange coffee van.

But troubles are just around the corner… The upgrade of The Potting Shed from a nursery to a garden centre is at a critical point – turning part of Maddie’s business into a building site, and just as she has to temporarily move out of her home, a major garden centre announces its grand opening only twenty miles away.

With money running out Maddie and her sister Sabi must think fast – they only have until the end of bluebell season to save The Potting Shed…

Here are the novel’s opening lines…

MARCH – Chapter One

Maddie’s breath caught in her throat as she saw the glass panel fall towards the gravel path. A vision of half of The Potting Shed’s new greenhouse roof being reduced to smithereens flashed through her mind as a workman dived forward and caught it a split second before it hit the ground.

‘I can’t watch this anymore.’ Maddie turned her sister. ‘It took us so long to decide whether we should splash out on a greenhouse for my herbs or not, I don’t want to look again until it’s up. It’s too stressful.’

Sabi gave the two men the full force of the haughty glare she reserved especially for tradesmen. ‘Let’s go inside. We’re supposed to be talking battle plans for the nursery’s expansion, and I for one could murder for a cup of tea.’

*

‘You know the greenhouse’s roof wouldn’t have smashed, don’t you?’

‘Logically, yes.’ Maddie placed the biscuit tin in the middle of the kitchen table. ‘No point in paying for reinforced glass if it’s not going to do its job, but instinct still told me it was going to break.’

‘Have you worked out which herbs you’re going to grow yet?’

‘Almost.’ Maddie glanced down as Florrie’s wet nose nudged at her hand. ‘Yes, I know you want a biscuit, but you’ve already had one, and they aren’t good for you.’ She ruffled the puppy’s black and white fur, before returning to the point. ‘I’ll start by increasing production of the herbs I already grow. All the favourites: thyme, mint, chives, parsley, and such. But I also want to produce some less common varieties too. See if I can tempt people to be braver in their tastes. Borage definitely – it’s good in a jug of Pimm’s; maybe some caraway and chervil.’

‘Not coriander and dill? I use all of those – and basil of course.’

Maddie’s eyebrows rose. ‘You mean Henry uses all of those.’

‘Yes, well, it’s hardly my fault if my husband loves to cook.’

‘You’re a lucky woman, Sabs.’ Patting her sister’s arm, Maddie selected another biscuit. ‘But I’ll leave out those particular herbs for now. They tend to bolt if you don’t keep on top of them, and as we can’t afford to employ any more staff, I want to keep things low maintenance.’

Sabi delved a hand into her massive handbag, pulled out a state-of-the-art tablet, and opened it at a list of jobs that needed doing. ‘Maybe we should have ordered a bigger greenhouse.’

‘Anything bigger wouldn’t have fitted between the first polytunnel and the path to the car park.’

‘I still can’t see why it couldn’t have been built on the scrap of land at the far side of the nursery.’

‘Light.’ Maddie bit back the temptation to ask Sabi how many times they needed to have this conversation. ‘While the rear of The Potting Shed does enjoy the sunshine, overall, it’s lighter at the front of the nursery for longer each day.’

Sabi grunted reluctant acceptance of the situation as she pulled a cookie from the tin, brushing a crumb away as it hit her tablet’s screen…

If that extract has whetted your appetite, you can pre-order your copy of Bluebell today.

Pre-Order from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Kobo, Nook and Waterstones. 

Bluebell Season at The Potting Shed follows Frost Falls at The Potting Shed, and precedes Misty Mornings at The Potting Shed. 

Happy Reading,

Jenny x

Thea: Winter Fires at Mill Grange

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On March 9, 2023

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Jenny Kane, Mill Grange, Romance

It may technically by spring, but looking out of the window, I feel it’s more fitting to be sitting in front of a winter fire…

The first character to be introduced to Mill Grange, when the series first opened (in Midsummer Dreams at Mill Grange), was Thea Thomas. Formerly a historian and archaeologist working at the Roman Baths in Bath, she came to Mill Grange to help restore it to its former Victorian glory – at least, that was the plan…

In book one, Thea has yet to meet any of the stalwarts at the Victorian manor on Exmoor, that we come to know and love throughout the series. By book four, they have become her firm friends.

Below I’m sharing an extract from book four, Winter Fires at Mill Grange -if you haven’t read the earlier books and don’t want any spoilers – then STOP READING NOW.

However, if you want to read an extract about Thea from Winter Fires, then read on!

Winter Fires at Mill Grange

EXTRACT

Thea threw her arms around Shaun as he climbed out of his car. ‘You don’t happen to know The Winter’s Tale, do you?’

Shaun’s eyebrows rose. ‘I’ll be honest, that was not the first thing I thought you’d say to me after two months apart.’

‘Would you rather I’d have led with the news that Mabel has made bacon sandwiches for lunch in honour of your return.’

‘Too right. Although a kiss from my gorgeous girlfriend wouldn’t go amiss first.’

‘Before a bacon sandwich! I’m honoured.’ Thea leant in for a kiss, only to have it curtailed by a question.

‘The song by David Essex or the play by Shakespeare?’

‘Sorry?’

‘Winter’s Tale.’

‘Oh yes. The play.’ Thea peered into the back of the car. ‘That isn’t all dirty washing, is it?’

Shaun chuckled. ‘You sounded just like a wife then.’

‘Oh.’ Thea’s cheeks coloured. ‘Sorry, I just meant…’

‘It’s alright, I know. I was joking.’ He pulled her closer. ‘The weather was dreadful. I adore the North East coastline, but I don’t think we had a single dry dig day for the entirety of the filming. At least it’ll show Landscape Treasures’ viewers that archaeology isn’t just a fair-weather occupation.’

‘Did you find it?’

‘The Saxon farmstead?’ Shaun grimaced. ‘Ish. There’s never much to find on Saxon sites. A few traces of hut postholes. Usual stuff.’ He opened the car’s back doors. ‘Why were you asking about a Shakespearean play?’

Thea heaved two overflowing carrier bags of grubby clothes out of the car. ‘Dylan’s stepsister, Harriet, has a role in it. Hermione.’

‘Good for her.’ Shaun hooked his rucksack onto his shoulder before grabbing a third bag of muddy clothes from the boot. ‘It’s a great play. I played Polixenes in an amateur production when I was at university.’

‘No way!’ Thea was amazed. ‘I had no idea you’d trodden the boards.’

‘It was a one-time event. I don’t have what it takes to be in the limelight like that.’

‘What are you talking about? You’re a celebrity archaeologist! A television presenter! You’re always in the public eye.’

Pushing the back door to the manor open with his foot, Shaun laughed. ‘Believe me, it’s very different. You know what it’s like on Landscape Treasures. I only have to remember a few lines at a time, and if I mess up we can reshoot them. On stage, if you mess up, then everyone knows and no one ever lets you forget.’

Thea deposited the bags of washing in the hallway. ‘That sounded like the voice of experience.’

‘There was a tricky speech I had to do midway through the play. I left out one line. It wasn’t major in the grand scheme of things. Didn’t mess up the plot or anything, but the chap playing Leontes, David bloody Clark, would not let it go.’

Thea’s eyebrows rose further. ‘Not still bitter a million years down the line or anything?’

Shaun grinned. ‘It put me off acting for life.’

‘Shame. I bet you were good.’

‘Probably about average, but thanks anyway.’ Shaun inhaled as they walked towards the kitchen. ‘Unless I’m very much mistaken, the sainted Mabel is already on sandwich duty.’

***

I hope you enjoyed that little snippet.

If you’d like to read Winter Fires, then you can buy it as a ebook or paperback from all good retailers, including:

Amazon – http://mybook.to/MillGrangeFour 

Waterstones – Winter Fires at Mill Grange by Jenny Kane | Waterstones

Nook – Winter Fires at Mill Grange: The perfect cosy heartwarming read this Christmas by Jenny Kane | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Kobo- Winter Fires at Mill Grange eBook by Jenny Kane – 9781801101974 | Rakuten Kobo United Kingdom

***

Here are a few of the latest 5 star reviews from Netgalley.

‘Winter Fires at Mill Grange is a wonderful read! …Although I didn’t read the other books in the series, this was a great read on its own. I am anxious to go back and read the rest. Thank you for the read!’

‘A wonderful feel good book for the Christmas season, A welcome return to friends that you will have meet in the previous books. These books are filled with hope, love, happiness and a longing for more. It’s so very sad to read the last book, I’m sure another instalment could be written please.’

‘I’d love to go and stay a while at Mill Grange. Set on Exmoor, the beauty of the surrounding countryside comes across on every page, and being back with Tina, Sam, Thea and Helen again was wonderful. The whole series is so engaging and Jenny Kane has written such brilliant characters – Mabel and Bert are certainly favourites of mine. Being back at Mill Grange in Winter was captivating and magical.’

Happy reading,

Jenny x

 

Musically Mixed Up: Another Cup of Coffee 

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On March 7, 2023

In Another Cup of..., Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Jenny Kane, Romance

Every novel needs an initial pivot point – something that happens near the beginning of the story that catapults the characters into a certain direction or situation.

In Another Cup of Coffee that pivot point is an old-school music mixed tape.

Paperback cover

Blurb-

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…

Jack, the male led within Another Cup of Coffee is, as so many of us are, rather hopeless when it comes to expressing how he feels about other people. So, rather than try and explain himself, and mess it up- which he often does- he falls back on song lyrics to help him out. This was a habit Jack first picked up when he was dating Amy, and she told him all about the blank tape (see blurb!), that her brother had given her to record all her musical memories when she was a student…Since that time, so many years ago, Jack has used the lyrics of others to explain himself over and over again…and not always successfully….

Extract

The power shower thundered, sending a searing-hot cascade of water down onto Jack’s head. Squeezing far too much shampoo into his hands, he began to viciously scrub his short hair. What the hell had he been thinking? Well, actually, he hadn’t been thinking, had he? He never looked beyond himself. The moment. The day. He was so stupid. So angry with himself.

Why the fuck had he posted that tape? And more immediately, where was he? And how soon was he going to able to get away from whoever it was he’d spent the night with? Jack could feel the familiar sensation of suffocation closing in on him as he abandoned his hair and began to furiously soap his torso.

And now Amy was coming here. It hadn’t crossed his mind that she’d even visit, let alone move her entire life back south. And not just south, but bloody London. Being back in touch, and hopefully forgiven, was one thing when she was safely tucked away in Scotland. But here. Face to face. Jack hadn’t banked on that at all.

He really didn’t want to see Rob today. It was his fault this had happened. Rob had come into work one day, back in the summer, going on about how worried he and Paul were for Amy. How she seemed to have placed herself completely off the emotional scale. The combination of bright sunshine, happy reminiscences, and the weight of a conversation he and Amy had never had, had brought his buried guilt racing to the surface.

Then, a few days later, Paul had visited Jack and Rob’s bookshop, passing through on one of his rare visits between his archaeological digs. He’d been sorting out some of his university mementos, and had come across a load of photographs.

They were all there, at university, more years ago than was acceptable if Jack was still going to pass himself off as thirty at the clubs he frequented. Amy, Rob and Paul huddled together in a muddy ditch, laughing. Rob, Paul and him, pints of Tiger lager in hand, outside their favourite pub. Paul, Amy and him, all cuddled together on Rob’s battered and suspiciously stained brown sofa. Amy and him. Amy and him together. Smiling. Together.

That had been the killer. That was the photo that had made him think. Her eyes had shone at the camera. If Jack was honest, so had his. So, in a state of happy but unrealistic nostalgia, he’d gone home, dragged a box of assorted junk out from under his bed, and pulled out the tape.

He had weighed the clear plastic box in his hand. It was time to explain. If Amy was half the girl he used to know then she’d forgive him. And suddenly, from nowhere, Jack had found that he really, really needed to be forgiven.

That was why he’d put Unfinished Sympathy on Amy’s tape. He wanted her to understand that he knew he’d hurt her. That he, himself, had been hurt by having to leave her. But for reasons he hadn’t totally understood at the time, he’d felt he had no choice. A fact which had led him to the record the unbearably twee, but wholly accurate, I Will Always Love You. It seemed to say how sorry he was. It said everything he’d wanted to say then, but couldn’t. He was sorry, really he was. But for Amy to turn up here! Bloody hell.

Stepping out of the shower, Jack began to dry himself with a suitably punishing rough brown towel. Now he was going to have to tell Rob he’d returned the tape, and have another go at talking to Kit.

He hadn’t deliberately failed to tell Kit about Amy. Specific conversations about individual exes had never come up. Jack was pretty sure that Rob hadn’t mentioned Amy to Kit either. Amy had been part of their old life, and Kit was part of their current one. Simple.

Jack knew he had to see Kit soon, before someone else filled her in. He wasn’t sure why he’d walked out on her now he came to think about it. At least she’d understand. Kit always understood. After all, they’d remained friends. Great friends. They had moved on smoothly.

‘Talk about my past catching me up,’ he muttered to his sleep-deprived reflection as he dragged a borrowed razor over his chin. ‘It’s pretty much tripped me up, into a pile of shit, and it’s entirely my fault. Bloody sentimental tape. Fuck!’….

Music has always played an important part in my writing life. I have different playlists to listen to depending on what style of writing I am creating. When I am ‘being’ Kay Jaybee and creating erotica, I listen to Depeche Mode (just as Kit, the erotica writer within Another Cup of Coffee does).

When I was writing Another Cup of Coffee, I listened to non-stop 80’s and 90’s music- just as I did when I was a student back in the 1990’s. And it is that very music (Alice Cooper, The Eurythmics, The Clash…) that inspired Jack’s lyrical feelings- and his myriad of excuses…

Ebook cover

If you want to find out how Jack manages to mess up even the simplest conversations with his overuse of lyrics, and discover if Amy sorts her life out, you can buy Another Cup of Coffee as an eBook or a paperback from all good retailers including – Amazon

***

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

Thanks Grandad(s)

By

On February 9, 2023

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Cornwall, Jenny Kane, Mill Grange, Romance

Anyone who has read my Mill Grange series, or my Cornish, ‘Abi Carter’ novels, will know that I have a fondness for writing older characters – especially older gentlemen.

To my lasting joy, both Stan in A Cornish Escape and A Cornish Wedding, and Bert from all four of the Mill Grange stories, (Midsummer Dreams at Mill Grange, Autumn Leaves at Mill Grange, Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange and Winter Fires at Mill Grange), have proved extremely popular with my readers, In fact, nine times out of ten, if I ask a reading group who was their favourite character from my books is, they’ll either say Bert or Stan. (The second favourite is either Mabel – Bert’s wife – or Dylan from Mill Grange books 2-4.)

I have no doubt that the reason I enjoy creating male, pensioner aged, characters is that they are generally based – in some way – on one, or both, of my grandads.

My father’s dad, was a Cornish man born and bred. A butcher from Penzance, he was a small quiet man, with a large smile and a big heart. He had poor hearing and bright white hair – two features which were the result of him being in bomb disposal during the Second World War (a fact I didn’t know until his funeral). A bomb went off frighteningly close to him, and his hair turned white instantly!

He and my Nan, ran a guest house on Alma Place in Penzance. During the war, Nan took in evacuees. One of them, Leonard, never left. He became like an extra grandparent when I was very young. I recall sitting with him and his vast stamp collection for hours, while Nan boiled milk to death on the stove to make clotted cream, and Grandad sharpened his knives for work.

My mum’s dad was born in Cardiff, but his family moved to Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire when he was three years old. He was a grocers’ delivery boy before the war, but then went into the Royal Marines. He rarely spoke of his time in the war. All I know is that he carved his name into the toe of the Sphinx in Egypt ( I told him off for that act of vandalism!), that something happened which meant he didn’t like enclosed spaces, and that, if it wasn’t for the Salvation Army’s practical help during the war years, he and his best friend would not have survived. He never said why, but, despite not being a religious man, he always gave to the Salvation Army at Christmas – a tradition I keep up on his behalf.

A gentle giant, of a man, he married my Nan after the war, soon becoming a cobbler in her families business. (They owned Wainwright Shoes in Buckinghamshire.) Every time I go into a shoe menders, the aroma of leather and cobblers glue, takes me on a nostalgia trip back to the many times I’d sit with my grandad in his workshop, helping him polish and bag up shoes for the shop’s customers.

Every summer, I was lucky enough to spend time with both sets of grandparents. At the time I was so busy enjoying myself on the beach at Marazion or Sennen Cove – or watching the people come and go from St. Michael’s Mount through my grandad’s extra powerful war time binoculars – or helping in both their greenhouses – or walking Brandy, the Golden Labrador through the woods of Buckinghamshire while picking up sling shot left over from the civil war – or helping in the shoe shop, sorting paper bags and playing with laces – that I didn’t stop to think that one day, these amazing men wouldn’t be there to laugh with any more.

Nor did I imagine, that they would work their way quite so profoundly into my fiction.

Stan Abbey – in A Cornish Escape and A Cornish Wedding – is based more on my Cornish Grandad than my Buckinghamshire one. Although, Stan’s dog, Sadie, is very much based on Buckinghamshire Grandad’s dog, Brandy.

Bert Hastings – in the Mill Grange series – is based more on my Buckinghamshire Grandad. Bert shares some of his war time experiences, as well as his willingness to drop anything to help anyone. Also – Bert’s wife, Mabel (stalwart of the community), is a carbon copy of his wife, my wonderful Nan.

Even thought there isn’t a day goes by when I don’t miss my beloved grandparents, I’m extremely lucky to be able to capture their spirit in the characters I write. I think they’d approve – at least, I hope they would.

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Opening Lines: A Cornish Wedding

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On January 26, 2023

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, Jenny Kane, Opening Lines Blog, Romance

This week, I thought I’d share some on my own Opening Lines.

Here’s the beginning of A Cornish Wedding (previously published as Abi’ Neighbour)

Sequel to A Cornish Escape, this feel good romance returns you to the world of Abi, Max, Beth and Stan in sunny Sennen Cove.

Blurb

Perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Heidi Swain and Milly Johnson, A Cornish Wedding is the best kind of summer escape.

Abi has what she’s always dreamed of: her perfect Cornish cottage, great friends and a gorgeous boyfriend. But her idyll is shattered when a new neighbour moves in next door.

Rude and obnoxious, Cassandra doesn’t make a good first impression on Abi. But with the unexpected wedding of one of Abi’s friends to prepare for, Abi has bigger things to worry about.

However, avoiding her new neighbour proves harder than expected and Abi and Cassandra soon realise they might have more in common than they first thought. . .

But with the wedding only weeks away, can they set aside their differences before the big day?

FIRST 500 WORDS

Cassandra stared at the ‘For Sale’ sign in the front garden. A fresh slogan had been pasted proudly across it, proclaiming Another House Sold!

She frowned. The estate agents must have made a mistake. Justin had talked about renting the cottage, this poky little two-bed terrace in some Cornish backwater, but he’d never once suggested buying it.

Sitting on the low stone wall that ran in front of the row of cottages, with her back to the sold sign, she let out a string of vehemently whispered expletives. Resisting the temptation to throw a pebble at the seagulls which were squawking their hearts out on the roof behind her, she steadied her breathing, like she did when faced with a particularly demanding client.

Shrugging off her suit jacket in deference to the early summer sunshine that poured from a cloud-free sky, Cassandra tried to focus, but doubts continued to assail her. She hadn’t misunderstood Justin, had she?

They’d been laughing over the breakfast table at one of the most exclusive hotels in London when the subject of Cornwall had first come up. Making plans for their future life together, they’d celebrated in grand style the fact that Justin had, after six years of secret trysts and stolen nights together, decided to leave his wife; the dreadful Jacinta.

Excitedly they’d plotted and planned over plates of eggs Benedict and smoked salmon, raising their glasses of Buck’s Fizz to Justin’s promotion to senior partner at the law firm. A promotion which meant that, providing they merged their finances, Justin could afford to get a divorce without being catapulted into penury.

There was only one snag.

The legal company Justin now worked for, Family Values, prided itself on its moral integrity. There was no way he could risk a scandal after securing the promotion he’d coveted for so long. It would be bad enough when he explained to his colleagues that he was getting a divorce – suddenly producing a long-term mistress would be too much for them to accept in one go.

So Justin had asked Cassandra to move away for a while. He’d suggested they use this short diplomatic period of separation to their advantage, and rent a property to later sublet – at a vast profit – to exhausted executives seeking a spot of relaxation. Cassandra, who could run her own business from anywhere via the Internet, would go and make sure the property was up to date, arrange any decorating that was required, and then rejoin Justin in London once things had died down.

Thinking back, Cassandra realised she should have asked a lot more questions about exactly how much research Justin had already done into this move. But under the influence of the early-morning alcohol, not to mention the triumph she felt at having finally succeeded in persuading Justin to leave his wife, she had suppressed all her instincts and agreed to everything he’d said.

The untidy, clipboard-wielding woman started talking as soon as she climbed out of her Mini….

If you’d like to read A Cornish Wedding, you can buy it as a paperback or ebook from all good retailers, including

Universal link – mybook.to/CornishWedding

Happy reading everyone.

Jenny xx

COVER REVEAL: Misty Mornings at The Potting Shed

By

On January 16, 2023

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, Jenny Kane, Romance, The Potting Shed

Today I’m delighted to be able to share the gorgeous cover for the third book in #ThePottingShed #series!

Misty Mornings at The Potting Shed.

I hope you love it as much as I do.

Misty Mornings at The Potting Shed is to be published in October.

This, the third outing for Maddie, Ed, Jo, and the garden centre gang, follows on from Frost Falls at The Potting Shed (out now) and Bluebell Season at The Potting Shed (out in March).

You can pre-order both Bluebell Season and Misty Mornings from all good retailers.

I’ll have more information about this Devon based, feel good, series soon!

In the meantime, I’d better get on with writing it!

Happy pre-ordering and reading,

Jenny x

 

Focus on: A Cornish Escape

By

On January 9, 2023

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Cornwall, Fiction, Jenny Kane, Romance

This week, let’s grab some much needed sunshine and focus on my first Cornish romance/romcom – A Cornish Escape.

Abi’s life is turned upside down when she is widowed before her thirtieth birthday. Determined to find something positive in the upheaval, Abi decides to make a fresh start somewhere new. With fond childhood memories of holidays in a Cornish cottage, could Cornwall be the place to start over?

With all her belongings in the boot of her car but no real plan, a chance meeting in a village pub brings new friends Beth and Max into her life. Max soon helps Abi track down the house of her dreams but things aren’t as simple as Abi hoped.

Can Abi leave her past behind and finally get her happy ending?

(A Cornish Escape was previously published as Abi’s House)

Buy Links– A Cornish Escape is available from all good bookshops and e-retailers – including…

Amazon – mybook.to/ACornishEscape 

Waterstones- https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-cornish-escape/jenny-kane/9781786157683

Kobo – A Cornish Escape eBook by Jenny Kane – 9781472275431 | Rakuten Kobo United Kingdom

Nook – A Cornish Escape eBook by Jenny Kane – 9781472275431 | Rakuten Kobo United Kingdom

***

Here are some of the lovely reviews my kind readers have given A Cornish Escape

‘…I often caught myself smiling for pages on end and found it nearly impossible to put down. It’s a genuine treat to read, with a dual narrative (easy to follow) and not too short chapters to allow you to get into the story, but not too long so it breaks the flow.

‘It had the right amount of romance, to perfect scenery, and exciting plot which just makes A Cornish Escape an all-round lovely read.

‘It’s got an original concept and is all about finding yourself with a gorgeous backdrop – I often want to escape and move to France/ New York, so it was nice to see someone else do this (albeit fictional, but Abi feels real!), and her journey towards becoming happier.

‘I genuinely sit on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book by this author – I can’t get enough of Kane’s writing style and heart-warming stories which keep you engaged throughout….’

You can read the rest of this incredible review at Bookmark That 

‘…I absolutely loved it and only have positive things to say!  The storyline is wonderful, enchanting and draws you in. Jenny Kane does such an amazing job of describing the scenery and I honestly felt like I was there, in Cornwall, on the adventure with Abi.  It made me really want to be in Cornwall right now!  From the sea, to the little tea/coffee shops, to the shop and the houses – you can see and feel it all.  I could even imagine the seagulls having a sing in the morning (easy when I live near the sea I suppose!).  A Cornish Escape has just re-enforced the fact that I have to visit Cornwall at some point – I seem to be drawn to it and this made me love it so much more.

So on to the characters…….I adore Abi, the protagonist.  She has had a bit of rough time, her Husband has recently passed away, and she is trying to re-find herself.  Learning about what she’s been through, and making new friends with her, you can’t help but fall in love with her. I was behind her every decision and felt so protective; just like she’s one of my real life friends!!  Beth and Max are both equally amazing.  They’re exactly the sort of people you’d want to bump into and be taken under their wing.  Again, you can’t help but love them and only want the best for them.  And probably my ultimate favourites – Stan and his dog!  Amazing and utterly adorable, I just wanted to hug him constantly! But as you would expect, not everyone can be nice…..and there is one character you will not love and not route for.  He is a piece of work and the things he gets up to will shock you – I honestly just wanted to punch him myself!

Although this is a happy and heartwarming story, don’t be fooled.  This will also take you on a bit of a rollercoaster as you go on the journey with Abi.  At points I was fuming, then I was hoping and had everything crossed, then I was nearly in tears, and then I’d be smiling!  But this is because Jenny Kane has done such a wonderful job of making the characters relatable, real and loveable.

The story is enjoyable to read; a dual-narrative that is easy to follow with a beautiful plot.  I honestly couldn’t give this any more praise!  If you’re looking for your next read and fancy something that you will enjoy reading, will draw you in and make you completely invested in the characters; whilst taking you on a journey to beautiful Cornwall then this is for you.  You really don’t want to miss this, it will warm your insides and put a big smile on your face.  This comes highly recommended by me – I’m glad I have the paperback to keep and read again and I’m so excited that there is another book, A Cornish Wedding which I cannot wait to read!… ‘  You can read the rest of this amazing review at Curled Up With A Good Book 

 

‘…Chicken soup for the soul!

A Cornish Escape isn’t just about romance. It is also about loss, recovery, starting over, and many acts of basic human kindness. It doesn’t feature only the young and the beautiful. There is a wide spectrum of characters, including the elderly who are portrayed with great sensitivity. Stan is my absolute hero, and he is no spring chicken!

If you’re feeling slightly under the weather and a little bit stuck in emotional lockdown, warm your heart up with that lovely story. It is well written with beautiful descriptions of Cornwall which are vivid enough to make you feel, just for that one fleeting moment, that you are actually there….’ BookMarkedReviews 

‘…A Cornish Escape by Jenny Kane was a wonderfully uplifting, cosy and fun-loving story with a cast of chatty, vibrant characters and a setting so delightfully charming it will entice you in a way that you’ll find impossible to ignore. This is the first of Jenny Kane’s books I’ve had the pleasure of reading and I can honestly say I’m already looking forward to more from the author. This story tugged me into its pages and wrapped me up in the wonderful world within, so much so that I really didn’t want to stop reading for having to return to reality, which seemed nowhere near as picturesque and romantic as the Cornish coast….’ The Book Babe Reviews

‘I love this book so much…just reading it can make me smell the beaches, the vinegar on the chips, the clotted cream mmmmmm …’  Reader review from Facebook.

‘Its’ a fabulous fabulous fabulous. You wont just read it, you will live it…and who wouldn’t want to live in the best place called Cornwall…’ Reader review from Facebook.

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