Jenny Kane & Jennifer Ash – Page 93 – Jenny Kane: Coffee, cupcakes, chocolate and contemporary fiction / Jennifer Ash: Medieval crime with hints of Ellis Peters and Robin Hood

Guest Blog from Marie Laval: One night under the stars

On August 11, 2015

In Blog, Fiction, Historical fiction, Romance

I’m delighted to welcome fellow Accent Press author, Marie Laval, back to my site to talk about her new release, The Lion’s Embrace. I have to say, it sounds fascinating.

Over to you Marie…

Thank you very much Jenny for welcoming me on your blog today to talk about my latest release. THE LION’S EMBRACE is my second historical romance and takes place mostly in North Africa, in Algeria to be exact, in 1845. Lucas Saintclair is hired as a guide by Harriet Montague to rescue her father, a British Museum archaeologist, who she believes was captured by a gang of Tuaregs in the far South of the country.

Writing THE LION’S EMBRACE was a fascinating process, not only because I got to fall in love with my hero (I know, it sounds very, very corny, but it’s true!), but also because I discovered the beautiful landscapes Lucas and Harriet travelled through on their way to Tamanrasset, and the culture of the people they encountered. One particular group of people are at the centre of the plot: the Tuaregs, also called ‘The People of the Veil’ or the ‘Blue Men of the Desert’ because of the indigo veil all men have to wear from around the age of fifteen.

I surrounded myself with photos of the Sahara, of oases and the magnificent Hoggar mountain range. I read Tuareg poems and stories and listened to music so that I could get a real ‘feel’ for the place and the people since I couldn’t travel there myself.

Hoggar Mountains

One song in particular caught my imagination and I played it over and over again as I wrote THE LION’S EMBRACE. It’s a modern song and I have no idea what they are singing about, but I find the melody poignant and haunting, especially the monochord violin, the imzad, which can be heard throughout.

The imzad is a traditional Tuareg instrument only played by women. It is at the heart of the Tuareg culture and society because of its link to the Achak, the code of honour every Tuareg must live by. Those who stray from the path and commit dishonourable acts are said to have lost the ability to ‘hear the imzad’ in their heart and are therefore cast out of their family and their tribe.

Here is the link to the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5z7AcjE-YI

As they travel across the Sahara desert, Lucas Saintclair and Harriet Montague spend a few days with a Tuareg caravan. Every evening, they sit under the stars and listen to musicians playing the imzad and to stories and poems. The story-teller pulls out round pebbles out of his ‘bag of tales’, which is a skin pouch. Each pebble represents a different story and he tells the stories in the order the pebbles were drawn from the bag.

This is an excerpt from THE LION’S EMBRACE when Lucas and Harriet are at the Tuareg camp. The tale is based on a genuine Tuareg story.

The women played their instruments all along, drawing long, monochord sounds that at times sounded almost like laments and perfectly matched the mood of the audience, silent and attentive under the starry sky.

By the end of the evening, Harriet shivered with cold. Lucas wrapped his arm around her shoulders to keep her warm.

‘The brave is reaching the end of his journey,’ he translated, his voice low and a little hoarse. ‘After wandering in the desert for weeks, he finally finds his beloved’s camp, but it is empty under the stars. Only the cruel wind answers his prayers, and as the cool moonlight kisses his lips, the vast spaces full of solitude chill his heart. So he lies on the sand and waits to die.’ He paused. ‘And that’s love for you. Brings you nothing but pain.’

Despite his slightly mocking tone, the words made her dreamy.

‘It’s beautiful, and so sad.’ She found his hand, squeezed a little. ‘Love isn’t all pain, you know. It can be the most wonderful feeling in the world.’

She should know.

***

Thank you again Jenny for welcoming me on your blog.

Here is the blurb for THE LION’S EMBRACE

Algiers, 1845

Arrogant, selfish and dangerous, Lucas Saintclair is everything Harriet Montague dislikes in a man. He is also the best guide in the whole of the Barbary States, the only man who can rescue her archaeologist father from the gang of Tuareg fighters that has kidnapped him. As Harriet embarks on a perilous journey across Algeria with Saintclair and Archibald Drake, her father’s most trusted friend, she discovers a bewitching but brutal land where nothing is what it seems. Who are these men intent on stealing her father’s ransom? What was her father hoping to find in Tuareg queen Tin Hinan’s tomb? Is Lucas Saintclair really as callous as he claims—or is he a man haunted by a past he cannot forgive?

Dangerous passions engulf Harriet’s heart in the heat of the Sahara. Secrets of lost treasures, rebel fighters, and a sinister criminal brotherhood threaten her life and the life of the man she loves.

Does forever lie in the lion’s embrace?

***

THE LION’S EMBRACE is available from

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lions-Embrace-Marie-Laval-ebook/dp/B013GSVJJI/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

and in paperback from Áccent Press

You can find me at http://marielaval.blogspot.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/marielavalauthor?fref=ts

https://uk.pinterest.com/laval0232/

Author Bio

Originally from Lyon in France, I have been living in the lovely Rossendale Valley, Lancashire, for the past few years. I spend most of my spare time dreaming up romantic stories. A SPELL IN PROVENCE, my first contemporary romantic suspense, was released by Áccent Press earlier this year. ANGEL HEART, my debut historical romance and THE LION’S EMBRACE have just been re-released by Áccent Press too. And watch out for DANCING FOR THE DEVIL, another historical romance, which will be published in the autumn …

***

Many thanks to Marie for such an interesting blog. Another book to add to my ‘to read’ list!

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Holidayed and Home Again!

By Jenny Kane

On August 10, 2015

In Books For Children, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, News

Hello lovely readers!

Here I am freshly returned from my annual 7 day break from holding a pen! This year my family and I took our first trip to Portugal- and I think you could say it started eventfully! I’ve written up a holiday blog on my other site- so if you’d like a read (and you are over 18) then take a peep – http://kayjaybee.me.uk/news/sunshine-scenery-and-sitting-but-not-writing/

It was lovely to have a little break, but I’m back now and happily sat in my usual corner in my coffee shop catching up on all the news, and occasionally picking up and cuddling the latest arrival to my book collection!

I have to say, Ben’s Biscuit Tin Adventure feels just beautiful in the hand!

Having roasted in the Portuguese sunshine for the past seven days, it’s actually rather nice to be home in the cool rain of England. The fact that it is a bit Autumn-ish today is certainly helping me get back into the swing of writing my Christmas novella! I’ve just had a sneaking peek of the cover…can’t wait to share it with you!

So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m away to my festive wordage!

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

HOLIDAY READ: Heading South for Coffee…

By Jenny Kane

On August 1, 2015

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

I’m off on my holidays today, so I thought I’d leave you with an extract from my very first Jenny Kane bestseller- Another Cup of Coffee.

User comments

Here’s the blurb to help put in you in the picture-

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…

Any minute now I’ll be heading off to the airport, so what better extract to post than a piece from early in Another Cup of Coffee, when Amy makes a similar trip- but she has only purchased a one way ticket…

…It was only once she’d checked in at Aberdeen airport, her luggage safely stowed, that Amy finally stopped moving. Slumped on a bench, looking around at the people rushing by, she realised that this was the first time she’d been inactive for weeks.

Once her impulsive decision to go home to England had been made, she’d barely stopped for a break in the haste to work her notice period, sort out the ending of the lease on her rented flat, and arrange somewhere to stay in London. Now that stillness was about to be forced upon her, Amy had to face the reality of what she’d done by throwing in a good job and a nice flat for no job and a rented room in a shared house in London that she’d never even seen.

‘I need coffee,’ she muttered to herself. Hoisting her tatty fabric handbag higher onto her shoulder in a bracing gesture, she headed for the café located next to the departure checkpoint.

Having successfully managed to purvey her order to the Chinese-speaking assistant via a mixture of words and semaphore, Amy sat down on one of the fiendishly uncomfortable steel seats. Ignoring the unsightly build-up of used cups, half-eaten meals and spilt fizzy pop, Amy briefly allowed herself to contemplate her situation. Almost instantly her nerves regrouped in her gut, and Amy decided to put off any serious thoughts about the future until she was on the plane. That way, any possible temptations to chicken out and stay in Scotland after all would no longer be an option. Major life planning could wait. For now she would just indulge in her drink and watch the world go by. Then she’d have a wander around the meagre collection of shops, and perhaps buy a book or magazine for the flight, putting reality off for a bit longer.

Unable to put off the moment, Amy picked up her backpack and headed over to the departure gate. As she passed the newsagents’ her eyes landed on a copy of one magazine in particular- it had the appropriate headline, New job, New home, New life.

Amy muttered the words over and over in her head like a mantra, as she purchased the magazine fate seemed to have left for her before joining the queue of people who were also turning their back on the Granite City, for to business commitments, holidays, or in her case, for ever.

During the seventy-minute flight, Amy had managed to concoct enough excuses to delay any plan of action as to what to do next for a little longer. She’d examined the flight safety card thoroughly, had uncharacteristically engaged her fellow passengers in mindless conversation, and flicked through her magazine. Amy had read the occasional relevant passage, but had been disappointed not to find an article entitled You’ve Ditched Your Life – So Now What?

Now, trudging down the gloomy concourse at Heathrow to retrieve her luggage and trying to ignore the patina of perspiration on her palms, Amy was suddenly aware that someone was talking to her.

‘You OK?’

The man striding next to her spoke with a soft Irish lilt, ‘You’ve been chatting to yourself ever since we landed.’

‘Oh, God, have I?’ Amy’s face flushed. ‘I’m sorry; I’m always talking to myself. You must think I’m nuts.’

‘No!’ His eyes twinkled at her as he spoke. ‘Well, maybe just a bit.’

Amy wondered how old he was. Roughly her age perhaps; she always found it difficult to tell with men in suits. Amy didn’t want to think about it, or she’d get onto thinking about how much time had passed since she’d last smiled at a man of her own age, let alone spoken to one, and that way lay madness. ‘You’re probably right. I’ve just chucked in my life, so perhaps I’m insane.’

‘A lot on your mind then,’ he nodded his bespectacled head.

Amy carried on rambling. ‘No job, a home I’ve only seen from a brochure, and I’m getting a serious case of cold feet.’

They reached the dimly-lit baggage collection area as the carousel sparked into life. The whole room spoke of transitory lives, and the dank atmosphere made Amy shiver inside.

The man had obviously noticed her growing unease. ‘Look, I know I’m a total stranger, and it’s none of my business; but if it helps, I think it sounds fantastic. Exciting and brave.’

Spotting her luggage heading towards her, Amy grimaced. ‘I don’t feel very brave.’ She grabbed her heavy bag before it lumbered out of reach.

‘You have a blank page. A new canvas to start from. I’d swap what I’ve got for that, and so would most of this lot.’ He gestured to the anonymous crowds that surged around them. ‘Go with the flow, have fun, be yourself, and smile. You have a nice smile.’ Then he scooped up his navy executive wheeled case, extended the handle, and rapidly disappeared, his grey suit merging with hundreds of others in the crush.

Amy stood there, oblivious to the fact that she was in everybody’s way. A blank page. For the first time in days excitement overtook the fear, as she hurried off to hail a taxi to transport her into the unchartered wilds of Richmond…

****

Another Cup of Coffee is the first in the Another Cup of Series…- followed by the novella’s Another Cup of Christmas and Christmas in the Cotswolds. A novella will be out at Christmas called Christmas at the Castle, and a full length novel sequel, Another Glass of Champagne, will be published in April 2016

Buy links

Kindle-

http://www.amazon.com/Another-Cup-Of-Coffee-contemporary-ebook/dp/B00EVYZC7M/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=15EFJ85882KQYAJ71KED

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Of-Coffee-contemporary-ebook/dp/B00EVYZC7M/ref=pd_sim_kinc_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=12DHKX85NFP0DNJJCKDS

Paperback-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Coffee-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783751126/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

http://www.amazon.com/Another-Cup-Coffee-Jenny-Kane/dp/1783751126/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1427027625&sr=8-2

Happy Reading- I’ll see you in ten days time!

Jenny xx

OUT NOW!! Ben’s Biscuit Tin Adventure

By Jenny Kane

On July 31, 2015

In Blog, Books For Children, Fiction

Yippee!!! Ryan and I have written our second children’s book

OUT NOW!!

Ben’s stomach won’t stop rumbling in the middle of the night. As he lies in bed, Ben begins to plan how he can secretly sneak a biscuit from the biscuit tin.

But Ben is only seven, and rather short, and the biscuit tin is hidden at the very back of the highest shelf of the tallest cupboard in the kitchen. Working out how to reach the tin is going to take a lot of imagination…string, tape, springs, and maybe even some stilts…

Ben’s Biscuit Tin Adventure was inspired during my time baby sitting (well, child sitting really), for my best friend’s two boys, Ben and Daniel. The lengths they’d go to in their attempts to persuade me that they really were allowed extra biscuits before bed could have won an Oscar!

As with There’s a Cow in the Flat, Ben’s Biscuit Tin Adventure has been illustrated by the brilliant Ryan Doherty. I just love how he has brought my characters alive.

Many thanks to Ryan, and to Hush Puppy Books for helping turn Ben’s Biscuit Tin Adventure into a ‘reality.’

You can order your copy of Ben’s Biscuit Tin direct from Hush Puppy Books, or via Amazon at-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ben-s-Biscuit-Tin-Adventures/dp/1610982142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438324164&sr=1-1&keywords=Ben%27s+Biscuit+Tin+Adventure

http://www.amazon.com/Ben-s-Biscuit-Tin-Adventures/dp/1610982142/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438324466&sr=8-1&keywords=Ben%27s+Biscuit+Tin+Adventure

***

Happy bedtime story reading,

Jenny xx

Summer Read for ONLY 99p or 99c

By Jenny Kane

On July 23, 2015

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

Another Cup of Coffee, the first in a series of stories about the regular customers and staff of the Pickwicks Coffee Shop in London, is ONLY 99p or 99c.

“As uplifting as an espresso, as light as a skinny latte – I loved this frothy cappuccino of a book!” – Christina Jones

Blurb-

Thirteen years ago Amy Crane ran away from everything she knew, ending up in an unfamiliar city with no idea of her future. Now, Amy’s past has caught up with her, arriving on her doorstep in the shape of an old music cassette that Amy hasn’t seen since her university days.

It’s time to confront the real reason Amy left, time to reconnect with all those she left behind and time to stop running…but most of all it’s time to discover why Jack has sent her tape back, after all these years…

With a bucket-sized cup of coffee, Amy prepares to go forth and lay the ghost of first love to rest…

***

Here are some of the kind things people have said about Another Cup of Coffee…

I did develop a borderline caffeine addiction whilst reading this but, thanks to the great storyline, it’s totally worth it!

The characters seem so real. It was as if I have known these characters and actually lived their story right along with them.

A good story of real people. It has light humorous moments and piquant passages.

“Another Cup of Coffee” is definitely refreshing…’

You can buy Another Cup of Coffee for only 99p or 99c via these links-

http://www.amazon.com/Another-Cup-Of-Coffee-contemporary-ebook/dp/B00EVYZC7M/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=15EFJ85882KQYAJ71KED

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Of-Coffee-contemporary-ebook/dp/B00EVYZC7M/ref=pd_sim_kinc_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=12DHKX85NFP0DNJJCKDS

***

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny xx

COMING SOON: Ben’s Biscuit Tin Adventure

By Jenny Kane

On July 22, 2015

In Blog, Books For Children, Fiction

Fanfare please!!

I am delighted to be able to announce that my second children’s picture book, Ben’s Biscuit Tin Adventure is on its way!

At this very moment the printer is zipping it through its machine, so it will be available for pre-order really soon!!

Ben’s Biscuit Tin Adventure was inspired during my time baby sitting (well, child sitting really), for my best friend’s two boys. The lengths they’d go to in their attempts to persuade me that they really were allowed extra biscuits before bed could have won an Oscar!

I originally wrote this story as a gift for the real Ben’s birthday. It was printed on plain paper with brightly coloured words, and plenty of spaces so he could add his own pictures. I never dreamt Ben’s story would be published one day.

As with There’s a Cow in the Flat, Ben’s Biscuit Tin Adventure has been illustrated by the brilliant Ryan Doherty. I just love how he has brought my characters alive.

Many thanks to Ryan, and to Hush Puppy Books for helping turn Ben’s Biscuit Tin Adventure into a ‘reality.’

As soon as I have a pre-order link I will let you all know!

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Guest Post from Kirsten McKenzie: The Hand of Publishing Fate

By Jenny Kane

On July 20, 2015

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

I am thrilled to have the wonderful Kirsten McKenzie visiting my blog today. This is a fantastic blog, which has winged its way through the email ether from the distant shores of New Zealand.

Over to you Kirsten…

My first book has just been published by Accent Press – ‘Fifteen Postcards’. A novel traversing three continents and two centuries. A blend of ‘The Far Pavilions’, with a touch of ‘The Time Travelers Wife’, rolled together with a smidgeon of the ‘Antique’s Roadshow’. If it wasn’t for my father dying, it would never have been written.

I had a pretty standard upbringing in New Zealand in the 70s. Dad had his own business – an antique shop, and worked long hours. Mum raised my younger brother and I. She was the one who went on all the school trips, picked us up after school, and took us to our after school activities. In the school holidays, my ideal day was helping Dad at the shop, Antique Alley – a literal treasure trove, and described as an Auckland icon. A shop heaving with stock, which invariably overflowed onto the floor, and filled the corridors, very much like how I described ‘The Old Curiosity Shop’ in ‘Fifteen Postcards’.

Initially I was allowed to sit in the corner and sell postcards. As I got older I was promoted to serving behind the counter, helping customers choose gold bracelets for gifts, or give advice about which dinner service looked better. I worked off and on at the shop, and at antique fairs up and down the country, right through school and university. By osmosis I picked up a small amount of knowledge about a lot of things.

Then in 2005 Dad died.

My brother and I both quit our jobs (I was a Customs Officer), and started working at the shop. Ostensibly to provide our mother with an income, but it was also a job I had once loved, and although I’d never pursued it, I was more than happy to stand behind the shop counter and carry on where I’d left off in my late teens.

Working at the shop was a way to reconnect with my father. Antique Alley was such a part of his personality that walking into the shop became a way to keep his memory alive. Even today, nine years after his death, when I unlock the front door, and close the world off behind me as I sprint inside to turn off the alarm, I’ll murmur “Hello Dad”. Often followed by a little “Let this be a good day Dad!”. That may make me sound slightly nutty, but it gives me a sense of connectivity with my father, whom I miss everyday.

Writing ‘Fifteen Postcards’ in 2013 was part homage to my father, and part the realisation of a long held desire to write a book. Scattered throughout the book are snippets of his life and his quirks. My parents really did live above the shop before I came onto the scene, just like ‘Sarah’s parents in the book. My grandmother papered the lounge room upstairs in an appalling mixture of prints and floral paper (as described in the book), which Mum still detests to this day (there’s so much stock in that room now that it would be a marathon effort to strip it all back!). It was amusing remembering all of Dad’s foibles and fantastic sayings, weaving them into a plot worthy of his knowledge and expertise in the antique industry. It also became abundantly clear that my ‘small amount of knowledge about a lot of things’ wasn’t at all sufficient for a historical fiction novel, but that’s the basis of another blog post!

They say finding a publisher is one of the hardest parts of writing a book. I had rejections, five to be precise, but one of the publishers I submitted to, Accent Press, offered me a publishing contract. Which I signed. Why did I submit my manuscript to them? That was partly to do with Dad. He was born in Wales, moving to New Zealand when he was three. As an adult he returned to Wales to work and to reconnect with his extended family. I like to think Dad had a small part to play in me choosing Accent Press, who are based in Wales, and in them choosing me.

This is where it starts getting slightly more ‘Twilight Zone’. Bear with me as I talk you through it… David Powell was the incredible editor who worked on ‘Fifteen Postcards’. Without him, my book wouldn’t be anywhere near as awesome as it is. Weirdly, my father’s name was David. Fate? Coincidence? It keeps going. Accent Press released my book on the 21st of May, Mum’s birthday. Yes, yes, a strange collection of coincidences, but as someone still living with the grief of losing my father unexpectedly, these coincidences have given me some measure of solace, a belief that there has been a higher power at work, helping and guiding me.

The only time I haven’t felt Dad’s presence at work, was when I was held up at gunpoint in 2009. With a gun to my head, I was forced to sit on the ground whilst two men stole the jewellery from our cabinets. When Dad was alive, he’d always counseled that nothing in the shop was worth my life, and if anyone tried to rob the shop, I wasn’t to fight back. With that counsel firmly imprinted in my brain, I did just that. I sat there. I screamed a few times, hoping to attract the attention of someone outside, but stopped when they told me to stop screaming or they’d shoot me. I shut up after that. The armed robbery also made it into the pages of ‘Fifteen Postcards’. Writing that part of the manuscript was more difficult than I initially imagined, but also cathartic. I’ve never watched the CCTV footage of the robbery although I can give you a frame by frame playback, as the memory is still so vivid. Putting it down on paper has helped me get over it. Many, many bottles of red wine have also helped…

I am in the wonderful position of loving my job, as my father did, selling other people’s treasures. Everything in the shop was once loved and desired, all just waiting for their new home. It’s the ultimate in recycling. But isn’t that what writing is? The recycling of memories?

The writing of ‘Fifteen Postcards’ has captured some of my memories, hidden amongst the fictional plot and a cast of nefarious characters. And for that I am truly grateful to the hand of fate, or the confluence of coincidences.

****

Many thanks to Kirsten for such a wonderful, and very moving, blog. You can find out all about Kirsten and her work by following these links-

twitter.com/kiwimrsmac
facebook.com/KirstenMcKenzieAuthor
www.kirstenmckenzie.com
goodreads.com/KirstenMcKenzieAuthor

You find the buy link to Fifteen Postcards here– myBook.to/FifteenPostcards

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Abi’s House Countdown Deal: Grab some Cornish sunshine for only 99p or 99c!

By Jenny Kane

On July 19, 2015

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

My latest novel, Abi’s House- a tale of Cornish sunshine, fish ‘n’ chips, friendship, new beginnings, and romance- is on special offer for 5 DAYS ONLY, at the bargain price of either 99p or 99c!!!

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?

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…”

***

To pick up your copy Abi’s House at only 99p or 99c, visit these links before 26th July

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abis-House-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B00UVPPWO8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1426711175&sr=1-1&keywords=Abi%27s+House+Jenny+Kane

http://www.amazon.com/Abis-House-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B00UVPPWO8/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426711253&sr=1-2&keywords=Abi%27s+House+Jenny+Kane

Happy reading,

Jenny xx

Sand in My Shoes: A Taste of Summer from Jenny Harper

By Jenny Kane

On July 18, 2015

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

Today I’m delighted to be able to share with you a tasty snippet from the lovely Jenny Harper’s new summertime novella, Sand in my Shoes.

At only 99p or 99c, Sand in my Shoes is an absolute bargain!!

Here’s the blurb-

A trip to France awakens the past in this heartwarming summer read from the author of People We Love.
Head teacher Nicola Arnott prides herself on her independence. She has successfully juggled motherhood and career, coping with early widowhood by burying her emotions somewhere deep inside herself. When a cancer scare shakes her out of her careful approach to life, she finds herself thinking wistfully of her first love, a young French medical student.
She decides to revisit the sleepy French town she remembers from her teenage years – and is astonished to meet up with Luc again. The old chemistry is still there – but so is something far more precious: a deep and enduring friendship.
Can it turn into true love?

****

Let me whet your appetite with this extract from Jenny’s engaging European romance…

Nicola Arnott pushed open the French windows onto the balcony of the apartment she had just rented, and stepped out Above her, the blue and white striped canopy offered shade, but not coolness. She gasped – not at the heat, but at the view. She’d seen it, of course, on the letting agent’s particulars – after all, it was the view that dictated the price, not the apartment’s facilities, which were meagre – but no photograph could do justice to the panorama that greeted her.

She’d enjoyed so many holidays in France with David – in the Loire valley and the Dordogne, on the Côte d’Azur and in some of the country’s great cities – before Eleanor had been born. After that, they’d had so little time together before he’d been snatched from her. Now she was back.

She watched a dinghy tack and change direction, its sails startlingly white against the bright blue waters of the Bassin d’Arcachon. Picture postcard perfect.

Unthinking, she grasped the balcony rail and yelped. It was burning hot.

Nicola felt no pain when she thought of David, only love. But all memories were softened by time. If she were really honest, hadn’t they fought over everything? Whether to get up early to explore or laze in bed till midday. Whether to open the window at night or keep it closed. Whether to walk or take a taxi. Little things. Things that didn’t matter, but niggles that were easy to forget in the aftermath of loss.

It hadn’t been real fighting, just bickering – the kind of bubbling undertow that characterises many relationships but doesn’t affect the core.

She stood and stretched. Here she was, reminiscing already, and she hadn’t even unpacked. In any case, David had died twenty years ago and she had rebuilt her life since then. She had her work – at the primary school where she was headteacher – wonderful colleagues and friends, and several hundred children who filled her days with laughter and young life, and gave her all the challenges she could wish for. She had Eleanor, her daughter, and she had her beloved West Highland terrier, Darcy. So what if she hadn’t found love a second time? That had been partly circumstance, partly choice.

The boat had tacked again. Now it was heading for the low islands off the Grande Dune du Pilat, the magnificent three-hundred-and-sixty-foot-high natural sand dune that was one of the main tourist attractions of the area. She knew the islands well. Hadn’t she sailed there with Luc that extraordinary summer?

Sweet sixteen, and never been kissed? She’d celebrated her seventeenth birthday on the third day of her holiday in Arcachon with her parents. The night she’d met Luc. The memory of it made her smile, the sense of him stronger now that she was back here.

Stupid.

She pulled a chair towards her. Its metal feet, grating on the tiled floor of the balcony, set her teeth on edge and she sank onto it with a grimace.

So much to think about. So many memories. And so many worries about what the future held…

***

If you would like to buy Sand in my Shoes, it is available from all good e-retailers including-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sand-My-Shoes-Summer-Special-ebook-x/dp/B00YEV1HQW/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1436782857&sr=8-15&keywords=Jenny+Harper

http://www.amazon.com/Sand-My-Shoes-Summer-Novella-ebook/dp/B00YEV1HQW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436947440&sr=8-1&keywords=Sand+in+my+shoes+Jenny+Harper

Happy reading,

Jenny xxx

The Romantic Novelist’s Association Conference: A Lesson in Hope and Hanging in There

By Jenny Kane

On July 15, 2015

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

This weekend I was lucky enough to attend my very first Romantic Novelist’s Association (RNA) Conference. I use the word ‘lucky’ advisedly, because as with First Great Western trains were on strike, I had to take a very imaginative route to actually get from Devon to London. But it was very much worth it.

Jenny Kane and Kd Grace

Over the years I have attended many writing events and conferences, but they have all been of the more ‘adult’ variety. This was the first time I had been to one as ‘Jenny’ and not ‘Kay.’ As my train pulled into Waterloo my sense of excitement was great. Not only was I going to meet some of my fellow Accent authors and my dear ‘Xcite’ friend Kd Grace (aka Grace Marshall), but I was actually going to an event! I have missed loads of amazing events lately due to a trapped nerve in my leg, and I felt like a child off to meet Father Christmas as I walked through London, heading towards Queen Mary’s University, and my first major gathering of romance writers.

With a schedule that was so packed with great talks and workshops, it was a challenge to choose which to attend. I may have been in the writing game for nearly 11 years, but I still have a great deal to learn, and this was the place to do it. With names as eminent as Katie Fforde, Julie Cohen and Jean Fullerton on the schedule, how could I fail not to come away with my head packed to the gunnels with ideas, inspiration- but most of all – hope.

Writing is a weird profession. You sit alone most of the time, trapped in your imagination and a world of ‘what if’s’ which you have invented. Even if other people are nearby, you are alone inside your own head so it is vital that we all get together sometimes, just to remind ourselves that we aren’t the only ones struggling to be noticed. To know that even the big names, working hour after hour in the hope that someone will buy their work when there are so many wonderful books to chose from, struggle sometimes.

We need to get together to learn, to laugh, to moan, discuss, let off steam, and give each other a boost- to say ‘you will make it’, ‘the next level is possible,’ and to hear that even the best writer’s in the world have downward lulls and bad sales now and then.

So although the classes were all excellent, what I will most remember from this years conference- and indeed- what was most useful to me- was the friendly sense of camaraderie. To see authors in the flesh after years of only communicating via Facebook was wonderful.

The amazing Hazel Cushion, manager of Accent Press, arranged a Pimms party for all the Accent authors, and anyone else who wanted to come along. Boy, can Hazel organise a good party. Standing in the sunshine by the canal that runs behind the university, I sipped my explosive cocktail while chatting to authors Richard Gould, Gilli Allan, Alison Rose, Lizzie Lane, Gill Stewart, Kat Black, Zoe Chamberlain and Kd Grace, along with the fabulous Rebecca Lloyd, ‘chief’ editor at Accent, her side kick, Cat Camacho, and many more smashing folk.

Hazel Cushion

Katrina Power, Cat Camacho and Alison Rose get the ice ready for the Pimms

It was at the party that one of my personal conference highlights occurred. The adorable Alison Rose introduced me to one of my writing heroes. I have long admired Katie Fforde for her books, and for the help she frequently gives other authors. And there she was, only a few feet from me. I have to admit, I had a tiny internal fan girl moment, which I seriously hope I swallowed down. Not only was Katie lovely to me, she had actually heard of me!! I floated on a cloud for a while after that I can tell you.

The conference was huge, and there were so many people it was impossible to meet everyone I would have liked to spend time with, but everyone I did meet was friendly, helpful and encouraging. At a time in my writing career where so many options are possible- if I am brave enough to take the scary steps towards them- then it was just perfect to have so much helpful advice and a much needed injection of hope, and the oft spoken words ‘Hang in there’ ringing in my ears.

Here are a few photos of us mad writer types as we reveal in the joy that is being with other writers.

Gilli Allan and Kd Grace take a coffee break

Books for sale

Gala Dinner in the Octagon Library

Richard Gould and Lizzie Lane

My thanks to Eileen Ramsey, Jan Jones, Kate Thomson, and everyone else who organised such an amazing event. If you are interested in joining the RNA, or you want to attend next years conference (which will be in Lancaster), then you can find all the details here- http://www.rna-uk.org/

Happy reading,

Jenny x