coffee – Page 10 – Jenny Kane & Jennifer Ash

20 Questions

On January 23, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

I was having a long overdue clean up of my laptop this morning and came across this interview I did as a guest blogger some time ago. I had such fun with it, that I thought I’d update it and share it afresh.

The questions come from a friend I asked to pretend she didn’t know me! Yes- I know that’s a little bit mad- but I’m a writer- insanity is only ever inches away!!

Do you just write as Jenny, or do you have multiple personas?

I currently have one other ‘me’ as well as Jenny, and that’s Kay Jaybee- an erotica writer of the ‘full on’ persuasion. (There may be another ‘me’ coming soon- I’ll say no more for now…)

who am i

Are you more like Kay or Jenny in real life?

Jenny- no question!

Do you love coffee as much as the characters in your first Jenny Kane novel, Another Cup of Coffee?

Even more than they do! I can’t write without a coffee close at hand, and I have to have one first thing in the morning or my day doesn’t go well!

How do you take it?

Black- nothing added- Americano for preference

How many cups do you drink a day?

Too many

Brazz Taunton

Do you really write in cafes and coffee shops like JK Rowling?

I really do. I even have my own corner in my local cafe- there’s a plaque on the wall to prove it! Not only that, but I am now employed by a brilliant group called Phoenix Somerset to visit Independent coffee shops and blog about my experiences there. Dream job!

What is your favourite hot drink – apart from coffee?

Coffee is the only hot drink I like- I HATE tea, and I’m allergic to milk, so can’t have hot chocolate, latte etc

Favourite colour?

Purple

Boots, trainers or heels?

Boots – I am not sporty, and I’d break my neck in heels. I am very clumsy!

Another Cup of Coffee - New cover 2015

Are the characters in Another Cup of Coffee based on real people?

Almost all of them are.

Which ones?

My lips are sealed.

Spoil sport- give us a clue?

I knew three of them at University- although I obviously wrote exaggerated versions of them- and they are all still my friends and totally lovely.

What did you study at University?

I did an Archaeology degree and then a Medieval History for a PhD.

Ohhh- like Amy in Another Cup of Coffee did…?

Yes- just like Amy did- well, the archaeology bit- I think I can guess the next question!

So are you Amy?

I am a little tiny bit, but only a little bit. I more like the character of Kit, who writes for a living (or tries to!)

You feature Kew Gardens in the book, have you been there, or did you just research in on Google?

I’ve been there many times. I love just wandering around the various greenhouses- and sitting in the cafes of course!

Kew

What would you say always surprises people when they meet you?

That I wear hearing aids. I am 80% deaf.

Do you prefer being Kay Jaybee- Queen of BDSM Kink- or Jenny Kane- Writer of book chocolate?

I love being both of them – it is wonderful to be able to create such different styles of work, and thus- hopefully- make more people happy when they read! (Well- that’s the plan!)

What is Jenny going to do next?

The final book in the 5 part Another Cup of Coffee series is due out this summer. Another Glass of Champagne is a full length novel which concludes the adventures of Amy, Kit, Jack, Megan and friends. I am about to start the publishers edits for this. I am also busily drafting the sequel to Abi’s House– which will be called Abi’s Neighbour.

Apart from the writing, I am helping to organise the second Tiverton Literary Festival, which will run from 8th-12th June.

What is Kay doing next?

Kay’s erotica is largely on hold for a while, as it is Jenny’s turn to tap away at my computer keyboard- except for on Wednesdays. On ‘Wicked Wednesday’ I write as Kay all day- I am currently writing a new novella- but my lips are sealed as it what it will be about!

****

You can buy all the ‘Another Cup of…’ stories from all good retailers, including Amazon.

For example,you can buy the first in the series, Another Cup of Coffee here…

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

***

Happy reading,

Jenny x

My Writing Space

By Jenny Kane

On January 16, 2016

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

I love my writing space. Tucked away in the corner of one of the many coffee shops in the Devonshire town where I live, I sit at the same little wooden table every day, writing words of romance and friendship.

I’ve never been able to write well at home. There are just too many distractions, too much housework to do, too many boxes of work (I have a part time job as an educational blogger and data imputer which I do from home), and consequently too much guilt connected with what I ‘ought to be doing’ ready to interrupt my imagination.

Coffee good or evil

My writing has always flowed at its best in an atmosphere of bustle. I like to be surrounded by happily chattering people, enjoying a break from their ‘real’ lives, while I let my invented characters take control of my pen-wielding fingers. Sometimes, I admit, the café can get a bit too noisy. However, that is no problem at all. I simply lower the volume around me by taking out my hearing aids- being deaf sure does have its benefits sometimes!

I even have, thanks to the lovely staff within my ‘writing’ café, a brass plaque on the wall above my writing space, engraved with the words, Jenny Kane’s Corner.

Jenny's Corner Costa

How amazing is that?! So now I am officially the cafe’s writer in residence; and as I sit and write in my little space I feel rather like one of my all time favourite literary characters; Winnie-the-Pooh! For just like him, I have my own corner!

Every week day I am at my desk so early that I have no fear of anyone else being sat there. At the weekend however it is a different matter, and I have to take my chances. I don’t mind other people sitting at my table- after all, I don’t own it – and I am perfectly OK working at other tables- providing I have coffee to hand. Today- right now in fact- as I sit at a table next to my usual writing spot- my heart goes out to my poor little desk!

A group of rather unpleasant teenage girls are sat there, happily flicking hot chocolate everywhere, while putting on make up they don’t need to wear, listening to music that would make my ‘Kay’ persona blush, while making unsubtle gestures at a group of teenage boys at the opposite end of the café. (My heart goes out to them as well, because they look like a nice set of lads who just want a quiet catch up after a week at college)

Of course, the girls will get fed up and leave soon; I’ll get out the cafe’s disinfectant (I more or less live in here, so I know where all the cleaning stuff is), and my lovely writing space will be a happy sanctuary of words once more.

And there are three plus sides to their unpleasant use of my lovely space-

1. I have something to blog about today.

2. Next time I need to write about the more thoughtless members of our teenage population I’ll have a memory to use as story fodder!

3. It never hurts me t be reminded how lucky I am to have such a space in the first place (not to mention, how lucky I am to have such well behaved children!)

Always a silver lining!!

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Another Cup of… The Dawn of a Series

By Jenny Kane

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!

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…..?

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!

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…

***

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.

***

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Happy New Year: A Quiet 2016? Ummm….

By Jenny Kane

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

Christmas at the Castle: Scottish romance, with coffee

By Jenny Kane

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 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…

***

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

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

Christmas in the Cotswolds: Coffee, Art and Choirs

By Jenny Kane

On December 1, 2015

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

With this years festive story, Christmas at the Castle, still looking new and shiny on the eBook shelves, I have been looking back at its predecessors this week. On Saturday I treated you to a free read from Another Cup of Christmas. Today I’m looking back at last year’s festive offering, Christmas in the Cotswolds.

Christmas in the Cotswolds is the festive (short novella) sequel to Another Cup of Christmas – which in itself follows the novel, Another Cup of Coffee. Rather than being set in the Pickwicks cafe in Richmond however, for this adventure, I took Megan, Pickwicks regular waitress, away from her day job, and sent her on a mercy mission…

Blurb Izzie Spencer-Harris, owner of the Cotswold Art and Craft Centre, is due to host the prestigious Cotswold Choir’s annual Christmas carol concert in her beautiful converted church. Or at least she was, until a storm smashed a hole right through the chancel roof. Days from Christmas, Izzie suddenly finds herself up to her neck in DIY, with her last dodgy workman having walked off the job. She does the only thing she can … calls in her best friend Megan to help. Leaving Peggy and Scott to run Pickwicks Café in her absence, Megan heads to the Cotswolds for Christmas. Within minutes of her arrival, she finds herself hunting down anyone willing to take on extra work so close to Christmas. It seems the only person available to help is Joseph Parker – a carpenter who, while admittedly gorgeous, seems to have ulterior motives for everything he does … With Izzie’s bossy mother, Lady Spencer-Harris, causing her problems at every turn, an accident at work causing yet more delays, and the date for the concert drawing ever nearer, it’s going to take a lot more than Mrs Vickers’ powerful mulled wine to make sure everything is all right on the night …

***

I’ve always loved the Cotswolds, and was lucky enough to grow up not too far from their villages filled with yellow stoned picturesque cottages and stunning churches. For me, once I’d decided to take Megan away from Pickwicks for a while, the Cotswolds was the obvious choice of location. It is precisely the type of area I can imagine Izzie setting up an arts and craft centre, which- were it real- I have no doubt would flourish! I’d go there for sure. It has a cafe after all!

Extract

Izzie closed her eyes and counted to ten as the door of the Cotswold Arts Centre slammed shut.

There was no point in panicking. She simply didn’t have time for such luxuries if her converted church was going to be ready to host a Christmas carol concert by the renowned Cotswold Choir in nine days’ time.

Bored of being propositioned by men who weren’t remotely interested in her until they discovered she was a daughter of the gentry, Izzie had ejected the carpenter through her front door before he’d quite had time to work out just how insulting her rejection of his latest lurid suggestion was.

Now, her hasty tongue having deprived her of a desperately needed pair of tradesman’s hands, Izzie sat with a heavy thump onto the nearest pew. She knew she had to find fresh help, and fast. A task that wouldn’t be easy so close to Christmas.

‘Although,’ Izzie addressed the image of Noah, who smiled benevolently at her from his stained-glass window, as if grateful he hadn’t been smashed to pieces by the tree branch that had come through the top of the chancel and caused so much seasonal inconvenience, ‘I’m damn sure I’m not asking my mother to help out ever again!’

Reaching for the offending package of invitations that had arrived by courier first thing that morning, Izzie emptied it onto the table. The invitations were supposed to have been posted by now. As soon as she’d seen them, Izzie understood why her mother had left them to the last minute.

Unfussy, cost-effective, and with a medieval Christmas flavour in keeping with the spirit of the converted fourteenth-century church where the concert was to be held. That’s what she’d asked for.

What she’d got was decadent Victorian-style gold-edged invitations which weighed so much, Izzie was sure that posting them alone would break the bank. And if that wasn’t bad enough, her mother had done the one thing that she had expressively forbidden. She’d put Izzie’s full name on the invitations.

Lady Perdita Spencer-Harris had been unable to comprehend why her daughter didn’t want to use the family name to help sales. She simply didn’t understand that Izzie wanted people to come to hear the choir for its own sake, or because they wanted to see what she’d done in her art centre; not because she was a young and single female member of the landed gentry.

Miss Isadora Spencer-Harris

cordially invites you to a magical festive evening at

The Cotswold Arts Centre, Chipping Swinton

to hear the renowned Cotswold Choir’s

Christmas Carol Concert

Saturday 21st December

7 p.m. for 7.30 p.m. start

£25 per ticket

Refreshments provided

RSVP by 18th December to Harris Park

Wrapping her stripy woollen scarf more tightly around her neck, Izzie breathed warm air over her cold fingers. Deciding it wasn’t cost effective to heat the church this late at night just for her, she gathered up the invitations, and with one last check that the polythene sheeting would keep the rest of her chancel roof in place overnight, Izzie headed home.

Izzie scooped up three Christmas cards from her doormat. A smile replaced her frown as she opened the first envelope to see a cartoon robin wishing her a Merry Christmas. Inside, beneath the seasonal greeting, her friend Megan had written Must meet up SOON! I’d love to see your new art centre.

‘Should I?’ Izzie was sure her dearest friend from college would help. Megan always helped. Izzie addressed the picture of the robin, ‘But won’t she be hugely busy at Pickwicks café this close to Christmas?’

Switching on her laptop, Izzie started to hunt for a replacement tradesman to help repair her church roof. Half an hour of searching later, and her quest was looking increasingly hopeless by the minute.

It was no good, if she wasn’t going to be forced to ask her parents to bail her out – which was an ‘over her dead body’ situation as far as Izzie was concerned – she needed alternative assistance. Izzie picked up her mobile before guilt at disturbing her friend’s life at Christmas overtook her.

‘Megan, thank goodness you’re there! How can I put this … help!’

***

Although Christmas in the Cotswolds is a sequel, it can also be read as a standalone story.

If you’d like to have a read, you can buy my latest novella from all good e-retailers including-

Amazon UK- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Cotswolds-seasonal-short-story-ebook/dp/B00PK2MA3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415899501&sr=8-1&keywords=Christmas+in+the+Cotswolds+jenny+kane

Amazon.com – http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Cotswolds-seasonal-short-story-ebook/dp/B00PK2MA3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415899535&sr=8-1&keywords=Christmas+in+the+Cotswolds+Jenny+Kane

***

Happy reading,

Jenny x

A Little Sip from Another Cup of Christmas

By Jenny Kane

On November 28, 2015

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

With Christmas at the Castle, the third festive sequel to follow on from my novel, Another Cup of Coffee just out, I thought it would be fun to return to my first Christmas special today, Another Cup of Christmas, and treat you to a tasty sip from its eBook pages.

This was my second outing as Jenny Kane, and, like its predecessor, Another Cup of Christmas, was set in and around Pickwicks Coffee House in Richmond (on the outskirts of London). Five years have elapsed since the close of Another Cup of Coffee, and there are a few new faces to be spotted amongst the old.

Here’s the Blurb-

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 …

***

A novella rather than a novel, Another Cup of Christmas can be easily consumed in one delicious cinnamon flavoured mouthful! I would recommend a quiet afternoon curled up on the sofa with a mince pie and a hot drink to hand (a cup of coffee perhaps??), and an hour’s escape into the adventures of Peggy, Scott, Kit, Phil, Nick and Megan…

Here’s how Another Cup of Christmas begins…

Chapter One

December 4^th 2012

Having politely escaped her third ‘So what are you doing for Christmas?’ conversation of the day, Megan Johnson was retreating back to the counter when she spotted Pickwicks’ most regular customer sit up from her work and brush a stray red hair from her eyes.

Knowing it had been at least half an hour since Kit’s caffeine addiction had been attended to, the waitress swiped up the percolator jug and headed in her direction.

Without bothering to ask if it was required, Megan poured the steaming liquid with practised care, before taking advantage of the lull in Christmas shopping trade, and sitting down opposite her friend. ‘Going OK?’

Swivelling the laptop round to face Megan, Kit rubbed the back of her neck, ‘I’m sure I’ve missed something. What do you think?’

Pickwicks Festive Fundraiser!

Spoil Yourself With An Afternoon of Pickwicks’ Finest Festive Fare.

In Aid of the Royal Free Hospital’s Spinal Ward.

Saturday 22^nd December from 2pm.

Deluxe Buffet And Festive Fundraising Fun!

Tickets are ONLY £25 per person

Don’t miss out!

Book your place at Pickwicks Coffee Shop, Richmond – NOW!!

Megan scanned the poster. ‘Oh, that’s fabulous! I thought you were writing your latest novel.’

‘To tell you the truth, that’s exactly what I should be doing, but Peggy asked me to do some publicity for the fundraiser and I thought I’d better get on with it. Time seems to be dissolving. It’ll be the 22nd before we know it.’

‘I know what you mean.’ Megan started to collect the dishes left by a couple who’d just vacated a nearby table. ‘The next three weeks are going to fly by.’

‘Two and a half weeks!’

‘Oh, hell! Really?’

‘That’s why I want to get these done; otherwise everyone will be too booked up with their own celebrations to have time to come.’ Gesturing towards the kitchen, Kit asked, ‘How’s Scott doing out there, or shouldn’t I ask?’

Megan’s permanent smile widened further across her lightly freckled face. ‘He’s amazing. I have no idea how he does it. The temperature in that kitchen is tropical, and yet Scott’s still beaming that massive toothy grin of his. I’m seriously beginning to think he is physically unable to stop cooking! Surely he must have pre-prepared as much as he can for the fundraiser by now?’

Kit nodded. ‘He probably has, but Peggy is getting paranoid there won’t be enough food.’ Glancing around, checking that Megan wasn’t needed by a customer for a moment, Kit pointed to a fresh pile of abandoned cups. ‘If I clear those, will you have a proper read of the poster? I’m sure I’ve missed something obvious but I can’t put my finger on it?’

Kit was already standing up and taking a tray from Megan’s hands before the waitress said, ‘On one condition.’

‘Which is?’

‘I can check my emails? I’m supposed to be liaising with the hospital about this for Peggy, but we’ve been so busy over the last few days I haven’t had time to see if Nick has got back to me about how many of the ward staff are coming.’

‘Nick?’

Megan silently cursed her inability to prevent the involuntary warm pink blush that hit her pale cheeks, ‘Yeah, he’s the admin guy for the ward that cared for Scott after his accident.’

‘Nice, is he?’ Kit gently teased the petite blonde waitress, wondering, not for the first time, why someone as kind and pretty as Megan hadn’t been snapped up years ago.

‘I’ve never met him, but he seems friendly. Well, he does via email and over the phone at least.’

‘You’ve spoken to him then?’

‘There are loads of things to sort out.’ Megan, knowing that the crush she’d developed on Nick’s Irish accent was utterly ridiculous, turned her full attention to the poster on the screen before her…

****

I hope that’s whetted your appetite for this feel good festive romance!

Although Another Cup of Christmas follows on from Another Cup of Coffee, it can also be read as a standalone piece.

If you’d like to buy Another Cup of Christmas it is available as a downloads from all good eBook suppliers including-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Cup-Christmas-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B00GMO4ZIQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1384329366&sr=1-1&keywords=another+cup+of+christmas+jenny+kane

http://www.amazon.com/Another-Cup-Christmas-Jenny-Kane-ebook/dp/B00GMO4ZIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384329400&sr=8-1&keywords=another+cup+of+Christmas

***

Happy reading,

Jenny x

OUT TODAY! Christmas at the Castle

By Jenny Kane

On November 14, 2015

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

OUT TODAY! CHRISTMAS AT THE CASTLE

The fourth in the Another Cup of Coffee series