De-blog

Phew! [wipes brow] I've finally done it! My new novel is out in the wild (admittedly, it's still sitting on Amazon's doorstep waiting to be let in). Reverberations  is a stand-alone-ish novel in the Hiding Behind The Couch series – purchase links will appear on Beaten Track as soon as they're live. The ebook is already live on the Beaten Track store. Mysterious happenings are mounting up for Josh, Sean and their estranged alumni. Josh Sandison-Morley was born a sceptic. Why else would he insist there’s no such thing as ghosts when he’s eliminated every plausible explanation for the noises in his former therapy rooms? Sean Tierney’s having some ‘performance issues’. His GP says there’s no physical reason: his blood pressure is under control, and he’s stayed off the booze, ergo it’s all in his head. In the circumstances, being a palliative clinical psychologist isn’t proving (self-)helpful. Despite two decades of friendship and their grand plans to open a private psycho...

  Three years after his partner’s death, Detective Chief Inspector Gray Fisher has finally made the break from the police. With a new place to live, a new job and his PhD underway, Gray welcomes the friendship of Will Richards, an investment banker with hidden depths and a farmhouse menagerie of rescue animals. Gray’s not looking for love, and he’s certainly not interested in becoming involved in police work again…until former colleague Rob Simpson-Stone tracks him down to ask for his help with a case. So begins Gray and Rob’s new business partnership. For Rob Simpson-Stone, the career change may have come too late to rescue his marriage, but his relationship with his son is back on track. Rob’s grown-up nieces might be a taller order, but he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to prove they no longer need to worry that one day he won’t come home. As events unfold, Gray’s past recklessness catches up with him and Rob both, putting those they hold close in danger and forcing them to ...

The Silk Thief (The Roshaven Series Book 2) **COVER REVEAL & PRE-ORDER LIVE** A Humorous Urban Fantasy Novel coming 4th June 2021 The Blurb: Fourteen, heir to the Empire of Roshaven, must find a new name before Theo, Lord of neighbouring Fidelia, brings his schemes to fruition. Not only has he stolen Roshaven’s trade, but he plans to make Fourteen his own and take her empire in the bargain. Her protector, Ned Spinks, is plagued with supernatural nightmares whilst his assistant, Jenni the sprite, has lost her magick. Can they figure out how to thwart Theo’s dastardly plan before it’s too late for his city and her empire? PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY: mybook.to/SilkThief The Silk Thief is the second quirky magical mystery adventure set in the Roshaven series of humorous fantasy novels. If you like the wit and humour of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, then you’ll love The Silk Thief. More About the Roshaven Books: The Rose Thief, The Roshaven Series book 1 Someone is stea...

Title: Striking Balance – The Peculiar Making of Beatrice Benjamin Sophia Scott Schnell Gow Series: Appalachian Elementals (#3) Genre: Appalachian Paranormal Fantasy Author: Jeanne G'Fellers Publisher: Mountain Gap Books Release Date: 21st July 2020 You know when you've beta-read books one and two in a series, and read the novella that came after (or, in fact, between) them, and then the author contacts you and says, "Hey, d'you fancy beta-reading book three?" Yep, that! Because, honestly, when someone writes as brilliantly as Jeanne G'Fellers does, beta-reading is a free book, and I kind of feel like I cheated the author out of a sale. Well, the least I can do is tell you what makes this novel (and series) so awesome. So the first thing is the series itself: Appalachian Elementals is, as the title indicates, a series set in the Appalachians…featuring elemental beings, although not just elementals. The mixing and mingling of different kin...

Not My Christmas by Debbie McGowan Published: 25th December, 2019 Length: 18,000 words (approx.) 99c from Smashwords  • Amazon Blurb: Christmas at the Davenports has never been a relaxing affair, so when the opportunity for a little alone time with a beautiful, available woman comes Charlie Davenport’s way, she takes it, breaking several family traditions and risking the wrath of her siblings. But it’ll be worth it, right? And she can always make it up to them later…or next Christmas. A stand-alone story from the world of Hiding Behind The Couch. Keywords: LGBTQ+, ownvoices, romance, family, bisexual women, Christmas, humour

OK, so I missed it by a few minutes in BST as it's technically now the 21st August, but let's assume it's still the 20th for me as it still is for many of you. Today I released Meredith's Dagger - my fiftieth novel - on my fiftieth birthday! Both of those facts are quite hard to believe. I made it to fifty! Woot! And fifty books? Well, I wrote most of them in the last ten years, not sure how... I'm going to keep this short and give a little background to  Meredith's Dagger , which I originally wrote in 2011 but then set it aside while I did further research into the relevant local history. Then I got caught up in all that research and it was a bit overwhelming, so I let it rest awhile to work on other books. I've come back to it several times over the years since and made it through the first few chapters before I reached the point where I wanted to slap Julian - you'll reach that point too, but he's not so bad really once you get...

Title: Keeping House Author: Jeanne G'Fellers Publisher: Mountain Gap Books Series: Appalachian Elementals (#2) Genre: Appalachian Paranormal Fantasy, LGBTQ+ Purchase Links: Mountain Gap  •  Amazon  •  Smashwords Kobo  •  Barnes and Noble Blurb: Centenary Rhodes is caught in a deal she didn’t make. Thanks to her eternal lover, Stowne’s, quick thinking, she’ll live forever, but there’s a hitch. Cent’s now fey, and three months out of the year she’ll live on the other side of Embreeville Mountain among the Hunter Fey, serving their king, Dane Gow. As Cent begins wading through the anachronisms that come with being a Hunter, she learns that nothing is what it initially seems. Cent shares several past lives with Dane, who wants her back, and Stowne’s lied to Cent so many times that she’s having doubts about their marriage. To make matters worse, the past Hunter Kings are influencing Dane’s behavior, and the youngest Hunter, Brinn, might...

BLURB: For a relationship to work, it is not just love which is demanded. Resolve is, too. Cole has his senior year of college and a photography business to worry about, so he could really do without the multiple sessions with physiotherapists his parents force him to go to. It leaves little room to consider romance as a choice for him. Pool instructor and avid swimmer Justin has always been his twin’s shadow. Where Aaron goes, he follows. He may not have much of a social life outside of his twin, but he loves his job and all the extra swim time he gets. He doesn’t think that he’s lacking anything. Then Justin’s booked for a photo shoot with Cole. Being together, as right as it feels, also means they’ll have to come face to face with their belief systems. They must find the resolve to be their own person, or they could lose it all –themselves included. Resolve is the 2nd book of the Demands series. Although they can be read as stand-alones, characters from previous books wi...

Part of Play On... A FREE Valentine’s Day collection of short stories, poetry and prose, inspired by the songs of ABBA. Nina, Pretty Ballerina © 2019 Debbie McGowan I didn’t like her. Not at first. She was too pretty. Too perfect. The box belonged to my sister, a pink, fluffy, glittery little thing—the description suited both—from a boy in her class. I remember her ripping off the paper, squealing in delight and then casting it aside, concerned only with the accumulation of Valentines, not sentiment. She wouldn’t let me see what was inside, but that had never stopped me before. Back then, though, all I knew was the box had two keys. One was for a tiny, pointless padlock that hung from the front like a little robot Scotsman’s sporran— Kick me in the goolies, I dare ye. Oh, dare accepted, my good wee McMan. The other key stuck out the back and would, inevitably, bring about the end of the world. I waited, biding my time for just one opportunity to get at that box....

So, I haven't blogged for a few weeks, and I'd like to blame my youngest daughter's wedding. I'd like to, but I can't. She and her new husband (who made me cry so many times on their happy day it's just untrue - I never used to be such a soft sh*te! And I mean happy tears) pretty much organised everything themselves. I say 'pretty much' because I know my eldest daughter as maid of honour worked her socks off putting the hen party together, and I'm guessing the best man did the same for the stag do. Anyway, the short version: amazing day. The hotel was stunning. The food was awesome. The music was brilliant. Most importantly, the bride, groom and their entire wedding party were utterly gorgeous. I'm hoping she won't mind me sharing this photo as it's online already... The littluns weren't that serious all day. :) ~ • ~ • ~ Also on the same day (and yes, I was told off for it), I released my first ever children's ...

It's been a really busy day. That's what I've been telling everyone, along with mumbled explanations about uploading books, putting together covers, writing reviews and blog posts and so on and so forth. What I've really been doing - spent an inordinate amount of time doing, in fact, is... Finding somewhere to hang my bunting. I kid you not. I probably don't strike you as a bunting kind of person, but this is no ordinary bunting. Oh no. This is homemade, meticulously stitched and ironed(!) bunting. Don't believe me? Well, feast your eyes on these splendiferous triangular beasties! Good, eh? :D The bunting is a lovely release day gift from Dawn Sister - one of my fellow authors in  Seasons of Love   anthology, which is released 31st July (officially - it's already out). Thank you, Dawn. I intend to keep it up for at least a month. Then I'll carefully fold it away into its bag and bring it out again same time next year, and the year afte...

First up, sorry if you're feeling a bit like "Yeah, yeah, Deb, I know! You've got a book out today." With so many authors, so many books and the velocity of social networks, I have to send out the message on as many channels as possible. Hence, the overkill some of you might experience. Conversely, you might be thinking "Oh, I'm glad I saw this blog post or I wouldn't have known you had a new book out." In which case, my work here is done. :) Sooo... Tabula Rasa is out today! (June 21st, 2018) Tabula Rasa  is book two of the Gray Fisher trilogy (you can get book one - The WAG and The Scoundrel - for 99c if you're quick - links on the Beaten Track page ). This series is a spin-off from Hiding Behind The Couch - you don't need to have read any of the main series to make sense of the Gray Fisher books. The stories feature Gray Fisher and Rob Simpson-Stone, who were in the police together. The series is contemporary fiction with ...

Blurb: C H Clepitt has a knack for creating real, relatable characters, who face adversity with humour and humanity, and Curtain Call is no exception. “Possibly the best thing I’ve read by C H Clepitt so far.” - Murray McLean When an assistant to the director role turns into P.A. to her favourite film star, Jen can’t believe her luck. Eleanor Francis is charming, kind and funny, but she has a secret, and when tragedy strikes, things threaten to unravel at an uncontrollable pace. Despite being out of her depth Jen has to adapt to her new role quickly, to protect Eleanor, with whom she is rapidly falling in love. This is a sweet, understated story that will have you laughing and crying in equal measure. If you’ve enjoyed C H Clepitt’s other books then this is not to be missed. Release Date: 6th May 2018 Reviews: “The story is very well written and flows nicely... I would love to read more about the two main characters in future books.” - Simon Leonard - Black Books Blog ...

I haven't had time to blog properly on a Monday for a few weeks, so my apologies if you're a regular reader. I'm doing my best to get back in the swing of it. This is just a quickie to announce the release of Box Set Two of Hiding Behind The Couch, which is available on Kindle only (and Kindle Unlimited). BOX SET ONE Beginnings Ruminations Hiding Behind The Couch (Season One) No Time Like The Present (Season Two) The Harder They Fall (Season Three) Crying in the Rain First Christmas BOX SET TWO In The Stars Part I (Season Four) Breaking Waves Chain of Secrets In The Stars Part II (Season Five) A Midnight Clear Red Hot Christmas BOX SET THREE (sometime in 2018/9) Two by Two (Season Six) Hiding Out Class-A Those Jeffries Boys Breakfast at Cordelia’s Aquarium The WAG and The Scoundrel NOVELLAS/SHORT STORIES BOX SET Beginnings Class-A First Christmas Breaking Waves Chain of Secrets A Midnight Clear Red Hot Christmas Hiding O...

I should title this post ‘how not to release a story’… Yesterday (yep), I released A Snowy Ball —a short Christmas story featuring Arty and Jim from When Skies Have Fallen . I only decided to write it a couple of weeks ago, and given the date and everything, I decided to go ahead and get it out there. Why did I write  A Snowy Ball ? Quite a few readers have been kind enough to get in touch and tell me how much they loved  When Skies Have Fallen —and made my day in the process :)—some of whom mentioned they would have liked to read more of Arty and Jim’s day-to-day life. I’d have loved to include more of that in the novel, but the deadline didn’t allow it, and I was quite pragmatic in my storytelling (first time for everything). So that’s the first and most important reason. The second reason is that if I hadn’t written it, this year would have been the first since 2013 when I didn’t release a Christmas story, and I’m a fan of Christmas stories myself. Lastly, I...

Saorla Tierney's sons are conspiring against her, and at their age, they should know better. After all, she's nearly seventy-one herself, and, quite frankly, whether she still 'has needs' is none of their business. OK, so, maybe she was a bit harsh with Sean when all he did was ask if she and Aileen wanted a double hotel room. And of course she feels bad for biting Finn's head off when he was only having a wee joke. Between her grandson's unconventional baptism and the decades-long feud between her sons, even with Aileen at her side it's not as easy a decision as they seem to think. Or maybe it is. Saorla doesn't know anymore, and until she's sure... To Be Sure is a stand-alone novella-length character special in the Hiding Behind The Couch series. (Part of Never Too Late - a collection of nine stories featuring LGBTQIA characters over the age of fifty) Purchase Links: Beaten Track [ebook] Smashwords [ebook] A...

Title:   Keeping the Faith  (Faithfully Yours #3) Author:  A. M. Leibowitz Publisher: Supposed Crimes Publication Date: November 1, 2017 Length: 238 pages (~84k words) Genre: Literary fiction/romance Categories/Tags: Bisexual, transgender, grief and loss, spirituality, Christianity ISBN: 1944591273 (ISBN13: 9781944591274) ASIN: B0764ZQMJP Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086132-keeping-the-faith Purchase Links: Amazon  |  Amazon UK  |  Smashwords  |  Kobo Synopsis: It’s been three years since Micah’s spouse, Cat, passed away at the age of thirty-six. In the process of cleaning his house, Micah discovers a series of letters Cat hid before he died, in which he made one request: that Micah empty his life of Cat as a way of moving on. Micah has been able to work through his sorrow, but he’s unable to fulfill Cat’s last wish. He can’t see a way past his loneliness despite all the caring people aroun...