De-blog

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...

Read on WattPad: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/115931648-the-pastors-last-drop I will update this post as I add more chapters to the story. (images are all in the public domain, used under Creative Commons Licence) Cover (Derived from 'Liverpool from Wapping' , John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1875) Chapter One Jacques Brel - La Chanson de Jackie John Atkinson Grimshaw painting (snipped and edited from 'Glasgow Docks', 1881 ) Cobblestones (snipped from 'Last Call' ) Chapter Two Becker - Piketipeli (snipped and edited from 'Piketipeli' ) Chapter Three Plimpton and Ruggles - View of a Canal Boat (snipped and edited from 'View of a canal boat, Lockport, N.Y.' )

Rainbow Book Award Runner Up: When Skies Have Fallen When Skies Have Fallen - my historic romance - was fourth runner-up in the Rainbow Book Awards, which is a wonderful thing. It made me take stock and reflect on why I wrote the story. There is a history hidden behind the glamour and excitement of the swashbuckling heroes and flying aces whose exploits litter fictional accounts of the Second World War. To reach it took hour upon hour of research, reading first-person accounts of what it was like on the home front. This was the story I set out to tell. For many in war-torn 1944, love blossoms in the dance hall, and airman Arty Clarke is no exception. He's a thinker and a dreamer; however, it's not the beautiful, talented dancer in his arms - his best friend Jean - who inspires his dreams. For when his gaze meets that of Technical Sergeant Jim Johnson, Arty dares to imagine a different dance. Their love is forbidden, by both the armed forces and the law, but w...

When Skies Have Fallen received an honourable mention in the 2015 Rainbow Awards! What the judges said: "Exceptional historical accuracy and sense of setting: the novel rings with authenticity. The characters are strong and the plot tension comes not just from the war but their own desires and the demand for secrecy. Pacing is sometimes a bit slow. Extremely strong historical romance overall." (http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/4656033.html) When Skies Have Fallen is available as a free ebook - also available as a paperback (not free): beatentrackpublishing.com/whenskieshavefallen For many in war-torn 1944, love blossoms in the dance hall, and airman Arty Clarke is no exception. He's a thinker and a dreamer; however, it's not the beautiful, talented dancer in his arms-his best friend Jean-who inspires his dreams. For when his gaze meets that of Technical Sergeant Jim Johnson, Arty dares to imagine a different dance. Their love is forb...

For many in war-torn 1944, love blossoms in the dance hall, and airman Arty Clarke is no exception. He's a thinker and a dreamer; however, it's not the beautiful, talented dancer in his arms - his best friend Jean - who inspires his dreams. For when his gaze meets that of Technical Sergeant Jim Johnson, Arty dares to imagine a different dance. Their love is forbidden, by both the armed forces and the law, but with Jean's cunning and support, Arty and Jim try to bridge the distance between them and find true love despite the danger and a life-threatening disaster that could destroy Arty's dreams for good. Can the pair stand strong together, no matter how many skies have fallen? * * * * * When Skies Have Fallen is a novel, written as part of the Love is an Open Road Anthology (Don't Read in the Closet, 2015). In This Blog Post: About Love is an Open Road Research and Video Clips Excerpt from When Skies Have Fallen * * * * * About Love is ...