Book Review - Reach For the Stars by Colleen Coleman

Amazon UK

Title: Reach For The Stars

Author: Colleen Coleman

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 21st September 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

When Evelyn Dooley married her high-school sweetheart, James, she thought she was set for life. Now she’s 28, single, and fleeing to Dublin from her small hometown to avoid the gossip surrounding their break-up.

This was not in her five-year plan.

Then a chance encounter with gorgeous musician Danny leads to an unlikely friendship, and soon the pair are running music nights together. Surrounded by new friends and a welcoming community, Evelyn is building a life that she really loves – and sparks are beginning to fly between her and Danny…

But when her savings run out and home beckons, Evelyn has to choose. The safe, comfortable life she left behind, or a new adventure with Danny? Will Evelyn flee back to the familiarity of her ex, or reach for the stars and take a leap into the unknown?

Such an apt title, as the book is all about Reaching For the Stars, and trying to achieve your potential, oh and the S Club 7 song by the same name does make one appearance too! 

I really took to Evelyn quite early in her book, even while her marriage was falling apart. It was relatively amicable and then her first steps at striking out on her own, by leaving her small town and moving to the big city of Dublin. 

I loved Evelyn's attitude to everything, and was laughing a lot at the scene where she first meets a teaching recruitment consultant! She then makes a rather rash decision and from there the book became even more engaging. 

Danny and Evelyn's friendship was great, in fact I just really liked Danny and his busking, and general good naturedness. I also really enjoyed the other men that Evelyn meets in the pub, as well as the history of the pub itself. 

Reach For The Stars is a charming, and uplifting story, where Evelyn's life changes for the better as a result of her being reminded to reach for the stars. And this message is also carried forward when she starts taking on a mentor role to a troubled teen, which again is a sub plot that I really enjoyed reading. 

This is an entertaining story, written in an easy to follow style, and I really wasn't sure how it was going to end until I got to that point.  

Thank you to much to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Cover Reveal - Only One Woman by Christina Jones and Jane Risdon

The second I spotted the words new book, cover reveal and Christina Jones all on the same email in my inbox, I knew I had to take part. Very excited that Christina has written a new book, and also want to wish Jane Risdon a lot of success.

So what is it that has got me so excited? Well take a look for yourselves.

Two women, one love story.

June 1968. Renza falls head over heels for heartthrob guitarist Scott. But after a romantic summer together they are torn apart when Renza’s family moves away.

December 1968. On the night she believes to be her last, Stella meets Scott at a local dance. He’s the most beautiful boy she’s ever seen and if this one night is all they have, she’ll take it.

As the final colourful year of the sixties dawns, the question is: can there be only one woman for Scott?

Publication Day: 23rd November 2017

Pre-order now on Amazon UK

Book Review - Keep You Safe by Melissa Hill

Amazon UK

Title:  Keep You Safe

Author: Melissa Hill

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ 

Publication Date: 21st September 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

A mother always knows best. Doesn’t she?

What if your choice for your child could harm someone else’s?

Every mother faces impossible choices. Vaccination is one of the hardest. For single mum Kate O’Hara, there was no decision to make. Her daughter Rosie is one of a small percentage of Irish children who can’t be vaccinated against measles. All Kate can do is hope that her little girl is safe.

For mummy blogger Madeleine Cooper, it was a leap of faith she wasn't prepared to take when she and her husband declined controversial measles jabs for their daughter Clara. All she can do is pray that it’s the right decision.

But when classmates Clara and Rosie both become sick will Kate pay for Madeleine’s choice?

A stunning and addictive new book club read from beloved bestselling Irish author Melissa Hill that explores every mother’s worst fear

Thought provoking, unputdownable, utterly addictive, full of emotion in places, and incredibly well researched is just about the best way I can sum up this new direction for Melissa Hill.  

Focusing on a topic that can be controversial, vaccinations, and the book manages to put forward all manner or arguments for and against the topic, it rationalises the two very different reasons that Madeline and Kate made to not vaccinate their children, and takes you on a rollercoaster ride. 

It feels like a book that was really in two distinctive parts. The first main part of the book focuses on the two families, and how they cope when their children become ill with measles. You are with them every step of the way and in the case of one family things don't go smoothly. Which brings us onto the second main part of the book which I can't talk about as I can't phrase things the way I want without giving major spoilers. 

There was a very small section in the middle of the book which felt slightly flat to me, but that is because its the transitional bit between the aforementioned two main focuses. 

At the heart of this all Madeline and Kate want is to keep their children safe, they just have completely different approaches and situations. One is a single mother, the other is a parenting blogger who courts publicity. 

My own opinion towards each character altered over the course of the book, at times I found myself more sympathetic to one than the other. The chapters generally focused on one of the two perspectives at a time, and I felt I really got an idea as to how both of the families would react to certain situations. 

I have been a fan of Melissa Hill books for many years, and the second I saw the blurb for this, although it felt a lot more serious, I knew I had to read it. And wow was I right, I found it as quick to read as her previous works, but 1000 times more unputdownable, its compulsive reading at its best, and I had to know how everything was going to turn out. 

Keep You Safe is touching, its brilliant, the story is relevant and relatable too, with some great characters and flowing writing. I couldn't have enjoyed this book more. 

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Season For Second Chances by Ruth Saberton

Amazon UK

Title: The Season For Second Chances

Author: Ruth Saberton

Format reviewed: 

Source: Author supplied copy

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 21st September 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

The Season for Second Chances

At the close of a hectic year, Grace Anders is looking forward to a quiet Christmas at the family home in Cornwall. Tucked away on Bodmin Moor, Hallows House is the perfect place to relax by the fire and catch up with loved ones. The last thing Grace expects, or wants, is the arrival of warring family members or the unexpected return of the man who broke her heart a lifetime ago.

But as the weather closes in and people arrive at Hallows to shelter from the blizzard, family feuds and old heartaches have to be set aside. Can a sprinkling of snow and some Cornish Christmas magic make this the season for second chances after all? 

Lovely novella that takes in Christmas Eve and shows the strange happenings of the season, as friends, family, exes, neighbours for a rather unexpected Christmas. 

It is rare for it to snow in Cornwall, so for it to be a white Christmas as people are travelling along the Bodmin Moor to Hallows House adds an added layer of complexity to their journey.  The descriptions of being out in this snow were realistic but equally terrifying. 

Or at least I have to assume the reason I barely got any sleep after reading the first half of this novella, was the thoughts of the snow moors, and not being able to see properly running through my mind, while I was hearing rain outside in all directions, which sort of added to the atmosphere. 

This  is a great snapshot of a whole bunch of different characters, their circumstances, and how a chance meeting with others is going to change their lives for the better. 

The Season For Second Chances is a good showcase for Ruth Saberton's writing, her descriptions and love of Cornwall. It was an shortish story that fitted a fair bit of drama into it and kept my interest until the end. 

Thank you to Ruth Saberton for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Summer Sundaes by Georgina Troy - Blog Tour

Amazon UK

Title: Summer Sundaes

Author: Georgina Troy

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied review copy

Publisher: Green Shutter Books

Publication Date: 15th July 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

A perfect escapist read for anyone needing a holiday.

When Sacha Collins, cafe owner and sundae-maker extraordinaire, meets Italian archaeologist, Alessandro Salvatore in Rome, she's grateful to him for being her tour guide. Now he’s turned up in the seaside village where she lives, known locally as, The Boardwalk by the Sea and is setting up a gelateria in direct competition to her retro Summer Sundaes Café. 

She's only been running her café for two years since taking over from her father. Until now the only other shops on the boardwalk have been a wool shop, an antique shop and a second-hand book shop. These have helped rather than hindered her custom. How will her creative sundaes made from fresh Jersey ice cream compete with his delicious Italian gelato?

Sacha is worried. Is there enough custom for both businesses to thrive? Who is behind the strange changes being made on the boardwalk? And when the oldest resident on the boardwalk is threatened with eviction can Sacha and Alessandro come together and find a way of helping her?

For a peaceful little boardwalk overlooking one of the quieter beaches on the island, there's an awful lot going on and some of it is going to lead to big changes.

Wipe off your flip flops, it’s going to be a bumpy ride...

I really feel like having an ice-cream sundae, and I know just the place to go for one - the Summer Sundaes cafe, in Jersey in the area known at The Boardwalk by the Sea. On the other hand if you are in the mood for gelato, a new place is opening also on the boardwalk for that. 

The only catch is Sacha the owner of Summer Sundaes and Alessandro who is sorting out the gelateria, who met on Sacha's recent trip to Rome, isn't expecting the competition or the lies to have got them to this point. 

The book starts off in Rome, and I loved the whistle stop tours of the city as Sacha is guided by Alessandro for a couple of days before she and her aunt embark on a med cruise. During the trip in Rome, we see the iconic tourist attractions and also get dazzling descriptions of gorgeous gelato. Plus the fact that the guide is hunky, is always a bonus! 

I loved the setting of this book, in Jersey, and got a real feel for the island, especially when Sacha swaps tour guide roles with Alessandro.  We also get a great idea of the community when all the businesses band together for a great cause. 

I really enjoyed meeting the people that worked in Sacha's cafe, as well as her best friends which I suspect will be the focus for the next books in this series. 

Besides the stunning cover for Summer Sundaes, you have a really simple and pleasing to read book, that has a few surprises up its sleeve, and I really liked the writing style of Georgina Troy. I could really believe the characters and am already looking forward to the next book in the series. 

Thank you so much to Georgina Troy for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

About Georgina Troy

Georgina Troy is the pseudonym of author Deborah Carr. Her first book, A Jersey Kiss was a finalist in the Contemporary Romance Category of the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards 2016 (RoNAs) and finalist in the Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers 2015.

Her WW1 historical romance, Broken Faces, written in her own name, Deborah Carr, was runner-up in the Good Housekeeping Novel Writing Competition 2012. She lives on the island of Jersey with her husband, two children and three rescue dogs. Her books are published by Accent Press and Green Shutter Books. Georgina is a member of The Blonde Plotters.

Georgina’s new series, The Boardwalk by the Sea, includes four standalone novels about friends, Sacha, Bella, Lexi and Jools. Each book is set in a different season. The girls live on or near a small seaside village known locally as The Boardwalk by the Sea and all of them make an appearance in the books throughout the series but each book will focus on one of the friends.

Summer Sundaes (book 1)

Autumn Antics (book 2) - due Spring 2018

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeorginaTroyAuthor/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/GeorginaTroy

Goodreads Author Page:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7224225.Georgina_Troy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofbooksandbeaches/

Google+  https://plus.google.com/117042212386862550212

Website:  http://www.deborahcarr.org/

COMPETITION

A character in Autumn Antics (book 2) named after someone the winner nominates, i.e themself/family member.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review - Christmas on the Little Cornish Isles by Phillipa Ashley - Blog Tour

Amazon UK

Title: Christmas on the Little Cornish Isles

Author: Phillipa Ashley

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Avon 

Publication Date: 18th September 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

For Maisie Samson, this Christmas is going to be different. After years working in a busy Cornish pub, she’s moved back to quiet Gull Island where she grew up, to help her parents run the family inn.

But even though she can’t wait for the festive season to arrive, Maisie cannot shake the memories of what happened to her last Christmas – the day she lost everything. She keeps herself busy, setting up the tree and hanging mistletoe ready for her first proper family Christmas in years.

Until a new arrival to the island walks into her bar and changes everything. Australian backpacker Patrick is looking for a job for the low season. When Maisie takes him on, she doesn’t expect him to last the week, but to her surprise Patrick is the perfect fit. Charming and handsome, could Maisie allow herself to hope that she and Patrick could be more than just colleagues?

As Christmas approaches, Maisie finds herself dreading the spring, when Patrick is due to leave. With the help of a little Christmas magic, can Maisie get the happily ever after she always dreamed of?

With a beautiful and tranquil setting of Gull Island in the Scilly Isles, this is a story that drew me in. With its fabulous cast of characters, and set over the winter months, this is much more than a Christmas book. 

Yes Christmas plays a large part, but more as a setting, than to try to get the reader feeling festive, for what is important in this book are what the islanders are up to, what secrets are being hidden, over the course of the winter. This is a book that could easily be read at any time of year, although it was rather fitting that I was reading it on a rainy miserable day, as it fitted into some of the more atmospheric weather descriptions. 

For on a remote island like Gull Island it is rather unusual for an Australian backpacker to decide to spend the off season there, even more so by taking a job in the Driftwood Inn. It is clear quite early on there is something he is hiding, but even my wildest guesses were way off mark when the secrets are revealed. 

Patrick is a handsome Aussie and tries his hardest to fit in with life on Gull Island, and Maisie his boss tries to fight her growing attraction to him. Maisie runs the Inn and is just hoping Christmas this year is better than last year. She is also determined not to let the Inn and other properties on Gull be sold to Hugo. 

I just really enjoyed every element of this story, there is the fight to keep the island how it is, there are many great islanders which we meet through Maisie's role in the pub, there is Patrick's troubled past, a great feeling of community not just on Gull Island but also the other Scilly Isles,  and I loved seeing how the story between Patrick and Maisie developed. 

Plenty of drama and action, some laughs, and this is just the first book in the Little Cornish Isles series, I can't help but feel this will get even stronger and more brilliant as the series progresses. Or at least I can't wait to find out! 

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Please follow along with the rest of the blog tour for this fabulous book.

Book Review - The Mountain In My Shoe by Louise Beech - Rachel Reads Randomly Book #69

Amazon UK

Title: The Mountain In My Shoe

Author: Louise Beech

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Purchaed

Publisher: Orenda Books

Publication Date: 23rd July 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

A missing boy. A missing book. A missing husband. A woman who must find them all to find herself. On the night Bernadette finally has the courage to tell her domineering husband that she’s leaving, he doesn’t come home. Neither does Conor, the little boy she’s befriended for the past five years. Also missing is his lifebook, the only thing that holds the answers. With the help of Conor’s foster mum, Bernadette must face her own past, her husband’s secrets and a future she never dared imagine in order to find them all. Exquisitely written and deeply touching, The Mountain in My Shoe is both a gripping psychological thriller and a powerful and emotive examination of the meaning of family … and just how far we’re willing to go for the people we love

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book, which makes my enjoyment of it all the more surprising. I had been slightly apprehensive at first as I have met plenty of people that rave about this author, this publisher, this book, but yet perhaps because it didn't have the sort of cover I tend to go for, I was slightly unsure. 

Yet it didn't take long for me to realise I was reading something special. The writing is beautiful and at times the story was really emotional. At other times, the story , well OK I did predict some of the key elements, but yet there was so much story still after what I had guessed was revealed that it kept me guessing until the end. 

This is the story of Bernadette and Connor.  Bernadette is intending to leave her controlling husband, but yet the night she intends to tell him is isn't home at his routine time. Bernadette also can't find the lifebook belonging to Connor, on that same day. Then Anne, Connor's foster mum rings and suddenly there are far more important things in the world to Bernadette than leaving Richard. 

What fascinated me and drew me in initially were the entries from Connor's lifebook. It really tugged on my heartstrings, while giving a fantastic insight into Connor's early years. As well as being a useful book for Connor to have, it also gives readers vital background information as to why Connor is the way he is. 

We discover as the story progresses just what Bernadette's marriage was like, and how seeing Connor every other Saturday were the high points in her life.  There are some rather unusual friendships in this book, but they all work, and the characters all felt so real to me. 

There was always something happening to move the story forwards, and I loved the pacing of the whole novel. It went from me getting to grips with the book in 20 page stints throughout the day, to me reading the last 100 plus pages in one sitting not really caring about what else I was meant to be doing. 

The Mountain in My Shoe is beautifully written, and is completely compulsive reading. 

Thank you to everyone that voted for this book this week. It was a very close contest, but I can see why I hear nothing but good things about it - because its deserved.  So can you top it this week, I would love to know what I'll be reviewing this time next week. 

Rachel Reads Randomly - Vote #70

 

Thank you everyone for your input last time. The results of the last vote were:

3 Votes - Dan Taylor is Giving Up on Women by Neal Doran

4 Votes - What's New Pussycat? by Alexandra Potter

5 Votes - The Season For Second Chances by Ruth Saberton

9 Votes -  The Hygge Holiday by Rosie Blake

10 Votes - The Mountain in my Shoe by Louise Beech

That was an incredibly close contest last week, and I wasn't sure who had won until I counted up the votes. I will admit to being a bit naughty, and pre-emptively starting Rosie Blake, possibly with wishful thinking, only to realise there was a vote difference. Rosie's book is great and review is coming in October. I may have also had space for a novella last week so expect to see a review of Ruth Saberton's book coming very soon too! 

I did of course then read The Mountain in My Shoe and wow did you all know what you were talking about, what a superb book, please do take a look at my review. 

This week I'm randomising from my review books, so often I take on perhaps a few too many and thus they end up waiting for my attention while I try to read by publication date, or by Christmas, so lets see what comes up this time. That and I have a very busy week coming up so killing 2 birds with one stone could just help to keep me sane! Just to assure any authors whose books these may be, I will read them all when I have the time, I promise! 

Below is my initial theory for this feature, and then a bit further, what you are all waiting for... This weeks's vote! Enjoy!

I am also awful at deciding what book to read next, as I often have about 10 titles or authors jumping into my brain at any time, shouting at me to read them, and I tend to worry I have made the wrong decision while reading a perfectly good book. I am hoping this will save me having to make at least 1 choice a week, while possibly providing a review to the site of a book you all either love or are curious about yourselves. 

So what I am proposing, is my lovely loyal readers of Rachel's Random Reads, select one book for me to read a week, and I will post the review the following week. 

This week's random numbers are...

And the books these numbers correspond to are...

So the 5 choices with my gut feeling responses are:

I have needed to use my veto power this week for one good reason - I'm currently reading The Christmas Holiday by Maxine Morrey, so it can't really go into this vote!  It is very enjoyable so far though! 

4 - Out of Practice by Phoebe Fox - Ooops I meant to read this ages ago, its the last book of a series I was enjoying, but its been sitting waiting patiently since the end of last year

21 - Summer at Willow Farm by Heidi Rice - Might be nice to read something summery with the way the weather currently is, and I do tend to like the author too! 

23 - After I've Gone by Linda Green -  I love Linda Green's women's fiction books, but still not read any of her psychological thrillers, hence requesting this from Netgalley. Really want to see what she is like at the dark side! 

37 - Moonlight Over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan -  The proof copy I have says #QueenofChristmas I don't think I need to say more

40 - The Little Village Christmas by Sue Moorcroft - As a fan of Sue Moorcroft I'm excited to know that there is a return to Middledip in this, a setting used in many of her previous novels! 

Wow I have some great looking books sitting on my review shelves, and this is just a small selection of them. One of these was actually going to be my next read, so clearly I need to leave a possible scheduling gap for a few days until I know whats happening!  Other than that all I can say is I am really really curious to see how this pans out! 

And authors, if its your book up on this feature, feel free to take part, vote for yourself, or stir up excitement amongst your fans! 

Pick your favourite or the one you most want me to review, or just the one you are curious about, and leave me a comment below, before midnight on Wednesday. 

I look forward to seeing what I will be reading over the weekend, courtesy of you all. 

The explanation if you haven't seen the feature before. 

How is this going to work?

Every Monday, I am going to have a post like this, which is going to have some choices on it. I am planning on using random.org to select 7 random numbers, to coincide with my spreadsheet of unread books.  

I will from that produce a list of hopefully 5 books, I reserve the right to veto any books, and will give reasons for them, if it occurs.

I will take screenshots and post them, of the chosen books, and also give you my instinctive reactions to the choices (without checking blurbs or any other info about them, which could be interesting as there are probably many forgotten about books on my spreadsheet!). 

Your task is to post a comment on this post, with the book you would like me to read this week. At midnight on Wednesday I will take a tally of the votes and the book with the most, I will read and review for the following Monday, where you will also get a new choice post. 

In the event of a tie, I will chose which one appeals most, for the Monday review, and possibly try and read and review the other to appear when I can. 

I am hoping this will provide some variety to the books appearing, and will let me potentially read or discover some great authors that I have wanted to read but not got around to yet.

Book Review - The Little Bed and Breakfast by the Sea by Jennifer Joyce

Amazon UK

Title: The Little Bed and Breakfast by the Sea

Author: Jennifer Joyce

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication Date: 28th June 2017

Rating: 4.5 Stars

One summer can change everything…

Mae has no time for men in her life! Local vet Alfie might be totally gorgeous but she’s far too busy looking after her young daughter and running her little bed & breakfast by the sea.

Willow is in the middle of building her dream home with her husband, Ethan, when disaster strikes. And with every month that passes she secretly worries that her happy ever after will never come true…

Melody only intended to stay in the bustling seaside town for a few days. But when she meets Hugo – the charming man in the ice cream van – she decides to stay a little longer.

It seems the little bed & breakfast is full of surprises!

I loved The Little Bed and Breakfast by the Sea, both the book and the building. For it really is a tiny B&B as it only has 2 rooms available for customers, with Mae and her 4 year old daughter Hannah living in the rest of the house. 

The B&B is set in a gorgeous little Northern coastal town Clifton-on-Sea, which we get to see through the eyes of Melody who is taking photos of towns such as these. It takes a while to fully understand why it is she is a photographer who is a bit unsure of herself and doesn't like showing people her pictures. 

Willow lives in the town and comes to stay in the B&B when renovations of her dream home hit a huge snag. I absolutely loved Willow's job as an upcycler and the amount of imagination shown in some of her projects was brilliant. 

There were a few characters that I loved even more than the rest, and believe it or not it wasn't those three ladies although they are the main characters and all really likeable.  I loved Hannah and her insistence that the random cat keeps showing up at their house is not only theirs but that its favourite food is Frosties. Hannah is 4 years old, and utterly adorable with it. 

My other favourite has to be the local ice-cream van man, Hugo and his dog called Scoop! Hugo is a bit of a cheeky chappy, has a bit of an ego and always seems up for a laugh. He befriends Melody and I giggled at most scenes involving him. 

The book is split so that each chapter has a different character to focus on, be it Mae, Willow or Melody. The writing was easy to follow and pleasurable to read, as was the whole story.  I enjoyed finding out about the characters pasts, and seeing how their thoughts changed over the time they were all together in the bed and breakfast. 

This is yet another great story from Jennifer Joyce, and author who never fails to write entertaining books. 

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Fab Firsts - Q&A with Jo Lambert

Fab Firsts is my regular Sunday feature, that is going to be highlighting books that are firsts. When interviewing authors, it will be about their first book, as well as other firsts in their lives. When reviewing books for this feature, there will be a mix of debuts, first books in a series, the first time I read an author, and possibly other firsts depending on what I can think of!

If you are an author wanting to take part in Fab Firsts then please do email on gilbster at gmail dot com and I'll whizz the questions over to you.

I hope you enjoy this look at a variety of hopefully fabulous firsts, while making some sort of dent in my review and paperback TBRs which are my current main focus!

Hi, I’m Jo Lambert and I’m a full time writer of romantic fiction.  I live on the eastern side of Bath in Somerset.  

1) Can you tell us a bit about your first book?

When Tomorrow Comes was the first in a series of three books.  It was set in the West Somerset village of Meridan Cross and followed the lives and loves of four girls – Ella, Jenny, Issy and Rachel – growing up in the 1960s.  It was all about the fashion and the music but it also dealt with love, loss and family issues.  I created a particularly awful character in Ella’s mother Melissa.  She was vain, arrogant and totally immoral and that type of antagonist became a standard for my future books – a love to hate character that caused total upheaval in other peoples’ lives, keeping readers wanting to know what happened next. When Ella fell in love with Matt - totally unsuitable boyfriend material as far as her mother was concerned - she did everything in her power to part them. Mel was a social climber and had her own ideas about who her daughter should be dating and it certainly wasn’t Matt. Her meddling had far reaching outcomes …and not only for Ella and Matt.

2) What was your original inspiration to become a writer, and to write your debut?

Since a child I’d not only read a lot, I loved making up my own stories and reading them to friends.  As I got older the thought of writing a full length novel kept niggling at me but it seemed an impossible task.  To write a short story was one thing, but a full length novel?  The trouble was the thought of doing it simply wouldn’t go away.  So I enrolled for Creative Writing classes and amazingly the inspiration for the first book came soon after. 

3) How long did it take you to write your first book?

About two years. I was working full time and we had quite a hectic social life so I had to fit my writing in between everything else going on.

4) If you could do anything differently in retrospect, what would you change about your debut, or how you went about writing it?

It’s very easy with hindsight to see how you would do things differently. At the time once the writing was over it was all about getting the book out there.  I knew very few writers and there was little in the way of guidance other than submitting to traditional publishing houses and agents. I think if I was doing it all over again, I would probably apply to join the RNA’s New Writer’s Scheme – which I knew nothing about at the time. Many writers I know owe their success to this scheme.


5) Was your first book self or traditionally published, and how did you go about making that decision?

Back in 2008 I began submitting When Tomorrow Comes to agents and publishers.  Although I received several positive comments they, like all the others replies, were accompanied by rejection slips.  Realising I could be caught in this cycle of submission/rejection for a while I eventually opted for the self-publishing route.  

6) Do you have any tips for other first time authors?

• Read as much as possible
• Try to write something every day
• Keep positive 
• Social media is essential – Join Facebook and Twitter. Create a blog and/or a website to publicise your work. 
  
Tell us about your first…

7) Book you bought – probably something featuring Noddy and Big Ears! LOL! As for a proper reading book it has to be one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five Series.

8) Memory – I can actually remember being in the pram and someone bending in to look at me!

9) Embarrassing moment you can remember – About fifteen years ago we were visiting friends at their caravan on the coast.  Walking along the beach an incoming wave knocked me over and soaked my clothe.  I ended up wearing my friend’s shell suit – and then had to go to the pub in it.  I never want to experience something like that again – horrific!  It was white, with turquoise and pink chevrons on the jacket - ugh! She used to slip it on to take the dogs out to the loo first thing in the morning.  What made it even more amusing was that when she first bought it I told her I would never wear a shell suit under any circumstances, even creeping out at dawn with the dogs – but it was either that or sit in the pub in wet clothes. Not much choice really!

10) Pet – a cat called Smoky

11) Time you were in trouble – At junior school the girl sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder.  I turned around and the teacher automatically thought we were talking.  We both ended up standing in the corner for the rest of the lesson!

12) ..choice of alternative career if you weren’t an author.  I can’t think of ever wanting to do anything else.  However, from my previous working life, I had a flair for organising so I would probably enjoy being an events or wedding planner.

13) …time you had any independence – I left home at 18 and for the first time I was responsible for everything that happened in my life.  It was a totally empowering moment and the best decision I ever made.

14) Dish you cooked – Eve’s pudding in school cookery classes

15) … time you were really scared – As a small child African wildlife programmes used to really scare me.  At night I had to check under the bed for rhinoceroses or lions before getting in, convinced they could be hiding there.

16) ..time you bought or received flowers – from a boyfriend for my 16th birthday.

Thank you so much for answering my questions Jo, its been a pleasure hearing from you.

About Jo Lambert

Born and raised in rural Wiltshire, Jo Lambert grew up with a love of books and a vivid imagination. As a child she enjoyed creating her own adventure stories and reading them to her friends. Writing always stayed with her, but it wasn’t until 2009 she finally achieved her ambition. Her first novel - When Tomorrow Comes – was published. Three other connected books followed - Love Lies and Promises, The Ghost of You and Me and Between Today and Yesterday followed. Collectively they  became known as the Little Court Series. 

In 2013 she decided to give up full time work to concentrate fully on her writing. Since then she has added a final book - The Other Side of Morning - to her Little Court Series. This was followed by two linked novels set in South Devon - Summer Moved On and Watercolours in the Rain - published in 2015 and 2016. Her new work in progress, set in North Cornwall, will be published at the end of 2017. 

Someone once described her writing as drama driven romance and she feels that ‘s a great description of the kind of stories she writes…

Jo is married and lives in a village on the eastern edge of Bath with her husband, one small grey feline called Mollie and a green MGB GT.  She loves travel, red wine, rock music and has a passion for dark chocolate…

Website: http://jolambertbooks.com

Blog:  http://jolambertwriter.wordpress.com

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/TheWriterwhoReads

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/jolambertauthor/

Twitter: @jolambertwriter

When Tomorrow Comes – buy link: http://amzn.eu/dB7Ac1l