Back Catalogue Books - Q&A with Ruth Saberton

Back Catalogue Books is my new regular Saturday feature, focusing on books that are not the latest releases. There is going to be a mix of Q&As and also reviews, depending on what I have the space for. 

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

I hope everyone enjoys this weekly look back at some of the slightly older books that are about but still great, and that I eventually make a dent in my TBRs as a result of it!

Today I'm talking to the wonderful Ruth Saberton, author of amongst others the Polwenna Bay series that I absolutely love.

1) Please tell me about your first book, and what started you writing in the first place

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember! As a child I filled endless notebooks with stories about ponies and forced my poor family to read them. I wrote all the way through university and always told myself that one day I would do this full time but of course mortgages and my teaching job took up a lot of time and although I carried on writing it felt like a distant dream.  A few years ago I decided that rather than just fantasising about being an author I was going to really go for it.  I wrote my first novel in about five months and writing it was the easy bit.  There then followed endless rejections from agents and publishers and it was soul destroying.  I didn’t give up though and writing about what I knew proved to be the key and I started Katy Carter Wants a Hero, the very fictional tale (!) of a teacher who dreams of being a best selling novelist.  This is the novel that was championed by Richard and Judy, hit the national press over the Easter weekend in 2011 and the rest is history!

2) How many books have you written and what are they?

I’ve written over twenty books now. (if you have a look at my website www.ruthsaberton.com they are all listed. You might just want to pop a link on rather than a long list!) Eight are written under a variety of pen names from Jessica Fox to Georgie Carter as I was writing for different publishers and had a non compete clause as well as being a ghost writer for Working Partners. I’m currently working on the next book in my Cornish set Polwenna Bay series, RECIPE FOR LOVE, and a fun novella.

3) Which book are you most proud of writing?

I don’t think I could pick a book I am most proud of. That’s like asking a parent to chose their favourite child. Obviously I’m hugely fond of KATY CARTER WANTS A HERO as it was my first published novel and the one that started my writing journey but I know I have moved on as a writer now – seven years on! I’m hugely proud of my latest novel THE ISLAND LEGACY http://amzn.to/2ingikq It’s sweeping romance set on a Cornish island and embraces the beauty of the county, mystery, a dark brooding hero and a spirited heroine. I’m hoping it will be a summer must read in 2017!
4) Which book was your favourite to write?

It’s always the book I’m writing at the time! That is the book that takes all my focus and passion.

5) Who are your favourite characters from your books and why?

I love Katy Carter, the hapless wannabe writer teacher heroine from KATY CARTER WANTS A HERO and KATY CARTER KEEPS A SECRET. She gets into all kinds of scrapes and none of them are based on me, of course not! I also have a soft spot for Ashley Carstairs the wealthy property developer with a devastating secret in the Polwenna Bay series and in my heart I’d love to be Amber from CHANCES, my pony novel, with her spirited Arab horse.

6) If you could go back and change anything from any of your books, what would it be, and why?

If I could go back in time and change anything from my books I think it would be to have started Indie publishing much sooner. Having creative freedom and building a publishing business has been so exciting and rewarding and I would have loved to have been there from the very early days. I also wish I’d written a best seller about boy wizards!

7) Which of your covers if your favourite and why?

My favourite cover is the original cover for my novel DEAD ROMANTIC. This is my paranormal romance about a non nonsense scientist who begins to have a some very strange experiences. The novel begins in the past when the heroine has a chance encounter with a handsome stranger on a snowy railway platform one Christmas Eve and my cover artist’s design transported me straight there. This is the book that I HAD to write because the characters were shouting at me to get their story down!

8) Have you ever thought about changing genres, if so what else would you like to write?

I’d love to write a sexy bonk buster! I have one half written on my lap top but I’m scared it will shock my readers! It has horses, motorbikes, sex, ambition, villains and a to die for bad boy hero and it’s great fun. One day, maybe. I also have an unfinished historical novel calling me…

9) Looking forward can you let us know what you are working on next?

I’m busy writing my next Polwenna Bay novel, RECIPE FOR LOVE, having just finished 2017’s Christmas book SEASON OF SECOND CHANCES. It’s felt like a very long Christmas!

10) I dare not ask for a favourite author, but is there any author’s back catalogue you admire and why?

I love Jilly Cooper! I have all her books from the early romances right through to MOUNT. I love the way that the RUTSHIRE CHRONICLES follow the characters from the early days of the 1970s right though to modern time. They feel like family and friends to me and I cried my eyes out when (spoiler alert) Billy Lloyd Fox dies. I’m also in awe of the back catalogues of American Indie writers like Bella Andre and Marie Force. They have written huge numbers of books and series of novels and readers are able to spend many happy hours with them. I’m doing my best to write as fast!

11) Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your back catalogue of books?

I’m incredibly proud of my big back catalogue of novels, especially when I remember that until 2016 I was teaching full time and writing in the evenings and at weekends. I truly love what I do and I look at each book with huge pride and fondness. ESCAPE FOR THE SUMMER was my first big Indie success and it really changed my life and enabled me to write full time so I’ll always be grateful to that one. CHANCES is my pony novel and has been #1 in the YA Kindle chart for weeks, and THE ISLAND LEGACY is the first in my new collection of sweeping romantic reads in the tradition of Daphne Du Maurier and Rosamunde Pilcher. I’d love my readers to have a wander through my previous books.There are lots of new adventures ahead!

Thank you Ruth for coming to talk about your back catalogue, I really should read your Katy Carter series, and also love the Rutshire Chronicles by Jilly Cooper.

Ruth Social Media Links

 

Website - www.ruthsaberton.com

Twitter  -https://twitter.com/RuthSaberton

Facebook - Author - https://www.facebook.com/ruthsabertonauthor/app/2415071772/?ref=page_internal 

Facebook General  - https://www.facebook.com/ruth.saberton

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ruthsabertonauthor/

Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/ruthsaberton/

Amazon  - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruth-Saberton/e/B003VO6PT2

Book Review - Chances by Ruth Saberton

Amazon UK

Title: Chances

Author: Ruth Saberton

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied review copy

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 18th December 2016

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Sometimes in life you have to take chances…

City girl Amber Evans is determined to get herself thrown out of her latest foster home in the countryside. Growing up on a tough estate has taught her not to trust anyone or anything and horse mad Amber knows her passion for riding can never be more than a dream.

But rural life is far from quiet especially when you’re living next door to Britain’s hottest international three day event star, Drake Owen. When Amber finds herself catapulted into a world full of glamour and rivalry she’s determined to prove she belongs there too.

No matter how dangerous it may be or who is out to stop her…

As a woman in her early thirties, I never know what to expect on the rare occasions I decide to read a Young Adult book. Often I find myself thinking I'm the wrong age, or just not the correct target audience, and then once in a while I find a book aimed at the young adult market, that really works for all ages, at least in this case Chances did that for me. 

Amber is incredibly reluctantly moved from her home, into foster care, as her mum can no longer look after her, at 15 years old, she feels she could have lived by herself, with help from social services, and isn't too happy about being dragged from Bristol, to the new foster family in Cornwall. However Amber is horse mad, and generally loves animals, and the family live in on farm, and so there are small things Amber does kind of like about the place immediately, although it would pain her to admit it. 


She is determined to get chucked out and go home, but Harry, who is Kate's (foster mum), 18 year old son, tries his best to reach out to her, and there are small negotiations of truces.  It is when she meets Drake Owen, the three day eventer, in the neighbouring property that things slowly begin to change, however not entirely for the better, as on the same day she makes a rather dangerous enemy too. 

As the story developed I loved seeing how Amber's character developed, and I think it does highlight some of the thoughts children in foster care, most probably do have, and how others would react in similar situations. All of her bad behaviour is understandable, and a lot of the time she does have very good reasons for acting out. 

I'm gutted that the book has finished so soon, and can only hope that this will be the start of a series, as I am already missing reading about Amber, her foster home and Chances, a wonderful Arab horse. There is a strength and maturity to the writing, and to the characters, especially Amber, but also her foster family, as to what they have dealt with in the past, that makes me feel this book really does work for everyone.

Arguably this could be looked at, as just another horse/pony book, but to me it is so much more than that, although I must say all the horsey-eventing side of things are very enjoyable and there is a fair amount of it. However it's Amber's relationship with Chances that was simply superb, and their stories in places mirror each other. 

I loved reading Chances, and found it incredibly hard to put down, the story flowed really well, and I think young and not so young readers will really enjoy and in parts relate to the story. I loved Chances and the book shows just how much Ruth Saberton clearly loves her horses and knows about them. 

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

Book Review - Treasure of the Heart by Ruth Saberton

Amazon UK

Title: Treasure of the Heart (Polwenna Bay Book 4)

Author: Ruth Saberton

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied review copy

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 24th March 2016

Rating: 4.5 Stars

The heart is a deep ocean of treasure… 

For twenty-two years Issie Tremaine’s wild behaviour has driven her family to distraction. Now, with the future she’d dreamed of in tatters, she’s returned home to try and forget the past. When a huge winter storm and the arrival of a handsome stranger cause upheaval in the village there is an even greater tempest in Issie’s heart. Dare she trust again? Or will she only face more betrayal? 

As a professional treasure hunter, American Luke Dawson can’t risk any distractions. With his reputation hanging in the balance he’s staking everything on a major find in England and daren’t let anyone get in his way. Not even the passionate and free spirited girl he can’t stop thinking about. 

Alice Tremaine’s world has been her family. Since the death of her daughter-in-law she’s single handedly raised her grandchildren, often at the expense of her own happiness. Now they are grown up, Alice is resigned to a quiet life in Polwenna Bay until her past returns to challenge her and awaken a love she’d thought long lost … 

With a stormy start to the New Year, secrets and fears are swept away with the crashing tides and long forgotten truths are laid bare. What treasure lies beneath the ocean and in the hidden depths of hearts? And who will be brave enough to claim it? 

I can't believe its been under a year since I was first introduced to Polwenna Bay, and now this is book 4, and the series shows no signs of slowing down, in fact I'd argue it keeps improving, with each book having a completely different theme to it, as well as a different member of the Tremaine family to focus on. 

Each book in the series is definitely readable as a standalone, and this is no exception, although since the series is so great, I would be surprised if you didn't want to start at the beginning. 

This time around the focus is on Issie Tremaine, who is at the heart of the trip to Polwenna Bay, and during the night of a big storm, she is convinced she has found a shipwreck,which would prove a legend about missing treasure is true. She announces her find and the press, tourists and amateur treasure hunters all come to the town, to try and see if its true. 

At the same time handsome American Luke Dawson arrives in town, claiming to be researching a history paper, and attracts Issie's attention. Of course the reader has already been introduced to Luke, and know both sides of the story. 

We also get to see more of Alice Tremaine in this book, and in particular her lost love from her childhood, and although she is getting a bit older, she is wondering if it is too late for love. Her natural shrewdness does mean that she is wary of Luke, and also of a new incomer to Polwenna Bay who is running the beachside cafe. 

I'm not sure how she does it, but every time I read a Polwenna Bay book, while on public transport, Ruth Saberton has the ability to make me completely forget where I am, where I am going, and almost miss my stop, as I am so absorbed in the story. This absorption point in Treasure of the Heart arrived quite early on in the book, with an event that got my heart pumping, and had me worried for various characters. 

Treasures of the Heart is  a story of treasure hunting, Cornish folklore and legends, romance, new beginnings and also a continuation of all the characters stories from the previous Polwenna Bay books. It is a wonderful new addition to the series, and as always I can't wait for the next one. 

Thank you to Ruth Saberton for supplying a review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - The Wedding Countdown by Ruth Saberton - Rachel Reads Randomly Book #10

Amazon UK

Title: The Wedding Countdown

Author: Ruth Saberton

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 7th January 2014

Rating: 5 Stars

Parents may think they know best, but sometimes daughters know better… 

Mills Ali has her dream job writing for a magazine and a social life busier than the London rush hour. Everything's good except for the husband sized shadow looming on the horizon. With a year’s countdown to her arranged marriage, Mills is on a mission to choose her own husband. Just how hard can it be? She's bound to find her soul mate. 
But is he closer than she thinks? Or do her parents know best after all? 

What a wonderful story, I love reading books that are just a little bit different to what I normally devour, and this is certainly that. Ruth Saberton has written a fabulous book about a different culture, and from my real life knowledge I believe it comes across pretty well. 

It is very refreshing to read a book that deals with arranged marriages, and the woman's perspective on the topic, especially a modern young girl, who although completely respects her religions traditions, and has never had much to do with men at all for that reason, insists on an extra year before getting on a plane, for her arranged marriage. 

And that is what Mills Ali does, she has an internship in London, and has persuaded her parents to allow her a year to perhaps find a man she could love on her own, instead of having to marry a man of her parent choice. 

Mills is fairly naive when it comes to the ways of the world, and some of the time all I wanted to do was just reach out and give her a great big hug. 

I found The Wedding Countdown was written very well, in a way that you could follow everything. There are some great written dialects that I could hear in my head clearly as I read them ,and the friends Mills makes on the magazine are a great bunch of people. 

I'm being deliberately vague, as I would rather you read this book yourself to discover the details, rather than me giving you all the information, as its a story that I think will make you think. There is plenty of Ruth's normal humour in the book, and I absolutely loved the ending. 

Thank you to the four people that voted for me to read The Wedding Countdown this week. You all made a fantastic choice, and I am so glad I finally had the motivation to read this book. I have a selection of my paperback collection up for your votes this week, please do take part again, I love seeing everyone's opinions. 

Book Review - A Time For Living by Ruth Saberton - Cornish Week

Amazon UK

Title:  A Time For Living: Polwenna Bay 2

Author: Ruth Saberton

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: ARC supplied by Ruth Saberton

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 17th August 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Is there ever a right time for love? 

Feisty horsewoman, Morwenna Tremaine, has always known what she wants from life and success as a three day event rider is all she’s ever dreamed of. Mo has neither the time nor the inclination for love. Even if she did it wouldn’t be with a man who stands for everything she despises… 

Beneath a tough and determined exterior, businessman Ashley Carstairs harbours a dark secret that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear. Although aware that he is heading for trouble, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the one woman he knows he should stay away from – for both their sakes. 

As the autumn nights draw in and the trickling sands of time gather speed, emotions run higher than the tides and Mo finds herself unable to step away. What is Ashley hiding? Is there more to him that meets the eye? And will his secret destroy everything she now holds dear? 

I hadn't really given the title of this book much thought, referring to it continually in my mind as Polwenna Bay 2. It wasn't until I have just started this review that I can see just how apt and fitting this title is, to this particular book. 

I am not sure that I have the words to do justice to A Time For Living, it is a wonderful story, filled with heavily charged emotion, and a glorious romance. I have spent the majority of the second half of the book on the verge of tears, in a mix of sadness and complete happiness. There was even a very tender moment about a quarter of the way through the book, that touched me, and was almost my undoing. 

Ashley Carstairs is hiding a deep secret from Morwenna, one that he alternates between thinking he should reveal, and wanting to keep it hidden. As a reader we are let into the secret quite early on, and all I will say is its a health issue, so be prepared to have the tissues handy. 

There are times I just wanted to shake Ashley, and the rest of it, I was falling in love with him myself. Morwenna is a fiesty lady, who normally prefers the company of horses to men. But yet she can't get Ashley out of her head, and as it was said by Ashley, in the first book - "There is a fine line between love and hate", and it is so true. 

It was brilliant to return to Polwenna Bay, there is something about the place and the families that live there, that is so real, so community minded and very picturesque. As this features a different main characters to Runaway Summer I believe it can be read as a stand alone should you chose to. There are of course recurring characters between the books, which I always love to see. 

This book doesn't just focus on the story between Mo and Ashley, but also on the survival of the church in the village, and lets just say the fund raising efforts are some of the funniest bits in the book.. much to Jules the vicar's dismay!

Towards the end you start getting hints as to who book three may focus on, and I did guess before it was properly hinted at in the epilogue, and all I can say is I can't wait. I am so excited to know this is not the last we will be seeing of Polwenna Bay, 

My only small problem with A Time For Living is that it had to end. It was such an enjoyable emotional roller coaster ride of a book, that I didn't want to put it down. Very pleasurable reading experience, and anything that makes you have a reaction is always a great thing for me. 

Thank you so much to Ruth Saberton for this review copy, in time for Cornish Week!. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - Runaway Summer: Polwenna Bay 1 by Ruth Saberton

Happy Publication day to Ruth Saberton for this fantastic new release. 

Amazon UK

Title: Runaway Summer: Polwenna Bay 1

Author: Ruth Saberton

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Review copy from Ruth

Publisher: Notting Hill Press

Publication Date: 1st May 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Lose your heart to Cornwall’s Polwenna Bay. Watch fishing boats dance in the harbour, hear the waves breaking on the beach and explore the pretty village where new friends wait and there’s love to be found, warmer than the summer sunshine... 

Running Away… 

Since leaving Polwenna Bay for the bright lights of London, actress Summer Penhalligan has tried her hardest to never look back; Jake, her childhood sweetheart, let her down terribly and the beautiful Cornish village holds nothing but painful memories. It’s only when a volatile relationship threatens to destroy all she holds dear that Summer finds herself returning to the place she knows so well. 

Jake Tremaine has travelled the world but reluctantly finds himself drawn back to Polwenna Bay to run the family marina and take care of his unruly siblings. While Jake knows his attention should be on the rescuing the business, determined Ella, daughter of a wealthy hotelier, is set on working her way into his affections and beneath his sheets. The last thing Ella will tolerate is the reappearance of a rival… 

As the holiday season approaches and seaside life gathers pace, Jake suspects that Summer is keeping a huge secret from him. But Summer is not the only person in the village with something to hide. Is she just an echo of Jake’s past or are there far more important matters at stake?

Actress Summer Penhalligan is running away from London, and her relationship with fiancee Justin. She leaves in a rush without a phone or purse, gets into her car and heads to Cornwall, to Polwenna Bay. This is the first time that Summer has returned to her childhood home village in many years, having tried to forget about her childhood sweetheart Jake. 

Jake Tremaine, comes from a huge family which he takes a lot of responsibility for. He is trying to rescue the family businesses and could do without the return of Summer. He is somewhat distracted by Ella. who is determined that Jake should be hers. Ella is not overly impressed to hear that Summer is back, and that Jake is no longer angry with Summer. 

I found Runaway Summer started really slow, with chapters filled mainly with background information and description, however it turns out that due to the amount of characters and stories that are touched upon in this book, it was all really relevant information. 

I loved the descriptions of Polwenna Bay, it sounds very picturesque, the sort of place that would be lovely to go on holiday, and seems like a wonderful place to set a series of novels. 

The characters are all really well written, and you end up with large amounts of sympathy for Summer, and the hidden depths and secrets that all the characters have is simply astounding. Once this book gets going properly, it becomes for the second half of it, completely unputdownable. I ended up going to bed at 2am, on a work night, purely because I needed to know what happened. 

This book contains so much action, emotion and romance. It is a very enjoyable story, which I am delighted to have discovered. 

The epilogue hints at what the story and character focus for the next book in the series may be about, and if I'm right, then I can't wait to see what Ruth Saberton has in store for us next in this new Polwenna Bay series. 

Runaway Summer is out today, and I would like to thank Ruth Saberton for giving me an advance review copy. All views expressed in this post are my own.