RNA Summer Party - Joan Hessayon AWard and The Romantic Novel of the Year

As always the RNA Summer Party was a dazzling affair.....

Jenny Colgan, Rowan Coleman, Victoria Lamb and Charlotte Betts 

The Joan Hessayon Contenders

And the winner of the Joan Hessayon Award  is Liesel Swartz

Lindsay Davis

And the winner of the Romantic Novel of the Year goes to Jenny Colgan

Evonne Warham

May Self-Published Releases

Kitty Charles THE ARCADE: EPISODE FIVE, MAY,
THE ITALIAN CAFE
Blue Eyed Llama
ebook
24th April 2013
£0.77

Everyone has secrets, right?

On the surface, Rosa Rossi and Luca Guerra seem like a typical Italian couple, who make-up as passionately as they argue. But each has something to hide, a secret so explosive that it would mean the end of their relationship if the other found out. And someone in the arcade can’t keep their mouth shut...

May sees dreams, desire and deceit rock the foundations of Angell’s Arcade.

Like your favourite soap, The Arcade brings you characters you love to hate – and to love. Each bite-sized episode is perfect for your journey to work, your lunch-break – or a quiet night of escapism. And it’ll leave you wanting more – with a teaser of next month’s storyline!
www.blueeyedllama.co.uk




Jo Beverley   THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES.....
e-book
1st May 2013
£1.33

Winner of the Sapphire Award for Best Romantic Science Fiction, short form.

The people of Gaia think themselves blessed to be living on the most perfect
colony world ever discovered, even if there is a strange energy force that
occasionally destroys people. Now, the entire population is threatened and all
the obvious heroes are dead. Which leaves an unlikely hero and the woman he
loves to save the world, but at what cost?

"...a moving exploration of the consequences of war and power on those who
fight as well as those left behind." Romantic Times
"...an imaginative and moving allegory about war: those we've fought in the
past and those we may fight in the future and on far-off worlds." Bookloons.com

http://www.jobev.com/ttwhexc.html

Janice Horton  HOW TO PARTY ONLINE
Kindle Ebook
May 1st, 2013

Online parties are a fabulous and fun way to launch your book or introduce your product and to engage with your target audience. Social media applications are perfect forums for parties - the venue capacity is infinite, the guest list is global, and the fun and games can lead to bestselling success. So here it is - by popular demand - my step by step guide to online partying!

janicehortonwriter.blogspot.co.uk

Interview with Anne Stenhouse

Today we welcome Anne Stenhouse to the RNA Blog. Anne has been a shop assistant, factory worker, civil servant and addictions’ worker. She lives in Scotland, enjoys dancing and has tried Highland, Scottish, English, Ceildh and ballroom with varying levels of success. She joined NWS in 2007 in order to discover why her earlier novels were unsalable. Do tell us what made you want to write and how you got your first break?

Having left work on maternity leave, I decided my daughter was too delightful to give up to someone else to look after and so needed to replace the intellectual stimulation (small babies mostly sleep a lot). My first break was from DC Thomson who published a short story. What would you say are the major influences on your work? In subject matter, I return to women’s lack of equality at various times and like a good spat between two strong central characters. I enjoy Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, Susan Ferrier and our own Louise Allen.

Some writers need silence, others prefer the bustle of a coffee shop. What is your favourite mode of working?

My absolute favourite is in my room with my lap-top at the right level and the lights in the right places. I can write anywhere when necessary – effect of rehearsal changes probably.

Do you plan the story out in detail before you start or let it emerge as your write? 

There’s usually an opening scene in my head which will be strongly connected to a place, a vague idea of where that might go and the end I’d like to happen, although all of that sometimes changes. The story generally emerges as I hear the characters talking.

Have you ever suffered from writers’ block, and how do you deal with it?

I think not the real, crippling I can’t think of a word ever again, type of writers’ block. That must be a devastation when it happens. When I cannot find the next scene, I wait because I’ve learned that’s when my brain hasn’t sorted out stuff subliminally and it will come. When I cannot think of something to write about, I might pick up a pen and paper and start writing whatever comes – a sort of pump priming exercise.

Were you in the NWS before getting published, and did you find it helpful? 

YES and YES. It has been my biggest help in moving from drama to prose with dialogue. I had five reviews – more than some people and fewer than others. They were each a mine of assistance and clarity. May I offer a big thank you to my readers. MARIAH'S MARRIAGE was one of the bumper crop of 2011 going onto publication, and is on the list of Joan Hessayon Award contenders for 2013.

What was your favourite book as a child?

I read so much from the family bookcases. I know I didn’t like Fairy Tales all that much because even as a youngster, I sensed the underlying cruelty in many of them. The Snow Queen terrified me. By S1 it crystallises into things like Anne of Green Gables (red-haired chatty child) and The Wind in the Willows (such a wonderful flight of imagination with superb drawings as well). I also always read a lot of non-fiction, even from the P7 library boxes.

Which authors do you choose to read for pleasure now? 

Jane Gardam, Georgette Heyer, Louise Allen, Michelle Styles, Malcolm Cant (non fiction about Edinburgh), Maggie O’Farrell, Maggie Craig (she’s a novelist, but I’m also very fond of her non-fiction). So what next?

Can you tell us a little about your work in progress?

There’s one novel out for consideration. It’s set in Edinburgh around 1826 and follows the fortunes of an architect hero and an earl’s daughter. Its theme is the devastating effect of gossip and it began life in the New Voices competition. Just starting is a novella about two of the characters from Mariah’s Marriage.

Leaving the chapel in London’s 19th century Thames’ side where she teaches the alphabet to a raggle-taggle of urchins, Mariah Fox is charged by a stray pig. The quick intervention of Tobias Longreach saves her from certain injury. Mariah has always believed her destiny to be teaching. After the early death of her mother, she was brought up by her papa, Jerome, to believe she could learn anything a boy could. She shares his vision of a future in which everyone, rich or poor, boy or girl, will be taught at least the rudiments of reading, writing, and counting. 

Tobias was brought up a second son, but following his elder brother’s premature death, inherits an Earldom and the need to provide it with an heir. He comes to believe that Mariah will make a perfect countess and enrols her papa’s help in securing her hand. However, Sir Lucas Wellwood, whose debts have made him urge his sister to attempt to trap Tobias into marriage, has sinister intentions. Mariah suspects Wellwood has been mistreating his sister and she heads off impetuously to rescue her. Will Tobias and his friends reach Wellwood’s home before he can exact revenge on Mariah? 

Muse it Up Publishing

Find out more on Anne’s Blog

http://www.annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com 

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today, Anne. We wish you every success with your books. Best wishes, Freda 

Interviews on the RNA Blog are carried out by Freda, Henri and Livvie. They are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk 

Interview with Margaret James

Today we welcome Margaret James to the blog. Margaret was born in Hereford, but now lives in Devon. In addition to her novel writing, she also teaches creative writing and is a regular contributor to Writing Magazine. You sound like a busy person Margaret, do tell us about your latest book, and what inspired you to write it.

A few years ago, my local group Exeter Writers ran a workshop which inspired me to wonder what would happen if a girl won a luxury dream wedding in a country house hotel, but didn’t have anyone to marry.

Oh dear, that sounds like a problem, no doubt delightfully resolved. So when doing your research what promotes the most ideas for you, people or places? 

The people come along first, followed by the places.

How long, on average, would you say it takes you to write a book, and how much editing do you do?

About a year, I suppose, but this can stretch to two or three or more, or be concertinaed into six months or less. I did a lot of travelling during 2011 and wrote most of the first draft of this novel on trains in real time, starting in April and finishing in November.

An excellent way to use all that travelling time. Which do you find the hardest part of the novel to write, and how do you get through that? 

The middle – and I try to deal with that by giving myself and my characters a really big challenge, setback or shock half way through the story.

Your characters are always very convincing. How do you set about breathing life into them?

I find the ones who end up in finished novels are also the ones who walk into my head unannounced and say write about me. Once I had thought of the situation in The Wedding Diary, my hero and heroine turned up on the bus as I was going home, and writing the novel was like taking celestial dictation from them.

If you were starting out afresh what advice would you give yourself as a fledging writer. 

Be sure you want to do this, because it’s not a hobby. It will take over your life.

Oh, I do so agree, but quite a nice life. Which of your books would you most like to see as a film, and who would play the hero? 

I’d love to see THE WEDDING DIARY on the big screen, with Richard Armitage playing the hero Adam. Richard, why don’t we get your people to talk to my people?

Let’s hope he responds. Now if you could have the best seats to any concert, what would you prefer, ballet, opera or a rock concert?

Opera – it has everything.

So what next? Can you tell us a little about your work in progress? 

I’m writing the story of one of the subsidiary characters in The Wedding Diary, whose life suddenly hits the buffers in a big way and who takes what she hopes will be a recuperative holiday in the USA, where of course she runs into more trouble.

Where’s a fairy godmother when you need one? 

If you won a fairy-tale wedding in a country house hotel, you’d be delighted – right? But what if you didn’t have anyone to marry? Cat Aston did have a fiancé, but now it looks as if her Prince Charming has done a runner. Adam Lawley’s girlfriend turned down his proposal, and he’s made a vow never to fall in love again. When Cat and Adam meet, they shouldn’t even consider romance. But for some reason they can’t stop thinking about each other. So is this their second chance for happiness, or are some things just too good to be true? 

Amazon

Find out more:
http://www.margaretjamesblog.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/margaret.james.5268 
http://www.twitter.com/majanovelist 

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today, Margaret. We wish you continuing success with your books. Best wishes, Freda 

Interviews on the RNA Blog are carried out by Freda, Henri and Livvie. They are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk 

Interview with Janey Fraser

Janey Fraser is an award winning journalist and novelist who has contributed to numerous publications over the years and was a regular columnist for Woman and The Daily Telegraph. She has just been elected a Fellow by the Royal Literary Fund. Welcome to the RNA Blog Janey, writers are often asked where they get their ideas, so what excites you? 

Tricky situations which my feisty heroines (and hero) have to extract themselves from. Conflicting emotions. Unexpected humour. Mixing of generations (our grandmother lived with us for many years so I adore older people especially if they’re a bit naughty as she was). Angst. Sheer joy.

Tell us something of the genre in which you write. What is its special appeal for you?

The Daily Mail described it as “Family Comedy with a meaty streak”. I love this genre because it allows me to explore all the things that can go wrong between people but also the funny side. For me, the great thing about writing in multi-viewpoint is that it moves the story along and allows me to cast my net more widely.

How did you devise the hero and heroine for your latest book? 

There are actually two heroines: Bobbie, an exhausted mum with a trying mother who’s dating Dr No (parent guru to the nation) and Vanessa, a feisty young gran who ‘messed up’ with her daughter. Then there’s Andy, who throws up a highly paid job to be a househusband and run a parenting class, where he just can’t help falling for Bobbie. There’s a bit of me in all of them but, as with all my characters, they start to grow as I write. I have a big cork board, studded with magazine pictures that help me imagine what they look like and consequently how they might behave.

What do you have to say to critics of the chick-lit genre?

It’s a much broader church than some people think. Some chick-lit is light; some is heavier; and there’s quite a lot in between. Readers are entitled to choose what they want. It’s like criticising different types of yoghurt. What’s wrong with enjoying one particular flavour? Besides, anything that gets people reading must surely be a good thing.

Janey when shortlisted for the RNA Award

You write under a pseudonym. What do you find to be the pros and cons for using one?

Hah! When people ask me what my name is, I have to stop and think. I used to be Sophie King until I changed publishers and even now, I still refer to it as I have a wonderful loyal fan base. I also write historicals, under my married name Jane Corry, for the French, German and Spanish market (“The Pearls” was number eight in Italy recently). The pros are that I can use my different names for the two different voices in my head: the contemporary and the historical. The cons are that I am constantly having to explain why. My latest answer is that an author only has two names. Published and Unpublished. In a changing world, one has to adapt. Luckily Janey is the name that close friends and family have called me since I was born, so I am more likely to turn my head now.

How much of a part does your camera and notebook play when doing research?

As a journalist, my notebook and I were joined at the hip. Now, I tend to have a special notepad for each novel but it’s not always around when I need it – especially when I’m dog walking and get ideas. So I use my mobile to leave a lot of answer phone messages on the home phone when I’m out. That’s why it’s always full.....On the camera front, I’ve begun to use it much more in the last year, especially when visiting National Trust homes as inspiration for my historicals. I’m forcing myself to be better with technology : my newish husband gave me a digital camera which I can actually work although having said that, I’m just wondering where I put the charger.....

So what next? Can you tell us a little about your work in progress?

I’ve just finished the first draft of the fourth Janey Fraser book which is being published next May. (The first two were called THE PLAYGROUP and THE AU PAIR). I’m a bit superstitious about telling people what my next book is about until it’s done and dusted. But I can say that this one is funny and meaty at the same time. It also has some of the major characters from my previous novels in it, although they play minor roles this time. It means I don’t have to say goodbye to them for ever….

Published by Arrow (Random House £6.99)

When Vanessa, Bobbie and Andy get together at the local parenting class at Corrywood School, their lives are set to change for ever. 
All three of them need help. Fast! 

Bobbie’s children don’t listen to a word she says and her workaholic husband is never home. Even worse, her mother is bringing a new boyfriend to visit: the notorious Dr Know, who dishes out hard-line parental advice to the nation. Can parenting classes save Bobbie’s bacon, not to mention her marriage? And what do you do when your mother is about to marry a man you hate? 

Meanwhile, Andy’s wife has been asked to run a parenting class at the local school. But when she scarpers, he’s left to run it himself and look after their two teenage daughters – who aren’t as perfect as he’d thought. When one of his childhood enemies signs up for the class, Andy is forced to confront the demons of his youth. The poor man needs a shoulder to cry on. Who better than Bobbie, his wife’s sister in law?

Enter Vanessa, a sparky young gran who’s found a new lease of life through her second-hand designer shop and internet dating. Her life is definitely on the up; especially when she meets Brian who might just be the One. But then her six-year-old granddaughter is deposited on her doorstep along with a message from Vanessa’s estranged bohemian daughter. “Please bring up my child” begs the note. This time, she’s determined to get it right, whatever the cost... 

Is there really an answer to raising a happy family? 

Find out more: 
Website  http://www.janeyfraser.co.uk 
Blog  http://blog.janeyfraser.co.uk 
Twitter: @janey_fraser 
Amazon: 

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today Janey. We wish you continuing success with your books. 
Best wishes, Freda 

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk 

Interview with Donna Douglas

Today we have Donna Douglas visiting the RNA Blog. Donna was born in south London but now lives in York with her husband. She started her career writing photo love stories for teenage magazines (a great training ground for writing snappy dialogue and plotting!), before becoming a women’s magazine journalist. As Donna Hay, she won the RNA New Writers Award for her first novel, Waiting in the Wings. Welcome Donna, do tell us about your latest book under your new personna, and what inspired you to write it.

In the first book of the series, we met three girls from very different backgrounds starting their nursing training at an East London hospital in the 1930s.

The Nightingale Sisters continues their story and also introduces us to some other characters from the Nightingale Hospital, particularly the new Night Sister, Violet Tanner – a woman with a secret! Even though it’s a continuing story, you don’t have to have read the first book to enjoy the second.

Are you a lark or an owl? When are you at your most creative?

Definitely a lark, once I’ve managed to get up! If I can bear to get out of bed early enough, then I love starting work at the crack of dawn. That's when I do my best work. By the afternoon, ‘real’ life has caught up with me and I start faffing around answering emails, doing domestic stuff or wasting time on Twitter. I’ll only work at night if I’m in danger of not meeting my deadline.

Do you edit and revise as you write, or after you have completed the first draft?

I used to edit as I went along, but since I’m highly likely to come up with a new idea while I’m writing that causes me to ditch much of what I’ve already written, that proved to be a bit of a waste of time. Now I just plough on, making notes to myself as I go. Then, when I’ve finished a draft, I can look at the whole shape of it and change things around. I write at least three drafts before I’m really happy with it.

What do you enjoy most about your particular genre?

One of Donna's reference books.

The research! I never thought I’d say it, but I love hunting out obscure details that bring the story to life. When I first started writing the Nightingale novels, I did a lot of research in the Royal College of Nursing archives and some interviews with former nurses. Also, dealing with such a wide variety of characters and their life and death dilemmas gives so much scope for conflict. There’s never a dull moment!

What do you do when the going gets tough?

It’s quite tough going at the moment, so that’s a very timely question! Sometimes I go out for a walk, or into town for a coffee. Having time away from your desk really helps clear the mind so you come back raring to go. If things are really tough, I might just take a nap or watch an episode of ‘Say Yes To The Dress’ on YouTube – my daughter is getting married, so I have a good excuse to watch TV programmes about wedding dress shopping!

Which three books would you take on a desert island with you, and why?

I might consider one of my 1930s nursing manuals, to deal with emergencies – it was amazing what those real life Nightingale Girls could do with very few resources in those days! I would also have to take a survival guide, since I would be hopeless fending for myself. If there wasn’t a Waitrose on the island I might starve! If I didn’t have to be practical, then I would probably take Riders by Jilly Cooper – that is my all-time favourite comfort read, and I never get tired of it.

If you could clone yourself, what job would you hand over?

Admin! I absolutely hate all those boring but necessary jobs like sending out invoices, sorting out the banking and filling in forms. Especially when you have to do it online – you can bet I always forget my password and get locked out of my own account. So hopefully my clone would have a better memory than me!
 
And how do you relax when you’re not writing?

I would love to say I do a couple of hours of Pilates, but the truth is I’m a real couch potato. When I’m not writing, I’m generally vegging out on the sofa with my husband, watching TV. We love a good cop series, or a gripping drama. But I drive him mad because I’m always rewriting the plot or trying to guess the twists! I also enjoy reading, of course. Anything from historical novels to Heat magazine!

A stormy winter’s night in 1935 brings Violet Tanner to the Nightingale Hospital in London’s East End. It quickly becomes clear the new Night Sister is not all she appears. Who is she, and what is her devastating secret? But Miss Tanner is not the only one with something to hide, as student nurse Millie Benedict finds herself torn between the two men in her life, and Dora Doyle struggles to cope with her family’s new-found poverty. As the death of King George V heralds a new era, it’s clear the Nightingale Girls’ lives are never going to be the same again… 

Thank you for sparing time to talk to us today Donna. We look forward to more books in this series and wish you every success.
Best wishes, Freda

Find out more:
Website: http://www.donnadouglas.co.uk/ 
Blog: http://donnadouglasauthor.wordpress.com/ 
Amazon:

Interviews on the RNA Blog are for RNA members, although we do occasionally take guests. If you are interested in an interview, please contact me: freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

May New Releases

Liz Fenwick A CORNISH AFFAIR
Orion
Trade Paperback
£12.99

Sometimes running away is the answer...
Running out on your wedding day never goes down well. When the pressure of her forthcoming marriage becomes too much, Jude bolts from the church, leaving a good man at the altar, her mother in a fury, and the guests with enough gossip to last a year.

Guilty and ashamed, Jude flees to Pengarrock, a crumbling cliff-top mansion in Cornwall, where she takes a job cataloguing the Trevillion family's extensive library. The house is a welcome escape for Jude, full of history and secrets, but when its new owner arrives, it's clear that Pengarrock is not beloved by everyone.

As Jude falls under the spell of the house, she learns of a family riddle stemming from a terrible tragedy centuries before, hinting at a lost treasure. And when Pengarrock is put up for sale, it seems that time is running out for the house and for Jude.

www.lizfenwick.com
lizfenwickblogspot.com
@liz_fenwick
www.facebook.com/liz.fenwick.author

Christina Jones   AN ENORMOUSLY ENGLISH MONSOON WEDDING
Piatkus/Little,Brown
Paperback
2nd May 2013
£5.99

Life simply couldn't be better for Erin Boswell. At twenty-seven, she is engaged to the simply divine Jay Keskar and every minute of her day revolves around planning the wedding of her dreams. Then Jay's parents arrive and announce that they want to 'discuss' things - and this is when Erin's wedding heaven turns into her wedding hell. Tavish and Deena are Indian and have very firm beliefs about the form of wedding their only son should have. Erin will obviously be wearing a sari, won't she? And of course all the Indian pre-wedding ritual ceremonies - including tilak, mehendi, sangeet - will be observed, won't they?
As Bollywood comes to Berkshire, can East eventually meet West in perfect harmony? And if not, will Erin and Jay's dream wedding even take place?

http://www.christinajones.co.uk/

Benita Brown DREAMING OUT LOUD

Headline

Hardback

23rd May 2013

£19.99

When Kay Lockwood is left a small inheritance by her mother's old friend, actress Lana Fontaine, she travels to London, leaving behind her Northern hometown and the boyfriend she doesn't quite trust. She falls in love with Lana's house, and the excitement of post-war London, but soon discovers a deeper mystery - who was Lana, and why was Kay so important to her? As she unravels the past, her handsome new neighbour Tom seems to offer her a bright future, but when his own dark secret is revealed, Kay feels hurt and betrayed. Can she ever forgive him?

www.benitabrown.com

Jean Fullerton  CALL NURSE MILLIE
Orion         

Paperback/Hardback/kindle 
23rd May 2013
MMPB £6.99   Kindle £4.49


It's 1945 and, as the troops begin to return home, the inhabitants of London attempt to put their lives back together. For 25-year-old Millie, a qualified nurse and midwife, the jubilation at the end of the war is short-lived as she tends to the needs of the East End community around her. But while Millie witnesses tragedy and brutality in her job, she also finds strength and kindness. And when misfortune befalls her own family, it is the enduring spirit of the community that shows Millie that even the toughest of circumstances can be overcome.

Through Millie's eyes, we see the harsh realities and unexpected joys in the lives of the patients she treats, as well as the camaraderie that is forged with the fellow nurses that she lives with. Filled with unforgettable characters and moving personal stories, this vividly brings to life the colourful world of a post-war East London.

http://www.jeanfullerton.com/

Louise Allen  TARNISHED AMONGST THE TON
Harlequin Mills & Boon
Paperback & ebook
May 2013
£4.99 (Kindle £4.50)

Ashe Herriard, Viscount Clere, newly arrived from India , requires an eligible bride but an encounter on the London dockside with the entirely ineligible Miss Phyllida Hurst is not the way to go about it! Phyllida is attracted to the exotic viscount but she has layers of secrets to keep and no wish to become any man’s mistress…or his wife. (Linked to Forbidden Jewel of India )

www.louiseallenregency.co.uk

Jennifer Bohnet  SHADOWS OF CONFLICT
Robert Hale
Hardback
30th April 2013
£16.99


SHADOWS OF CONFLICT tells the stories  of Katie and her god-mother Mattie. When Katie, redundant from her media job, accepts Mattie's offer to take over her shop, A Good Yarn, in Dartmouth, she expects her life to be busy and unexciting. But with an American film crew in town intent on uncovering buried secrets from World War II, a disgruntled relative, and Mattie herself still refusing to face up to the lingering shadows of an unhappy childhood, life is neither simple nor quiet. When Patrick, her ex-boss, offers the chance of her dream media job Katie has to decide whether accepting it is worth turning her back on everything and everyone in Dartmouth - including Leo, a friend from the past who plans to be a part of her future. Will Katie make the right decision? And as the Americans uncover a secret from her past, will Mattie shake off a lifetime of regrets and shadows from the past to finally find happiness with Henri, her new ami?

http://www.jenniferbohnet.com/
Follow me on Twitter: @jenniewriter

Margaret Mounsdon  LOVE TRIUMPHANT
Large Print Paperback
1st May 2013
£8.99

Steve Baxter disappears when Lizzie Hilton is refurbishing his property. Todd Baxter suspects Lizzie of being after his brother's inheritance. Lizzie challenges him to find proof. When Paul Owen appears on the scene Lizzie panics because Paul can provide Todd with the evidence he is looking for.

http://www.margaretmounsdon.co.uk/
margaretsromanceworld.blogspot.com

Jane Lark  ILLICIT LOVE
Sapphire Star Publishing
Paperback £10.44 and ebook £2.47
2nd May 2013

Can Love redeem a life of sin?

Ellen glanced over the top of her fan at the gorgeous man across the table. Was it very wrong for her sinful body to want Edward Marlow? Choice was a holy grail; a cup fallen woman longed to drink from. She chose Edward.

http://www.janelark.co.uk/
Twitter @janelark

Anne Stenhouse  MARIAH'S MARRIAGE
MuseItUp
E-published
3rd May 2013
price $5.50 ($4.40 on pre-order, north America only)

Leaving the chapel in London’s 19th century Thames’ side where she teaches the alphabet to a raggle-taggle of urchins, Mariah Fox is charged by a stray pig. The quick intervention of Tobias Longreach saves her from certain injury. Mariah has always believed her destiny to be teaching. After the early death of her mother, she was brought up by her papa, Jerome, to believe that she could learn anything a boy could. She shares his vision of a future in which everyone, rich or poor, boy or girl, will be taught at least the rudiments of reading, writing, and counting.
Tobias was brought up a second son, but following his elder brother’s premature death, inherits an Earldom and the need to provide it with an heir. He comes to believe that Mariah will make a perfect countess and enrolls her papa’s help in securing her hand.
However, Sir Lucas Wellwood, whose debts have made him urge his sister to attempt to trap Tobias into marriage, has sinister intentions. Mariah suspects Wellwood has been mistreating his sister and she heads off impetuously to rescue her. Will Tobias and his friends reach Wellwood’s home before he can exact revenge on Mariah?

http://www.annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com 


Kate Jackson TENDER LOVING CARE
D.C. Thomson
The People's Friend Magazine
4th May, 2013
97p

August 1917 -  VAD nurse, Rose, has ignored all rules and taken in a stray. When it escapes, it has an unexpected affect on a patient, but leaves her nursing job hanging in the balance.

http://katejacksonswriting.blogspot.co.uk/
 

Alison Sherlock  THE DESPERATE WIFE'S SURVIVAL PLAN
9th May 2013 (Arrow)
£7.99

What would you do if you woke up one morning to find that you'd lost it all? From the author The Desperate Bride's Diet Club, a fabulous new novel about love, marriage and finding your inner strength

From riches to rags... Charley needs a survival plan fast.
Charley Summers doesn't have a care in the world. She lives in the lap of luxury, supported by her rich husband and surrounded by a loyal group of friends.

Until the business goes bust and her world collapses. Before long the bailiffs have taken everything, and as if things weren't bad enough, she catches her husband with another woman. Suddenly, Charley needs a job, any job, so she can start repaying some of the money her husband squandered.

But with nowhere to live and no recognisable skills, how on earth is she to do that?

Eileen Ramsay writing as Ruby Jackson  CHURCHILL'S ANGELS
Harper Collins
PB Ebook
23rd May 2013
£6.99

Her brothers are in uniform, her twin sister works in a munitions' factory,and Daisy Petrie works in her parents' small grocery shop in Dartford. She dreams of doing something more exciting, more useful but can see no way out. One day, while delivering groceries to a local farm, Daisy sees a young pilot working on a plane. Daisy can take her dad's van to bits and put it together again. Can she help the dashing Adair to repair his plane and does he really mean it when he says he will teach her to fly?

www.eileenramsay.co.uk

Gwen Kirkwood  DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN
Robert Hale Ltd
Hardback
May 2013
£18.99


Joe Lennox becomes bitter and deranged and blames Billy Caraford when his son is killed in a car accident, but Billy has lost his best friend and is badly injured himself. Despite the misgivings of his parents he is still determined to be a farmer. He summons his courage to go to university but privately he regards himself as a cripple now. He is convinced no woman could love him or want to be his wife.
Kimberley is orphaned when her father dies. She moves to Scotland with her aunt but she is nervous about changing schools until Billy helps her find new friends. Both Kim and her aunt become involved in the affairs of the Caraford family and as Kim grows into a lovely young woman she finds the strength of character to confront problems and fight for the life and the love she craves.

www.gwenkirkwood.co.uk

Theresa Le Flem  THE FORGIVING SAND
Robert Hale Ltd.
Hardback
31st May 2013
£19.99

Christina’s life in Cornwall is thrown into turmoil when ruthless brother-in-law René threatens to close down her quiet beach café which is losing money.  Disabled since childhood, Christina is determined to keep the struggling family business going but neither her mother, nor her sister, seem to care. If only she could contact her father again!
It’s 1994. The Cornish fishing industry is in crisis and lonely skipper, John Madison, widowed when his wife drowned, desperately pleads for Christina’s help with his little daughter. His passionate intensity disturbs her and yet she’s drawn to him.
While René is putting the pressure on with his scheming ideas, an old school-friend, big loveable Peter, returns to Cornwall and jumps in to defend Christina - but with untold repercussions.
Who can save her beloved Sea Café? And when John compels her to make a choice, will her heart be torn in two?

http://theresaleflem.wordpress.com