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Friday 15 July 2016

PAULA'S PEOPLE: KAREN JANE AMINADRA, CELEBRATES HER 8TH NOVEL

Please welcome the lovely Karen Aminadra to Paula's People's Author Spotlight. Karen has just launched her latest book The Most Suitable Bride - and she is giving away some wonderful prizes, so listen in! Go do your stuff Karen!








Today I am celebrating the launch of my eighth novel! Yes, eighth!
I cannot even believe I am here already! It has been such an exciting journey and wonderful four years since I published my first novel.

The Suitable Bride is book 2 in The Emberton Brothers series and is a clean Regency romance novel.
In the first novel, we followed the story of Richard, the eldest of the three brothers. In this book, we follow Edward the middle one.
Edward is the driven one out of the three. He has spent years working hard at achieving his dream. He’s a politician and dreams of being Prime Minister of Britain one day. He knows the advantages there are to be had in marrying and is eager to find a bride from amongst the set who will help advance his career.
Frances Davenport is the daughter of a lord. She is privileged and has led a life that has had its ups and downs…literally speaking ;-) She’s a little naughty. She doesn’t believe there is one single man out there who can please her as a husband and is resigned to that fact. Until she meets Edward, that is…



To celebrate the release of The Suitable Bride I am having a bumper giveaway with a big list of goodies! Please visit my BLOG to enter! And good luck!



BLURB
Edward Emberton wants to be Prime Minister. He has a passionate vision for the future of England, which includes the abolition of slavery. As the son of a tradesman, his journey to Parliament has been a difficult one, but there is only one thing left to cement this foothold on the steps to Parliament – a suitable bride. She must be of noble birth, reasonable intelligence, mild temperament, and extraordinary beauty.
Frances Davenport is most of those things. And a suitable marriage to Edward isn’t only the answer to her prayers; it’s a way to keep her secrets. Edward is handsome, driven, and better still, enchanted by her beauty. It’s more than a suitable match; it couldn’t be more perfect.
But appearances are often deceiving, and Frances’ beguiling beauty comes with its own set of problems. Edward and Frances are about to discover that there’s more to marriage than suitability because neither is as suitable as they seem…

AMAZON LINK

Author bio -
Karen is a multi-genre author who writes novels within many different genres; Historical Romance, Historical Crime, and modern Chick-Lit.
She can usually be found sat at the computer either writing a novel, writing down new ideas or on social media chatting!
Her love of reading, writing short stories, and her childhood imaginary world led quite naturally to writing novels. Encouraged to read by her bookworm father and grandmother and by winning a writing competition in just her first year of secondary school, she was spurred on, and she has been writing stories ever since. Her love of mystery and plot twists that she put into that first story continues today.
She has travelled to and lived in many countries, not just in her imagination, and has gained an insight into people’s characters that shines through in her work. Today, with her feet firmly back in the United Kingdom, she travels the world, the universe and in time through her imagination and her novels.
She is now the author of eight novels;
Charlotte – Pride & Prejudice Continues,
Rosings – Pride & Prejudice Continues book 2,
Relative Deceit – Death in the Family,
The Uncanny Life of Polly,
It’s a Man’s World – Lettie Jenkins Investigates,
Wickham – Pride & Prejudice Continues book 3,
The Spice Bride – The Emberton Brothers Series book 1.
The Suitable Bride – The Emberton Brothers Series book 2.
In 2012 she received a B.R.A.G Medallion ™ for her debut novel Charlotte – Pride & Prejudice Continues.
In 2013 she was once again honoured with a B.R.A.G Medallion ™ for Rosings – Pride & Prejudice Continues book 2.
In 2016 she received another prized B.R.A.G Medallion™ for Wickham -Pride & Prejudice Continues book 3.
For more information and to download a free book visit  www.karenaminadra.com

Tuesday 31 May 2016

PAULA READS: THE REAPER'S BREATH BY ROBERT SOUTHWORTH




Please note that the author is offering a signed copy! Please leave a comment below
if you would like to win. To be drawn on Wednesday 8th June


Mary Kelly lies dead upon her bed... Her sorrowful eyes still hold captive, the agony of her fate. Anger, and fear walk side by side as the populace of London demand justice for the slain. Is it a single mad man or is there a bloody political game being played out in the grime filled streets of the old City? The authorities are powerless to stop the bloodletting and call for a new kind of law. William Harkness, former officer of the 66th Regiment of Foot will join the hunt. His task is not to bring an insane killer to court, his hands are not tied by the laws of the day. 
William Harkness is the killer of killers, the assassin of evil...

I have long held a fascination for the Jack the Ripper tale; gruesome as it is, its the mystery that surrounds the deaths of at least five women, that grip me, and the fact that the identity of the killer is still unknown. Its a tale that has spawned many a theory as to who the killer was and why these women were killed. Conspiracy theories abound, but the fact remains, no one has ever been able to prove beyond a doubt who and why these women were killed. The dark, dirty streets and alleys of Victorian East London, are conjured whenever anyone speaks Jack the Ripper's name, keeping the macabre interest in these murders alive, even more than a hundred years after they happened. 

When I heard that Mr Southworth was writing a thriller, based on the Ripper, I was excited to download my copy, expecting dark alleys, foggy black nights, dirty streets filled with urchins, and carriages with mysterious gentlemen lurking inside, ready to lure a woman into its evil interior. And happily, I am pleased to report, that's pretty much what I got. 

The author starts off by describing the depravity of London and the origins of the Robert Peel's Metropolitan Police, and then we view the first murder through the eyes of a little stray dog, who stumbles upon the murder taking place. The author cleverly shows the reader what the dog sees. He doesn't understand it, but through his senses, it smells blood - and danger - and flees, terrified, into the night.
The dog watched as the blade went to work. What was once an attractive woman was turned into mere lumps of flesh. Then at last the shadowy figure ceased its butchery and after carefully wrapping each bloodied remnants of its victim, walked towards the door. The dog shook violently and whimpered with fear. The figure stopped and looked at the wretched beast and then stretched out a hand. Two tender pats to the head were delivered.
"Good dog," whispered the figure, and then the shadow walked away. 

Southworth's central character is a war hero, Captain Harkness, a young soldier who was injured in Afghanistan, saving the life of a young private. He returns to England to recoup and some years later, he is sought out by Inspector Abberline, mainly for his reputation, and Harkness is given full licence to seek out the Ripper and exterminate him. William Harkness, turns out to be a regular customer of poor Mary Kelly, whom we know received the most horrific treatment from the Ripper, in her own home. Shocked and horrified by Mary's horrendous death, Harkness agrees to Abberline's  proposal. He wants to get the man who killed her, and was killing all the others.

Harkness is a brooding hero. He has seen and experienced terrible things as a soldier, which makes him a good candidate for the man to lead the task force against the Ripper, and if there are more in league with the Ripper, his gang. Southworth's hero is a deep character, with a dark side as most broody heroes have, and he soon forms his own force, with men from both the police force and his past as a soldier. We get to know the characters and we are interested in them. One gets the feeling that we will get to know more about them in the second and third books.

Mr Southworth is not afraid to write bloody scenes, however he cleverly crafts his words to create a picture of the event without using graphic images of gore and blood. He is able, with great subtlety, create the brutality of murder, with little words needed, but still managing to conjure an appropriate atmosphere, that clings to the pages like a dark mist. Less is more, in this case, and its perfect.

Also interwoven into the story of this hunt for the killer Ripper, is the story of Harkness' lost love, and the difficult relationship he has with his father. There was one particular scene where I was close to tears, urging William on in my head to do take the olive branch. The beauty of this book is that it is has a great plot, even if the author has taken liberties with the facts, its appropriate and fits in nicely with the events of the time. It also has a nice little subplot, with William's father and an old girlfriend of his, adding depth to William's persona. I also enjoy the other characters, especially Obadiah, who has known William, been in his father's service, for years.



Mr Southworth has done an excellent job crafting this book. It has an authentic feel and he uses the language of the time so that the dialogue feels authentic too. The book starts a little higgledy-piggledy with the time line, but once into the meat of the story, it develops fast, leaving this reader wanting more as I finally force myself to close my kindle for bedtime. The ending is a crescendo, with a plot twist that makes you bite your nails. Some people are not always who one might think they are and the ending finishes in such a way that paves the road for the next book, which i can't wait to read. This book compares favourable to that excellent Ripper Street series, and would also make a brilliant TV series too.
I would recommend this book to those who love late Victorian thrillers and crime stories and also to anyone who likes a great yarn. Its mighty good!





ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Robert Southworth comes from a sleepy little town in the centre of England, called Nuneaton. I have spent most of his life there apart from  a few years. Essentially a family man at heart, writing gives him the opportunity to spend quality time with his wife and children. Before he became an author he had tried his hands at many professions. For a brief time he was in the army, serving in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Then he tried his hand at engineering and finally retail management. Eventually, redundancy called and he decided to devote his time to writing, which was soon to become his new occupation, thanks to his wife who encouraged him to take up the mantle of an author. Currently he has five novels completed, the last of which is 'The Reaper's Breath', which is the first novel in a series of three.  The series is set in Victorian London, and centres on the infamous Jack the Ripper. 

To read more about Robert and his projects, go to 
his Website ,
follow him on Twitter 
and join him on Facebook

Wednesday 4 May 2016

PAULA READS: THE DEAD GODS: FLINT AND STEEL, FIRE AND SHADOW #2



War clouds are gathering. After the last year’s defeat of the invasion of their Northern Holdings, the Taleeli Empire now has the justification to once again carry the flame of war south to their shadowed rival, the realm of Acaross. To her subject peoples, who endured both the invasion and the treacherous misrule of the ousted Dominar Sligo, the strength of Taleel no longer looks as sure as once it was. Questions regarding the fate of Commander Kaziviere and the nature of the dark god of Acaross remain. Seeking answers the Sun Shard wielder Tuan Blackstone, his comrade Bronic, the Flinter Klesh and Kaziviere’s lover Tamzine, journey eastward to find the missing Taleeli commander Kaziviere, who, after encountering the dark god of Acaross, finds himself transported into the heart of that shadowy realm. 
   As war between Acaross and Taleel draws ever nearer Kaziviere discovers the horrific nature of the Messiah of Shadows and his monstrous children, The Dead Gods. Meanwhile, northward across the Hailthorn Mountains, with the knowledge of black powder alchemy now at their disposal, do the Flint Folk seek to end their exile and take back the lands that once were theirs?


***** Please note the author is kindly giving away a signed copy *****
To enter leave a comment below
winner to be drawn 11th May

Commander Kaziviere


Well, as you can see by the above, this book has many threads woven into its pages. The Dead Gods is book 2 in the Flint and Steel, Fire and Shadow series, and follows on from the first book, The Sun Shard, and starting where it left off. This book is based on the cyberpunk subgenre, clockpunk, which portrays a sort of renaissance era technology, which we see throughout the novel. However there are other elements in there, such as the Anglo-Saxon-style society which is ruled by a  Khan, and holds sway in the Cheama lands and refers to ‘thegns’ and 'huscarles'. So we have a mixture of muskets, spears and axes and also the stoneage  Neanderthal flint folk, wary of the ‘flat-faces’, and the guardians of the sun shards. All these different cultures are thrown into what is this huge melting pot, and each have their own roles to play in the war that threatens to destroy them all.

   What I loved most about this series is the way the characters are developing and the world Bayliss is building. There are many characters who play in the story of The Dead Gods, and the reader gets to know each of them. their strengths, weaknesses, their foibles and their desires. Bayliss' talent for showing depth to his characters by transporting their thoughts, albeit in the third person, to the reader, helps this process and by the end of the second book, I felt that I had more of a handle on them than the first. The world in which they inhabit is as rich in its diversity, as it is in its terrain, and physical characteristics, with vivid descriptions of the lands in the narrative.
   The narrative is cleverly written and although the author sometimes swings from one point of view to another, his technique in using thought in the third person, written in Italics, makes those switches readable, though there is one particular chapter where the head-hopping is really jarring; but, because Bayliss is capable of writing such wonderful prose, so poetic and lyrical in its form, and he creates such vivid scenes, I can forgive him anything.   
The Tower had looked impressive from a distance, but it had merged with the rock of surrounding cliffs, but now its scale was apparent to the travelling companions. Its dizzying heights caused their heads to swim as they looked up, its uppermost reaches lost in the realm of birds and clouds.


   When I read, I like to feel that I can get into the mind of the characters. The main protagonist is Kaziviere, and in the first book, The Sun Shard, he is a hard-hearted, racist commander; devoid of compassion for the Turanesci warriors, who are forced, as second class citizens, to fight under his command, for an evil Dominar. He even cuts out the tongue of one of them, so cruel is his nature. By the end of the book, he has been affected by his experiences, and the humanity that has been obviously lurking beneath his harsh exterior, is brought to the surface, helped in this metamorphosis by his love for the 'Razoress', Turanesci tribeswoman, Tamzine. He is a much changed man, and i have gone from disliking this cruel man, to rooting for him. In The Dead Gods, he has no time to enjoy his new found tender nature with his lover, Tamzine, for he has been thrust into another world, by the Dark Magic of the Accarossian God and has to find a way to escape his fate, to forever be told that he is no longer who he was, but the gladiator, Gutspiller, forced to fight disgusting monsters in a blood soaked arena. 
   As I've mentioned, there are many characters to enjoy in this book and another favourite is Tamzine. . She’s feisty, and she fights with two scimitars. I can hear them whizz, every time she uses them. And, she isn’t afraid to stand her ground and takes no BS from anyone – man or beast. 
“My company is with whom I choose it to be, Taleeli. Sit back down now. I would not wish to bloody my sword so soon after cleaning it, or abuse your captain’s hospitality with your life, “ Tamzine replied, still whetting her sword and keeping her back to the man. 
   She is known as the 'Razoress'.  If I had to be anyone in this book, I would want to be her. 
   I have followed Mr Bayliss' career over the last few years, apart from his fantasy novels, he has written a book of short stories and has had his work published in a book called Felinity and also a book of poems. Over these years, I've watched his talent grow and some of his shining moments have been his work on his blog, Rob's Ramblings, utter, utter brilliance. In The Dead Gods, Mr Bayliss has come into his own. His words leap off the page in a fanfare of description, so that a picture is spread before you as his prose plucks at your imagination like a virtuoso.
The Grand Mage stepped forward to join the inquisitor, speaking in a commanding voice, “Neshaduk Grematadi! Silence!” The torches blazed back to life, driving back the shadows that had crept across the walls of the chamber, like the tentacles of some foul beast of the deepest abyss. The screaming ceased but the head, now dry as a mummified relic, still showed jet black eyes. Its mouth opened and closed, cracking at the corners, the blackening tongue lolling.“Enough! Fire consume you!” the Grand Mage exclaimed. The head flared into flames behind the glass. The fire quickly consumed what was once flesh and bone. It disintegrated like paper, falling in on itself. 
   If you like fantasy with historical elements, in this book, Bayliss has created an amazing world, with monsters, ghoulies, giant spiders and magician - not to mention the dark world of the Dead Gods; a plague that swallows anything in its path and warriors who fight to restore sanity to a world seeped in chaos and malevolence. I wholly recommend this book, for those who simply love reading and like their prose to blow you away in a poetic, lyrical musical stylee, this is definitely for you.


    About the Author


Rob Bayliss has always read and enjoyed an eclectic mix of fantasy, historical fiction and sci-fi. Growing up in the West Country countryside the worlds of Tolkien and others came alive during long walks in the woods; a hobby which he still enjoys! After having a vivid dream, and eager to know what happened next, he felt the need to write it down. The world of Flint & Steel, Fire & Shadow was born. As well as writing Rob is also a reviewer, contributor and admin of The Review.
You can purchase Rob's book, The Dead Gods here myBook.to/RobBayliss
and you can learn more about his ramblings on his blog Rob's Ramblings.



Tuesday 22 March 2016

Exciting new venture and a re-launch of Sons of the Wolf

Recently, two exciting things have happened! I have just republished a new edition of Sons of the Wolf and I have embarked on a new venture. Since taking a less active role as blog coordinator for The Review, I have joined forces with some like-minded people to create a supportive virtual environment called Longship Publishing. We are a small group of 5 authors and an editor learning her craft, who have come together to support one another in the creations and marketing of their books. So far, we have not moved the earth, but we hope one day that our little company of friends will be doing some great things.


How did this all start?

I have always wanted to write for a living, although that ambition was always like a pie in the sky for me. I had trouble with my self-confidence and before the new millennium,I would never have learned to sit a type writer. Typewriters baffled me, and I had this fixed belief that no one would accept a handwritten copy. I think that's not necessarily true now, but at the time I thought it was. Anyway, I also developed some mental health issues which also prevented me from realising my dream, along with bringing up my gorgeous family and then when my life reached a turning point, I chose to sort myself out once and for all, and embarked on a journey that saw me at college and then at university where I trained to be a nurse. During that time, I rediscovered my love of reading and wondered if I could write a book - the thing that I had always wanted to do and had been pushed to memory. With me learning to use a computer, I suddenly realised, I can do this! And so it all began.

I had to, of course, find the right subject, and there was never any question that it would be anything other than historical. So I read various books for inspiration and stumbled across Helen Hollick's superb book, Harold the King, a re-enactment at Battle abbey.. I had been interested in the dark age period before, when I was much younger, and had read about the tragedy of Harold and the events of 1066 with great enthusiasm. As time went by, I became immersed in the later medieval period and had almost forgotten about this lesser known, but extremely passionate, period in our history. Helen's book relit the the '1066' candle inside my brain and I found another book, David Howarth's wonderful, easy to read, book 1066: The Year of the Conquest. His book was my biggest inspiration. Hollick's book had ignited the spark, but Howarth's fanned the flame into a hot burning fire! For it was in this book by Howarth, that I discovered my two protagonists, Wulfhere and Helghi. Men of 1066, whose lives could only have been imagined that year, for their only legacy to history was what they owned and where they lived s according to the Domesday Book.



And so my first novel was born, Sons of the Wolf, it has become the first in a series of novels about the events before and after the Battle of Hastings. I had first published with SilverWood books in 2012, an assisted publishing company, and it was a very costly experience. As time went by, I became increasingly unhappy with the edit and the cover, and the return I was getting on each book. There were other things that I was dissatisfied with being an author of an assisted publishers, and so, I decided I would remove my book from their list and decided to go it alone. I had been working on the sequel since before Sons was published, as it had been one long book. I'd had to cut it in half because 250,000 words was considered a tad long for a first book and would have been very expensive. Well I had been very naive back then and should have looked into the various ways of producing a book and shopped around. I am ashamed to say now, that I had been quite snooty about selfpublshed books and had wanted to produce a book that looked like it belonged to mainstream, and my book certainly had that appeal, thanks to SilverWood. But it cost a fortune, and in my naivety, I thought I could get my money back to fund The Wolf Banner with them. As I said, I was very naive, and thought I could make it. But I didn't. I soon realised that in order to make my money back to fund Wolf Banner, I was going to have to sell thousands just to make a few hundred quid, and for someone who did not have a fan base,and was largely unknown, it wasn't possible. I had a full-time job, I couldn't find the time to work on The Wolf Banner and market. So Sons of the Wolf and  The Wolf Banner had to be published by myself, with me only out-laying the edits and the cover designs.

Where I'm at now

So, Sons of the Wolf is republished now and The Wolf Banner is in the final editing stage. At last I have a book out to be proud of , with a better edit and a new design. The sequel The Wolf Banner is due out for May. I'm still active in our Facebook group The Review and still a reviewer for it. It's been a great project to be part of and always will be my baby, after all, I created it :), but the real thing in my life is writing. I want to write and have the time to write, and although I love my job as a nurse, I would dearly love my full-time occupation to have something to do with books and hopefully with Longship, there will be many seas sailed!

SONS OF THE WOLF IS AN indieBRAG WINNER FOR 2012

Sons of the Wolf can be purchased here