Giveaway

Exclusive Giveaway

I'm please to be able to announce that I'm in the fortunate position to be able to run a fantastic competition. The prize of three brilliant books by Rob Sinclair! Rob is the author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling Enemy series of espionage thrillers featuring embattled agent Carl Logan.

His explosive debut, Dance with the Enemy, was published in 2014 and introduced the world to the enigmatic Carl Logan. The second novel in the series, Rise of the Enemy, was released in April 2015 with the third, Hunt for the Enemy, released in February 2016. You can be in the running to win all three of these books. And what's more, Rise of the Enemy is a Hardback edition. All three are ready to be posted right now. Keep reading to find out how to enter this fabulous competition

 

But why this brilliant giveaway? Rob is currently in the middle of a blog tour to celebrate the release of his new novel Dark Fragments. Currently 99p on Amazon here  Dark Fragments is a pulsating psychological thriller, described as 'clever' and 'chilling' and an 'expertly crafted' story, it's one not to be missed.

Now back to the competition, to be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is answer this question: Who is your favourite Superhero? 
Once you have your answer email me at 

me.as.mummy.plus@gmail.com

Good luck everyone, you have until 20th November to get your answers in.

Book review: What the Clock Knows - Rumer Haven

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up, it was sold to me as paranormal "fiction for weirdos", well, who could say no to that. But that I think was an undue description. I'd descride it more as contemporary fiction with a paranormal twist. Here is the blurb from the book so you can make up your own mind:

Twenty-six-year-old Margot sets out on a journey of self-discovery - she dumps her New York boyfriend, quits her Chicago job, and crashes at her friend's flat in London.

Rather than find herself, though, she only feels more lost. An unsettling energy affects her from the moment she enters the old Victorian residence, and she spirals into depression. Frightened and questioning her perceptions, she gradually suspects her dark emotions belong to Charlotte instead.

Who is Charlotte? The name on a local gravestone could relate to Margot's dreams and the grey woman weeping at the window.

Finding a ghost isn't what she had in mind when she went 'soul searching', but somehow Margot's future may depend on Charlotte's past.

Woven between 21st-century and Victorian London, What the Clocks Know is a haunting story of love and identity.

My thoughts:
I read this during a difficult time at home so it took me longer than perhaps it should have. It was an easy read and one that ordinarily I'd have flown through. The main character was likeable, even if i couldn't relate to her decision to move to another country. However, we've all been in the situation where we've been alone, and paranoid and Margot's real life reaction to the events happening around her is why I'd describe this as a contemporary novel. It's a novel I'll recommend and it's a novel I'll be keeping on my kindle.

Pick up your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Clocks-Know-Rumer-Haven-ebook/dp/B01C8PQHAQ//?tag=371-21#immersive-view_1478719429734

Author Interview: Therese Loreskär

Today on my blog I have an interview with Bombshell Books new signing Therese Loreskar, Bombshell Books was founded in August 2016 and specialises in Women's Fiction. And is an imprint of leading crime fiction publisher, Bloodhound Books and was born from a love of great fiction - Bombshell publish the books they love, producing remarkable fiction for our readers and building long-term careers for our authors.

Therese Loreskär

Therese Loreskar started her career in 2010 as a Swedish author. She self-published her first novel which quickly became a critically acclaimed best-seller.

In 2014 she signed up to a publishing house. Her novel called “The Queen of Blogging” was released and the feedback was overwhelming! People referred to the book as a modern “Bridget Jones” and couldn’t get enough of the main character, Kajsa. The next book “The Queen of Blogging 2” was released shortly after to all the reader’s delight.

Therese has since then published 4 bestselling children’s books as well. She often does tours at different schools and talks about her books. The children love her visits and Therese always enjoys talking to her little readers.

“The Queen of Blogging 1 & 2” have also been recorded and launched as audiobooks in addition to paper backs in Sweden. Therese has contracts with 4 different publishing houses as well as a Book and Film Agency. Her biggest dream is to have “The Queen of Blogging series” made into films, and she secretly keeps a list in an old drawer of presumptive actors that would do the characters in her books justice.

Her never-ending energy for writing and entertaining people with her characters is her biggest trait.

Therese lives in the countryside along the west coast of Sweden. She has a rather big and busy household, with (one) husband, two children, one deaf cat, five hamsters and a grandmother.

When she’s not busy making up stories and writing silly things, she enjoys the nature, people, history, redecorating the house without asking anyone for permission, and all other kinds of creativity.

Welcome Therese,

To warm us up I've some quick fire questions for you. What's the first thing that comes to mind when I say the following...

Milk… Cats

Cats…           My 18 years old cat Esmeralda

Yellow…       Egg yolks

Favourite film…  Any Owen Wilson comedy

Moist…          Single-glassed windows

Sci-fi…           Star Wars

Thank you for that, now onto the real questions, what encouraged you to be an author in the first place?

My dad became seriously ill and told me to follow my dream to become an author. He always told me to follow my passion. Both my parents have encouraged me incredibly much to live this crazy life as a fulltime author.

And how did you feel when you first realised your books were being bought by people other than friends and family?

I’m not sure I still 100% understand this J It’s an unreal feeling. Strange, but pleasant though.

Who is your favourite author?

Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes and Lisa Jewell. I recently had the wonderful opportunity to meet Lisa, who’s so sweet and down to earth.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

Most of it just suddenly appears in the document on my computer. I always ask myself “Where did that come from?” It does help that I more than often seem to end up in awkward situations in my own life.

What is your favourite film?

A movie where I get to laugh out loud.

You've created a few characters in your time as an author, if you could sit down with just one for a glass of wine (or a coffee )who would it be and why?

That’s easy; I would love to talk more to Kajsa Blomblad. I would love to get to know her more and listen to all the stories of her life. I mean, the stories I haven’t already written about that is. It would be strange but fun to finally get to see what she looks like as well.

Who (fiction or non fiction) would you invite to your ideal dinner party?

1.      Bridget Jones

2.      Rebecca Bloomwood  

3.      Kajsa Blomblad, my main character in “The Queen of Blogging”

4.      Her Royal highness, Queen Elizabeth.

5.      Claire and Phil Dunphy from the series Modern family.

6.      Mr.Schuester from the series Glee.

7.     Sue Perkins

8.      Mel Giedroyc

9.     Greg Poehler

If you weren't a writer what would you do?

I would work as a teacher again. I love kids. That’s the only thing I miss about working fulltime as an author - working with kids.

And can you tell us anything about your next novel?

My main character Kajsa moves to London with her kids. Starting a “new” life in the UK. Well, that is partly based on my own move from Sweden to Cambridge. But other than that it’s all fiction. On the plane over to England, Kajsa met this super famous musical artist and that is the start of a never-ending series of awkward events in her life…

Do you have any advice for budding authors that may be reading?

As I see it you only need two things to be an author:

1.    Fantasy.

2.    Self-Confidence

I still struggle with number two. But that’s super important. You need to believe that you are good enough. You can always learn more about grammar and tricks here and there. But you need some sort of foundation to stand strong on. Believe in your own writing.

And finally, Therese what is the one thing you would want a new reader to your books to know.

I wrote this novel purely to entertain people. If my readers as much as given a hint of a smile whilst reading it, I’ve succeeded. “Let me entertain you” as Robbie Williams sang.

Thank you Therese, and good luck with the rest of your tour.

Thank you :)

Apologies to you all and exciting news

This is just a quick post, firstly sorry it's been a quiet month. I was married 3 weeks ago and life has been hectic haha!
But, to make up for it this week I have another star author interview to post as part of a fab blogger tour. Plus, my review of Candles and Roses is coming.
Stay tuned
Xx

Interview: Alex Walters

I'd like to offer a warm welcome to Alex Walters for the first step on his blog tour to Not Just A Mummy, don't forget to check out his other stops:

Alex Walters is a successful author of new release Candles And Roses.

DI Alec McKay is a man haunted by the loss of his daughter.  As he obsesses over a missing person case that is going nowhere, McKay’s investigation is interrupted when bodies start appearing on the Scottish Black Isle. Soon McKay and his team start to identify a disturbing pattern behind the killings.

This is the first police procedural novel I've read in a long time,  and my review will come in due course, but before then I'd like to welcome the author for the first step on his blog tour.

Welcome Alex,

To warm us up I've some quick fire questions for you. What's the first thing that comes to mind when I say the following...

Milk…shake 

Cats…hungry (we have four and they always are)

Yellow…mellow (quite rightly)

Favourite film…Chinatown (see below)

Moist…wipes. No, me neither. 

Sci-fi…teenage, because I read little else for a while then and have barely read any since. Don’t know why. 

Thank you for that, now onto the real questions, what encouraged you to be an author in the first place?

There were various writers I first read as a teenager who made me excited about what fiction could do - a pretty mixed bunch including Alan Garner, Agatha Christie and science fiction writers like Samuel R Delany. There was a point then when all I wanted to do was be a writer. Then I read English Literature at university and that probably knocked it out of me for a while! But I always carried on doing it, initially just half-heartedly but then with more and more enthusiasm, and I finally had my first book published about ten years ago. 

And how did you feel when you first realised your books were being bought by people other than friends and family?

It’s still a slightly unnerving thought (I find it even more unnerving seeing the page reads for Kindle Unlimited and realising that there are people out there reading my books right now…). But it’s reality gratifying when you get positive feedback from people you don’t know - it’s great to think that you’ve actually created something they’ve enjoyed. 

I read that Candles and Roses is the first in a new series, have you planned out the whole series yet?

Not really - that’s not really how I work. I’ve got a loose idea of how the characters will develop and interact and some ideas for plots. But I usually find that once I start writing the story develops in ways I hadn’t expected at all - for me, that’s one of the great pleasures of writing. 

Who is your favourite author?

I think that changes from day to day, almost. In terms of crime fiction, it’s probably the late Reginald Hill, who wrote the Pascoe and Dalziel books  - I don’t think anyone’s surpassed him for the brilliance of his plotting, the depth of his characters or the sheer wit of his writing. Still underrated, I think.  I’m also a huge fan of the Golden Age crime writer, Marjorie Allingham - also probably still underrated. 

Where do you get your inspiration for your books? I'm assuming you don't go around killing people to see what would happen?

No, though it may occasionally be tempting… My books usually start from not much more than a scene or a couple of scenes that pop into my mind. With the new book, the scene was the finding of the first body at an eerie place called the Clootie Well on the Black Isle. But I’ve no idea where the candles and roses came from! 

What is your favourite film?

Again, it changes. But probably Chinatown - just the perfect film noir, with terrific performances from Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston and a terrifying ending that’s like Greek tragedy. 

You've created a few characters in your time as an author, if you could sit down with just one for a pint who would it be and why?

There are one or two. But I think Alec McKay, the lead character in Candles and Roses, would make interesting company. He’s got a very deadpan acerbic sort of humour that I get on well with. 

Who (fiction or non fiction) would you invite to your ideal dinner party?

I think we should have a fictional detectives dinner party with, say, Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Albert Campion, Andy Dalziel and Philip Marlowe, just because it would be fun to see those diverse egos clashing!

If you weren't a writer what would you do?

I do actually have a (now diminishing) day job as a freelance consultant. It’s worked well for me in the last few years because I’ve been doing work in police forces which has given me a lot of insight into the culture and methods of policing. But the writing is becoming more and more central. 

And can you tell us anything about your next novel?

I’ve got another book finished in a separate series (about Manchester-based DCI Kenny Murrain) and I’m in the middle of my next Alec McKay book. It’s probably a little too early to say to much about it, but it links back to events in the past not just for McKay but also for his deputy DS Ginny Horton. 

Do you have any advice for budding authors that may be reading?

Be persistent, mainly.  It’s not an easy road so you have to do it because you really want to (not just because you have dreams of being the next J K Rowling). Try to get feedback from people who’ll tell you honestly what you think. And personally I think editing is as important as writing - the first full draft is really just the start of the process not the end. Keep writing as much as you can. And keep reading. 

And finally, Alex what is the one thing you would want a new reader to your books to know.

That’s a tricky one. All of my books have a growing team of characters, so I suppose I’d want a reader to know that they’re going to meet a bunch of interesting and engaging people who will take them, I hope, to some exciting and perhaps sometimes frightening places...

Thank you Alex, and good luck with the rest of your tour.

Exciting News

Pleased to announce I'll be featuring in the upcoming blog tour for the new book by Alex Walters 

Come back on 27th September to see what Alex has to say for himself in a new interview.

Interview with John Bowen

John is a successful self published author with sales over forty thousand novels in under three years.

I read my first book of his when it was chosen by my book club in July 2015 and I've been a fan ever since. John has written on a few different genres and each I've read has been written with skill and a control over the readers emotions as expertly as his skill over the keyboard. 

So, to kick things of and to warm up, John, what's the first thing that comes to mind when I say… 

Pyramid… Scheme.

Blue… Skies.

Teleportation… Thanks Scotty.

Moist… Cake? Yes, that is my final answer. 

Favourite film… Tough could be a different answer every day, but today? Little Miss Sunshine?

Sleeping in… Pff! The chance would be a fine thing. From around 6 am my cat knocks things of my bedside table like a goon squeezing me for protection money until I get up and feed her.

Now we are fully warmed up on with the real questions, how did it feel to find yourself in the top 100 on Amazons bestsellers list for your first novel?

Seeing it next to one of Stephen King's was very exciting. You dream of thousands of people reading your books, but you never expect it to happen.

And then to find your second book doing so well…

Just as much of a surprise. If I'm honest, every novel feels like a moonshot. Doing something different with each time, hopping genre, means I can never assume readers will be will follow me on the journey. I'm grateful many seemed to.

If you went back to Where the Dead Walk now would you change anything?

Maybe. I think looking back it's always possible you'll see things you could have done differently. Although, I'm quite a slow writer compared to many. My books spend a long time in the oven. It's one of the benefits of being fully independent. A novel comes out when I think it's as good as I can make it, not to meet a publisher deadline. That affords me time to reflect on what's there, and hold it if I think more work would mean a better story. Usually by the time the book is released it will have gone through multiple drafts and edits. At some point, though, you have to accept you did your best and let go.

Can you tell us anything about your next book?

It's called Death Stalks Kettle Street, another thriller, although this time a murder mystery.

It's set on an ordinary suburban street. Someone is murdering Greg Unsworth's neighbours and staging the deaths to look like accidents. Greg knows the truth, but when he's grappling with OCD and simply closing his front door, turning off a tap and crossing the road are a battle, how exactly is he supposed to catch a serial killer?

I'm really pleased with how it came out. I hope readers will like it too.

If you weren't writing, how would you make your fortune?

I'd probably be ruined. The only thing I seem to be good at is making up imaginary people and having them do imaginary things!

And what advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Trust in yourself and your work. To a large extent the old gate keepers of traditional publishing have lost their stranglehold on readers. There's almost nothing to keep you from reaching people these days if you're committed.

When not writing what is your favourite pass time or holiday destination?

I'm a big fiction nut, videogames, novels, films, TV series... The last few years the writing has kind of swallowed up most of my free time, but I finished the final draft of the new book a few weeks ago, just before our summer holiday in Greece. I did almost nothing but read, guilt free, by the pool. Sheer heaven.

What PG word makes you laugh?

Weiner.

What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?

Maybe not the most embarrassing, but back in school I did once ask my biology teacher in a full classroom if she would tell me what the definition of an orgasm was, when I meant organism...

Do you have a pet peeve?

Rudeness or intolerance of any flavour. Come on people!

And what's your lucky number?

Seven. Good old lucky seven.

I'm currently watching Thomas The Tank Engine with my daughter, what's your favourite kids cartoon?

My daughter was into Gravity Falls last year. I could watch that anytime. Adventure Time is pretty great too.

And finally, what piece of advice do you have for our readers?

Look behind the front row of produce at the supermarket. The dates will often be further out on the items at the back of the shelf. Oh, and in the winter? Don't eat the yellow snow...

Thank you John, I can't wait for your new book. 

Thanks Lou. 

For More information on John check out his website at: https://johnbowenauthor.wordpress.com/

and his amazon page here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Bowen/e/B00K3NTOTW/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1472819630&sr=8-2-ent