Book Review: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Here is my book review of Shadow of Night, the sequel to A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

I loved this book! It is an epic tome, but well worth taking the time to read. After A Discovery of Witches, I couldn’t wait to get hold of the sequel. I have to admit it seemed a bit slow to take off.  I almost got bored of it, but not so badly that I gave up reading. Once I was able to dedicate some proper time to immerse myself in it, I became lost in the world traversed by witch Diana Bishop and her vampire husband Matthew, a man of many secrets and as many alter egos. I loved the description of Elizabethan England and the intrigue of international politics and religion at the time. The book finished at the beginning of a new journey, and now I look forward to the next instalment. If you want to know more about real witches, you have to read this!

Book Review: Tapping the Power Within by Iyanla Vanzant

Here is my review of the spiritual non-fiction book, Tapping the Power Within: A Path to Self Empowerment for Women.

This book was written by Iyanla Vanzant, who is a Yoruba priestess and an ordained minister in Christian New Thought. I found the book very easy to read, and her tone was informal and inspirational. She is basically a human just like the rest of us, who has had unique experiences throughout her life that have shaped her spiritual beliefs and general attitude. The book was helpful in making me realize that my own spiritual journey runs alongside my daily life, and on many occasions interconnects with it. I came away with renewed determination and vigour, and I admire Vanzant for her frank accounts of life in describing how other people can learn to help themselves to be happier and more fulfilled.

You can see my article A Book that Brought my Spiritual Life into Perspective over on my personal blog.

A Vampire for Valentines Day #VampireBlogHop

I am very excited at the moment! Not only am I soon to release my third novel in the paranormal romance series the Redcliffe novels, but also my favourite television show, Being Human, is back on BBC3 for its fifth series. Can life get any better? Well, yes, but for now I am content!

Today is St Valentine’s Day. Traditionally we are supposed to revel in romance, lavish affection upon our loved ones, and take the opportunity to share our true feelings with the objects of our affections. As a married woman with a young child and another on the way, my romantic life is pretty non-existent right now!

That is partly why I escape to Redcliffe and the passionate love affair between witch Jessica Stone, vampire detective Jack Mason and his identical twin werewolf brother Danny. Throw in a werewolf love triangle between alpha Danny Mason, and lieutenants Simon Bunce and Sally Frost, and you have an explosive mix. Add another feisty vampire, playboy business owner Marcus Scott, and the whole thing becomes a tornado!

So, for your romantic pleasure, and in the spirit of St Valentine, I have participated in the Valentine’s Vampire Bite Blog Hop courtesy of Precious Monsters. My vampire heroes are Detective Jack Mason from the Redcliffe novels, his friend Marcus Scott, and the heroes from Being Human, Mitchell (actor Aidan Turner) and Hal (actor Damien Molony). If you haven’t seen Being Human, here are some photos of these two delectable Irish men (who incidentally would be in the running for my fantasy Redcliffe cast):

Mmm, delicious! Happy Valentine's Day my friends. May it be filled with love, romance, and chocolate!

#HDH - Hump Day Hook - Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel)

Hello and welcome to Valentine’s week and today’s Hump DayHook! We have seen some interaction with vampires during recent weeks, and they seem to be a popular choice for Valentine romances. Today I would like to offer you a little something from the werewolves, just to shake it up a little. We return again to the first novel in the Redcliffe series, Love Hurts, and this one is free to view on Wattpad for a limited time only.

With that in mind, here is an excerpt where our heroine Jessica Stone witnesses a mysterious exchange between the werewolf alpha Danny Mason, and his lieutenant Sally Frost. At this point Jessica is not aware of vampires and werewolves, and she has no idea of what she has gotten herself involved in.

Danny was standing close to Sally, and he looked quite angry and intimidating.  In fact he looked different, more frightening, very like Jack had on that morning when he pinned me in the bedroom.  Sally seemed to be acting submissively to him, as though she had done something wrong, but I couldn’t imagine what.  Surely they must be a couple and they were having an argument.  But why would Danny be in the hospital when Sally was working?  He should be at work today I knew that.  Actually he was dressed in jeans and a smart shirt rather than his usual surfer clothes.  I knew enough to see that these were his work clothes.  Maybe he was on an investigation or something. 

Mysterious happenings, aren’t they? Ha ha! Now, why not pop over to our Hump Day Hook blog and check out some fabulous excerpts from brilliant authors that write everything from straight romance, gay romance and erotica, medical drama, science fiction, and a whole lot more. You can also find us on Facebook, and join in the fun. Happy Humping, and Happy Valentine’s!

The Redcliffe Novels Fantasy Cast List

People have been asking me recently which actors I would like to see playing the roles of my heroes and heroines in the Redcliffe novels, should they be picked up by Hollywood, or maybe the BBC… After much consideration, I have assembled a fantasy cast list of the main characters. My actors will have to be British in order to do an authentic portrayal. I would like to see some new talent emerging, but for now I will choose familiar faces from British television (and the odd Hollywood superstar) to give you an idea. 

 Jessica Stone – It took a while for me to settle on a suitable match for Jessica. Finally I decided my closest ideal is the actress Rosie Marcel, most recently known for her role as consultant Jac Naylor in the BBC hospital drama series Holby City. She has the look I imagine for Jessica, and she clearly likes to play strong and complex female roles.

 Jack and Danny Mason – Now these two are a slight problem. I have two actors in mind, but I need identical twin brothers from Ireland if I am to make the characters truly authentic. As far as appearances go, here are my favourites. I choose Michael Fassbender, because let’s face it, he is hot! And he seems to prefer fantasy roles, if you remember the television series Hex and the X-Men: First Class film.

But, there is another man who I see as a great Jack Mason. That is the Being Human actor Aidan Turner, who totally stole my heart when he appeared on screen as the tortured vampire Mitchell. Ooh, the choice is so hard!

 Elizabeth Gormond – I need an actress who can be both accessible and spunky to play Jessica’s best friend and business partner. Liz is a happily married woman, who is starting a family, but she is very forthright, very strong in her opinions and morals, and she is fiercely protective of those she loves. I see the actress Jemima Rooper playing a convincing Elizabeth.

Marcus Scott – Well, now, the vampire Marcus Scott is a character! He was never supposed to be such a big part of the Redcliffe novels, but somehow he forced his way into my affections, and indeed, into Jessica’s, much to her dismay! I have two candidates for the part of Marcus. The first is another Holby City actor, James Anderson. He is totally cheeky and charming as the trainee surgeon Oliver Valentine, and I think he could quite easily switch into confident playboy vampire mode.

But, there is another potential for Marcus, and one who I am sure a lot of vampire fans will be very familiar with. I was thinking perhaps Joseph Morgan, who currently plays the evil vampire Klaus in The Vampire Diaries. Delicious!

So there we are. I have finally put faces to some of the names in the Redcliffe novels, and I hope you appreciate my choices. I am still searching for suitable candidates to play werewolf lieutenants Simon Bunce and Sally Frost, Elizabeth’s husband Robert Gormond, and witch Crystal Waters. They will show themselves in good time… 

*All actor photographs courtesy of Google images in the public domain*

*Cover Reveal* Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) – New Release!

It has arrived! It has finally arrived! After much discussion, tantalising titbits, and lots of talk about my exciting new Redcliffe novel, I can now reveal the front cover of Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel).

*Cue drum roll* - Ta-da!

Adjusting to life with vampires and werewolves, Jessica Stone is learning about being a witch. Love is painful. Life is difficult. It is never boring.

Life has changed forever in Redcliffe, Cornwall. Jessica Stone used to be a normal, happy human. Now she is an angry, conflicted and confused witch. It all happened when she met Detective Jack Mason and his identical twin brother Danny. Jessica almost died twice, fell into a love triangle, and she became a murderer. Now she faces the ultimate challenge as she continues the fight to save the man she loves, while simultaneously struggling with her lust for his werewolf brother and their vampire friend. Can she survive, or will love finally end her life completely?

#NLD13 - National Libraries Day 2013

I  have just discovered that it is National Libraries Day today! That will be Friday, 8th February 2013, depending on when you read this post. I am very excited, although I haven't seen an advert for activities in my local library. Apparently libraries all over the UK are participating in  events to celebrate the special day, and I came across it through my local newspaper, the Winsford and Middlewich Guardian. Winsford library is doing an event offering animal handling, which sounds like fun.

I love my local library! I love all local libraries. And I have been dismayed to read in the news all these stories about our government closing down libraries in the UK, reducing their opening hours, and generally taking away what I consider to be a very valuable and useful resource for local communities. I attend Middlewich library pretty much every Tuesday morning, when my daughter enjoys their free Rhymetime session. It consists of half an hour of singing and dancing for pre-school children, and a social hour for the parents and carers. The children enjoy some time together, they find lots of exciting books to read, and they run around burning off steam in a safe and contained environment.

As a child I would visit my previous local library every Saturday morning, with my mother and younger brother. Mum was the one who encouraged me to read. She was the guiding factor in my progression as a published author, and it was partly her insistence on us visiting the library that sticks in my mind. I loved those weekly jaunts. The library was a small, 1960s building in the market town of Cheadle, Staffordshire. It was not an inspiring place to look at, certainly no architectural dream, but it contained everything I needed to free my imagination and take me to other worlds.

Nowadays we use libraries for all sorts of reasons. They are not simply a place to borrow books anymore. I recently discovered a selection of magazines and business pamphlets in the Middlewich library, and they offered up ideas and suggestions for my developing business as a freelance writing professional. You can read daily newspapers in your local library, you can access the internet, and you can find details about events and groups in your community. They are a fantastic place to socialize and to meet like-minded people, no matter what your age.

So here's to National Libraries Day in the UK! I love my library!