Book Review: Breastfeeding Older Children by Ann Sinnott

Here is my review of the book Breastfeeding Older Children by Ann Sinnott:

I borrowed this book from a friend when we talked about my continued breastfeeding of my now 2 year-old daughter. When she was born I had no specific plan for continued breastfeeding, although I realised it was not something that is encouraged in Western society. Reading this book gave me an insight into aspects of breastfeeding that I hadn’t really considered, and I liked the positive and thorough representation throughout. There were lots of quotes from parents about their own experiences of sustained breastfeeding, although I sometimes felt there were a few too many within a chapter or section. Overall I really liked this book, and I recommend it to all parents that are either currently breastfeeding or wondering whether to breastfeed their children. It is easy to read, it gives lots of information and further reading suggestions, but it does not seek to coerce parents towards breastfeeding as opposed to bottle feeding.

Free Legal Advice Show on Mid Cheshire Radio!

Tune in today (Friday 24th May) to Mid Cheshire radio for a special show where you can receive free legal advice on family law issues, property law and employment law. Two of our top local lawyers, Jill Shields and Julia Brown will be on air to share their knowledge and expertise for people in the area. The show will air  between 12pm and 1pm GMT.

Check out the website for more details at Mid Cheshire Radio, or find Jill and Julia on Twitter to interact directly.

The Vampire of Blackpool #HDH

Hello and welcome to the Hump Day Hook. Well, things are developing very quickly indeed all of a sudden, and today I share with you another excerpt from my rough first draft of The Vampire of Blackpool that was written for NaNoWriMo 2012. The manuscript has been requested for consideration by a publisher I contacted for a different project. So, who knows, there could be a few new releases this year…

“Meredith!” she called, hurrying over to me, “You came!”
She held a glass of wine in one hand and a small clutch bag tucked under her other arm.  I stood still as she approached, careful to keep my expression blank.  She faltered a little as she realised I was not so excited about her presence.
“Are you alright?” she asked uncertainly, “You look pale.”
I had to smile at her sweet naivety, and she tried not to gasp as she saw my fangs exposed.
“I am hungry,” I replied, “I have not yet found suitable food.”
“Oh,” she said quietly, glancing around her, “Where do you usually, um, find food?”
I simply stared at her, allowing my eyes to glow silver.  She caught her breath, momentarily struggling with her desire to appease me, and her as yet stronger urge to repel me using her magic.  I sensed the landlord approaching us before he spoke.
“You know the rules, Meredith,” Paul said levelly, “No feeding in my pub.  Take it outside.”

This was a snippet of conversation between the vampire protagonist Meredith Hanson, and her new friend and potential lover Samantha Morris. Now, why not check out some more Hump Day Hook excerpts over on our blog? Or you can join us on Facebook. Happy Humping!

*Image courtesy of Pinterest

A Snow Tiger Animal Familiar? Only in Redcliffe!

I am very proud of my adult paranormal romance series the Redcliffe novels, and that pride is compounded by the wonderful support and positive feedback I am receiving from friends and family who read my books. Of course, I want the books to reach people all over the world, but since I am an Indie author, I do what I can with a minimal advertising campaign and a busy domestic life to juggle.

One of my friends recently shared an image on my Facebook fan page that has made me smile, and also left me a little in awe. I did not want to share too much information about a character who makes her first appearance in the second novel, Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel). She is a complete character, but she is not totally physical, which makes her something of an enigma I suppose. Her name is Suri, and she is the animal familiar, or power animal spirit, of our protagonist Jessica Stone.

I had never planned to include an animal familiar in the Redcliffe novels. Actually, I was not aware that Jessica was a witch until the story began to unfold at my fingertips. The whole process of writing the first three novels has been a wild and exhilarating ride, and I cannot give up the seaside town of Redcliffe just yet. There will certainly be a book 4 in the series, but I admit I have not yet begun to write it.

I have a few distractions (like being heavily pregnant) at the moment. No matter, I will get the job done, and I will not leave my adoring fans waiting for too long. They care about Redcliffe just as much as me, and for that I am eternally grateful and very very happy!

A New Writing Challenge #15kinMay

I am still battling with the manuscript for my vampire hunter novel, although a quick glance back through my recent chapters suggests it might not be as bad as I thought. I have decided to use a very loose approach to writing this story, and am simply sitting down whenever I have time, and writing a chapter here and there. I have no idea what comes next, and I still don't know how this story will end, but it will end and I will succeed!

It helps me to read the blogs of fellow writers for advice and support. One of these is Alison Wells, author of Housewife with a Half-Life. She recently wrote a very inspiring post about how we are always intent on hurrying and speeding towards culmination of our projects. Society has evolved in such a way that we continually feel the need to better ourselves, to be successful, and to prove our worth in some physical (and usually fiscal) way. At my time in life this is more difficult to achieve, since I am currently in the young parent stage. I have a toddler for whom I am the main carer while my husband works outside the home, and I am pregnant with our second child. Naturally, there are many distractions on my time and attention.

As it turns out, Alison mentioned the #15kinMay writing challenge currently trending on Twitter. The idea for this one is that we set ourselves a target to write 15,000 words in May, and we can tweet our progress each day and support each other as we go. I admit, I haven't really participated on-line just yet, but I have decided to use it as another tool for motivation. Surely I can manage to write 15,000 words between now and the end of the month? Well, truthfully my challenge is under-way  so I probably only need to write another 10,000 words which is easily achievable.

What are you working on at the moment? Do you have writers block or struggle with your WIP? Share your news and let us support each other.

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

The Vampire Hunter #HDH

Hello and welcome to the Hump Day Hook. I have decided to share an excerpt from my current work in progress, a novel with a very vague title at the moment. In fact, the whole story is quite vague. For some strange reason my Muse has deserted me, but I am determined not to give up on this one! Here is a sample from the beginning of the novel, and the protagonist of this story is Dr Jennifer Worthington, The Vampire Hunter.

           Her history professor, Dr Kate Morrigan, had tried to warn Jennifer.  She had managed to accidentally disturb the young couple many times before their fateful first kiss.  Of course, she failed in her attempts.  Jennifer had pursued Matthew with a vigour that frightened her.  She had never chased a boy before.  Then again, she had never met a boy like Matthew.  He was romantic, passionate, and he seemed to know a lot about the Tudor family that she was so fascinated by.  Sometimes he spoke as though he knew them personally, telling stories of life at court as though they were memories.  When Jennifer finally found out that he was a vampire, it all fell into place.  He had known the Tudors.  He was ancient.  Matthew Ancory was a very old man in a very young body, and he had tried to turn Jennifer into a vampire to be with him.  Fortunately for her, Dr Morrigan had intervened at the right time, armed with a crossbow and wooden stakes.  The vampire had escaped, but Jennifer’s life changed forever. 

If you enjoyed this one, why not pop over to our dedicated Hump Day Hook blog and peruse some new and exciting authors. We write about romance, love, science fiction, fantasy, erotica and everything in-between, so you are sure to find something that delights the senses. You can also find us on Facebook. Happy Humping! 

*Vampire hunter image courtesy of Pinterest 

More Business Networking and Book Launch News!

Phew! It has been another crazy weekend and a running start to the week. Yesterday I attended a local business networking event which proved extremely fruitful. I met some new people, caught up with some that I had met previously, and sampled the coffee at our new local Starbucks cafe, delicious! Anyway, this update will be short and sweet because I am dashing out in a minute to attend Rhymetime at our local library with my daughter, a weekly social gathering that we enjoy immensely.

My book launch news is that I have been offered space at another business networking event that takes place on 28th June in Nantwich, Cheshire. I will be at the event, one month before the due date for my baby,  and I will officially introduce the Redcliffe novels complete trilogy to an eager audience. If you are in the area why not come along and say hello? There will be lots of exciting people to meet, and also an exhibition of jewellery from the fabulous Stella and Dot. See you there!