Beltane Blessings and Happy May Day! 🌺🔥🌿

Beltane is an ancient Celtic festival that has been celebrated for thousands of years. It marks the beginning of summer and the season of growth and fertility. The festival is traditionally held on May 1st and is a time for honouring the beauty and power of nature, and for connecting with the energies of growth, abundance, and renewal.

Beltane has been celebrated in many different ways throughout history, but some of the most common practices include lighting bonfires, dancing, and performing rituals to bless the crops and livestock. The bonfires were seen as a symbol of the sun's power and were believed to have protective and purifying properties.

During Beltane, people would also participate in rituals to promote fertility and prosperity. This was a time for celebrating new beginnings, as the earth began to awaken from its winter slumber and new life began to sprout from the soil.

Today, Beltane is still celebrated by many people around the world, particularly those who follow pagan or Wiccan traditions. While the festival may have changed over time, its core values remain the same: a celebration of the cycles of life, the beauty of nature, and the power of growth and renewal.

To celebrate Beltane, people may choose to plant new seeds, take a nature walk, or perform rituals that honour the energies of the season. Some may also choose to hold a bonfire or participate in group dances or ceremonies.

Beltane is a reminder that we are all connected to the natural world and that our own growth and renewal is tied to the cycles of the earth. It is a time to honour the past, celebrate the present, and embrace the future with open hearts and minds.

In a world that often feels disconnected from nature, Beltane is a reminder of the power and beauty of the earth and our own place within it. As we move forward into the season of growth and abundance, let us remember the lessons of Beltane and embrace the energies of creativity, renewal, and transformation.

Download your FREE copy of It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

The Vampire of Blackpool Tells Her Story

Are you planning a holiday to Blackpool this year? You had better watch out for the resident vampire and her companions. Here’s an excerpt from Vampire of Blackpool:

 

Excerpt

Leaping into the air, I struggled to ascend at first. My balance was unsteady, and my body felt like a lead weight. Gritting my teeth, I forced my mind to focus, and I managed a swift if unstable flight to the hospital. Fortunately, it was only a short distance away, but by the time I alighted behind a brick store shed in the grounds of my destination, I almost collapsed. I was starving. I was weak. I managed to walk slowly across the road and towards the double doors that led into the waiting room for the casualty department. There were ambulances and vehicles coming and going, but the pavement was strangely empty of people. All the busy life was contained within the building.

Staggering through the automatic doors, I gasped as a wave of sheer exhaustion poured over me. I was descending into bloodlust. I very nearly attacked the first person I set eyes on, but at the last moment managed to control myself. I was surrounded by beating hearts and succulent bodies. I needed blood. As I leaned against the wall, my breath rasping, my eyes wild with hunger and pain, I became aware of voices approaching as two nurses hurried to my aid.

“Here,” one woman shouted, “Let us help you.”

What happens next? Read the book to find out! Click here to get your copy and meet the vampires that lurk in my part of the world.

Download your FREE copy of It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

#BookReview Without You (The Real Thing #2) by Felicity Rose

Having read The Real Thing (Book #1) by Felicity Rose previously, I was excited to read the sequel, Without You. Here is my review.  

 

My Review

Having read and enjoyed the first book in this series, I was excited to see what happened after a dramatic end previously. It played out pretty much as I would expect but that is a good thing because it is also pretty much how I would behave, or how I would expect other people to behave in similar circumstances. Again, I liked the sex scenes and the visits to "the club." It is nice to see reference to interests that don't fit society's norm, and to have them included in a healthy, mature manner rather than as titillation or something criminal. There had to be a nice, vanilla end to the story of course!

The book could do with some more editing to tighten the grammar, and I could see where readers from other social/cultural circles might find the writing style a bit clumsy. I understood it because the author wrote in the same style as she would speak, which I recognised. Still, I recommend that you focus on the story, not on the writing, and support indie authors.

About the Book

Everything in Saskia Matthew's world changed in an instant when the love of her life, Jim, left to take care of his son.

Broken hearted and hurting, his memory haunts her every move.

The desperate need to release the exhibitionist inside her now plagues Saskia's mind, making her crave the life Jim acquainted her with.

But can she do it without him?

On the other side of the world, Jim's life has also been turned upside down.

In a heart-breaking position, Jim is ready to do everything he can to put the pieces back together and make the best life for him and his son, even if that means taking him away from the only home he has ever known.

But will it be too late?

Buy the book: Amazon.

 

Did you enjoy this article? Browse the latest exclusive special offers and discount codes from more of my affiliate partners. Click here. 

*Article contains affiliate links

How to Survive when you hold the Heart of the Vampire

 It is almost Halloween in Redcliffe, Cornwall, and Jessica Stone is not the woman she used to be. Her summer was hijacked by werewolves, she fell in love with a vampire, and now she is learning how to be a witch, and what it means to celebrate Samhain with her new coven. Her vampire boyfriend, Jack Mason, is busy at work as a police detective, and his identical twin brother Danny, the werewolf alpha, refuses to let go of the woman he has chosen to protect his pack.

Jessica must learn about control, power, and the love that she truly feels for her vampire boyfriend and his brother.

Excerpt

“You have to feed, Jack,” I insisted, “And you cannot use me. We tried that before and you almost killed me, remember?”

“You found a way to survive,” my vampire replied gruffly.

I laughed, but it was not amusement that brought such a reaction.

“I survived,” I said, emphasising the word, “because of your brother. Danny saved me. He sacrificed his wolves so that I could claw back some human strength. Maybe that’s what caused this…” I gestured to the empty space on the bed behind me, “thing with Suri.”

“Perhaps,” Jack replied quietly, “But the point is, you survived.”

#TheRedcliffeNovels

The Redcliffe novels series follow the adventures of bookshop owner Jessica Stone as she meets a man and falls in love, only to discover the hidden werewolf secrets of her close friends. That includes Simon Bunce, manager of the Ship Inn, who turns out to be lieutenant to the Redcliffe werewolf pack, and lover to the wolf alpha Danny Mason. He fights to protect his master from the ethereal animal familiar who threatens to claim their pack. Who knew the Cornish coast could be so deadly?

Buy links: Smashwords; Apple Books

Download your FREE copy of It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

#BookReview: Verity by Colleen Hoover

 I am determined to keep up with my local book club this year, and today I share my review for Verity by Colleen Hoover.

 

My Review

This was my first Colleen Hoover novel and I read it for my local book club. Yes, I enjoyed it! The book deals with the dark side of the human mind and the nature of obsession and love, but you never quite know what is "real" and what is not. It kept me hooked but I didn't get too emotionally involved. Perhaps as a writer I managed to stay detached, knowing that the protagonists were also writers (apart from Jeremy, and I still can't decide what to think about him). Still, it was an entertaining read, and it gave me something new to think about.

About the Book

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

Buy the book: Amazon; Waterstones; WH Smith.

 Download your FREE copy of It’s Complicated (A Redcliffe Short Story) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

*Article contains affiliate links

International Women’s Day #IWD2023

Happy International Women’s Day! Let’s celebrate the work of female authors, especially those like me who work alone, from home, with very little outside support for our business.

I am still doggedly pursuing my dream of literary fame and fortune, and still it evades me. But I am comforted in the knowledge that every day my work gets a little bit better, every day I learn something new that I can put into my craft, and every day I might be one step closer to truly fulfilling my childhood dream of being a famous author. When I was a child I never thought I could possibly write a novel, let alone publish one, and now I have several published novels that are widely available around the world. That is an achievement!

 

 

What are the inspirational female authors that influence your life in some way? Maybe they wrote something that struck a chord with your life experience. Perhaps they helped you to feel part of a community or eased your loneliness. Or maybe they gave you a good story to read that took you away from the stress of life, that made you laugh, that made you smile, and that made you feel better.

 

 

My writing is influenced by Laurell K Hamilton, Anne Rice, L.J. Smith and lots of female authors whose work I have enjoyed throughout my life. Now I strive to become another strong female writer that can help inspire a new generation of readers. My daughters are desperate to read my books, but they are not old enough yet and I’m not sure I want them to. They would never look at me in the same way again! Who are your favourite female writers?

 

Download your FREE copy of It’s Complicated (A Redcliffe Short Story) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

✨Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Do you enjoy a good fairy tale? I do! I was inspired to write a contemporary short story about a werewolf and a fairy. Tell me what you think of it!

 🖤The Wolf and the Fairy - English Gothic horror story

 She is a werewolf hunter, descended from ancient fairies, destined to fulfill her role in the family business. He is a lone wolf, his family brutally torn away, revenge his motivation for existence.

 The fairy and the wolf come together in a violent union as this modern, adult fairy tale gives us an alternative account of life in ancient Britain, and how it has evolved in the present day.

 Get the book now.

 

Excerpt

“Where is you lair?” she demanded, pointing her sword at the wolf.

            The woman stared up at her with a face streaked with tears and blood. She shook her head.

            “I will not give up my pack to you,” she spat, “Kill me if you want. It makes no difference now.”

            Tania nodded, and shoved the sword through the woman’s body, from her back straight through her chest. She screamed, cried, and slumped down across her mate’s body. Tania sank onto her knees on the wet grass. It was still raining. She was soaked, but she barely felt the water seeping through  her jeans. She felt numb, empty.  Killing werewolves was such a normal activity for her, that she had almost forgotten what it felt like to be guilty or remorseful.

Download your FREE copy of It’s Complicated (A Redcliffe Short Story) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here.