Book after Book

By Laura Ambrose Synopsis: Emma does not want, or need, a relationship and everything that comes with one. She has her career as a science fiction editor in London keeping her busy, and she needs to overcome her own writer’s block. Every few weeks, she meets the mysterious S and has no-strings-attached dalliances. It’s the best way to satisfy her needs and wants without all the extra bells and whistles. How did this book end up in my hands? The author kindly sent me a digital copy of this novella in exchange for my honest opinion.  Was it a page-turner? I wasn’t able to read it in one sitting but, given the chance, I could easily have done that. At less than 150 pages, you wouldn’t expect to get to know the Emma and S so well but there is some great character building going on here and you just can’t help caring and wanting to know what’s in store for them.  Did the book meet my expectations? Having read A Hidden Hope , the first novella in the series, I had an ide...

By Alex Jones Synopsis: Joining the parenting club in our thirties and beyond means that we are spinning an extraordinary amount of plates, often including a career at its peak. Most of us co-parent or fly solo in the true sense of the word, relying solely on our partners and/or friends when more often than not, extended family are too far away to help on a regular basis. Our parents could look to their parents for the usual guidance and extra support, but our situation is new, modern and unique. We are winging it! This book isn't a guide or a parenting manual - it's more of a support group for parents who are having their children in their thirties and forties to get together, to celebrate, share experiences, laugh and find joy in what is still the biggest life changing experience any of us will ever go through. It's the book I looked for when I was pregnant, that spoke to me as a working parent and that I couldn't find so I've had a go at writing on...

Welcome to the blog tour for CLOSE TO THE EDGE by Toby Faber , which is out now with Muswell Press and ready to take you on an exhilarating journey. I was very lucky to be able to read this novel ahead of publication - thanks to its online serialisation on The Pigeonhole - and my enthusiastic comments were picked on by the publisher, which is how I happen to be here today! If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller and the chance to put your intuition to the test, Close To The Edge is the book for you. Plus, with locations coming alive on the page, it will make you feel like you’re in the middle of the action.  Enough about what I thought. I have a special treat for you today: here’s my Q&A with Toby Faber himself! Hi Toby! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of Close To The Edge ! Can you please briefly tell us what it is about? A: Thank you. Laurie is a young woman who is clearly clever but has ended up stuck in a dead-end job, ...

By Phoebe Morgan Published by HQ Synopsis: Perfect mother. Perfect wife. Jane Goodwin has spent years building her picture-perfect life in the quiet town of Ashdon. So when the girl next door, sixteen-year-old Clare Edwards, is found murdered, Jane knows she must first protect her family. Every marriage has a few white lies and hers is no exception. Jane’s worked hard to cover up her dark secret from all those years ago – and she’ll do anything to keep it hidden… How did this book end up in my hands? I have read this book via an online serialisation by The Pigeonhole . Was it a page-turner? Absolutely. Every day of the serialisation, I would eagerly wait for the daily instalment only for it to be over too quickly. I don’t think I’m a particularly fast reader but I couldn’t get enough of this novel! Having read the synopsis, did the book meet my expectations? The synopsis is adequately creepy but the novel itself is even more chilling. Expectations were...

Hi Deborah! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of The Dangerous Kind ! Can you please briefly tell us what it is about? A: It’s a thriller about a BBC journalist called Jessamine Gooch who hosts a true crime radio show called ‘Potentially Dangerous People’. When someone asks if she will help them investigate the disappearance of a young woman, Jessamine soon finds herself embroiled in a series of events that take her into the very heart of the British establishment. Did you have the plot entirely figured out when you started writing the book or did it take an unexpected turn as the characters grew on the page? A: I didn’t have my plot figured out at all. I had my main characters and I knew I wanted to write a story that explored recent real live events, most notably the Rotheram scandal (in which it came to light that young girls were being groomed and raped by gangs of men) and Operation Yewtree which revealed the crimes of a huge number of cel...

By Kate London Published by Corvus Synopsis: When a teenage boy steps out of the shadows of Gallowstree Lane and asks a passer-by for help, it's already too late. His life is bleeding out on the London street.  The murder threatens to derail Operation Perseus, a cover police investigation into the Eardsley Bluds, an organised criminal network. Detective Kieran Shaw can't and won't allow that to happen. But fifteen-year-old Ryan has other ideas. He's witnessed the death of his best friend, and now he wants someone to pay… As loyalties collide, a chain of events is triggered that threatens everyone with a connection to Gallowstree Lane.  How did this book end up in my hands? This was another successful serialisation via The Pigeonhole . Was it a page-turner? Definitely, yes. I probably would have read it much quicker if I had had a physical copy in my hands. However, I’m glad I didn’t because I was slightly out of my depth in the world of police investigati...

Hi Rajeev! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss ! Can you please briefly tell us what it is about? A: Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss is the story of a neoliberal economics professor at Cambridge who, every year, expects to win the Nobel Prize and is continually disappointed. He has a huge ego and is very identified with his prodigious intellect. As a result, he has severely damaged relations with his family. One day he is hit by a bicycle and wakes up in hospital alone. After his Californian doctor tells him he’ll die if he doesn’t reform his approach to life, advising him to “follow your bliss”, Professor Chandra relocates to California where he has a series of life-changing encounters.  Did you have the plot entirely figured out when you started writing the book or did it take an unexpected turn as the characters grew on the page? A: I had it roughly planned in three broad sections, but these were v...

By Robin Talley Published by HQ Synopsis: In 1955 eighteen-year-old Janet Jones must keep the love she shares with her best friend a secret. As in the age of McCarthyism to be gay is to sin. But when Janet discovers a series of books about women falling in love with other women, it awakens something in her. As she juggles a romance she must keep hidden and a new-found ambition to write and publish her own story, she risks exposing herself – and Marie – to a danger all too real. Sixty-two years later, Abby Cohen can’t stop thinking about her senior project – classic 1950s lesbian pulp fiction. She feels especially connected to one author, ‘Marian Love’, and becomes determined to track her down and discover her true identity. Is Abby prepared for what she will find? How did this book end up in my hands? I requested a review copy of this book as soon as I saw it in the HQ newsletter and my wish was granted. I am one lucky bookblogger! Was it a page-turner? It was at first and...

Hi Susan! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of One Minute Later ! Can you please briefly tell us what it is about? A : It’s about a young woman whose dreams are shattered when she finds out she needs a new heart. The agonising wait changes her life completely as she realises she will never achieve her ambitions, that there is no time to fall in love, or to become a mother. Did you have the plot entirely figured out when you started writing the book or did it take an unexpected turn as the characters grew on the page? A: I’d say I knew about half of it when I started. I like the characters to have free rein in the story and I love being surprised when things take a turn I hadn’t expected. That happens quite a lot. What kind of research, if any, did you have to carry out while you were writing this novel? In general, is research something you enjoy or a means to an end? A: I spent a lot of time talking with Jim Lynskey, a young man who is ...