Huge congratulations to Abi Yardimci on the cover reveal for Everything is Yours, the final book in the Life is Yours trilogy, a stunning and evocative series about life, love and finding your heart. And look at this stunning cover!
About the book
New Year’s Eve is in full swing. Jess and Lindy have met by chance and already they’re sharing a bottle of wine in a cosy Turkish restaurant. Lindy is hooked on a story Jess is telling, but midnight is coming and happy endings aren’t always guaranteed . . .
After Jess returns from the trip of a lifetime high on hope, ambition and new love, she’s ready to take on the world. She shuts down her business, cuts ties with her ex and announces to everyone the old her is gone.
But a violent encounter rocks her world and her past comes crashing back to haunt her. With a childhood demon to forgive, a long-distance relationship to navigate and that final layer of self-love to uncover, can Jess dig deep and put the final pieces in place before midnight comes knocking?
My thoughts on the book
This is a beautifully written love story – but it’s not just about love, it’s about finding your way, your heart. Abigail has a turn of phrase that made my heart sing – it’s unique and evocative and this is a fabulous finale to the series.
Abigail Yardimci was born in Consett, Co. Durham in the UK. She has worked as a video rental person, a catalogue product-picker, a deli-sandwich-maker and an amazing barmaid. She eventually trained as an arts education consultant working across the North East of England, she sold her abstract paintings internationally and more recently trained to teach mindfulness meditation to young people and families.
Abigail now works as an author and is in the middle of unleashing the Life Is Yours trilogy on the world. The books are published by Soft Rebel Publishing and the first book, Life Is Yours and the second, Destiny Is Yours are available to buy on Amazon.
The Life Is Yours trilogy follows the adventure of one woman who goes from ‘heartbreak to heart awake’ in the space of a year. It’s a story of love, loss and the beauty of circling back to yourself.
Today marks publication day for the The Best Christmas Ever, by the lovely Karen King and to mark this special occasion, we are welcoming her back to Off the Beaten Track! Congratulations, Karen – I am loving this cover!
Tell us what inspired you to write The Best Christmas Ever?
I think with Covid restrictions Christmas last year was difficult for most of us and we’re all looking forward to getting together for Christmas this year, to spending time with family and friends. I know I am. And this gave me the idea of writing a story about a young woman, Lexi Forde, going down to Devon to spend Christmas with her family. Her brother and his family are coming over from Canada too and it’s the first time the whole family has been together for a few years. The Fordes do Christmas in a big way and are all looking forward to being able to take part in their family traditions again. Despite discovering that her boyfriend is cheating on her just before Christmas, Lexi is determined to have ‘the best Christmas ever’ – as I think a lot of people will be this year. That’s why it’s so important for Lexi – and Granny Mabe – that the traditional Christmas Eve carol service around the tree on the green goes ahead. Christmas can be a lonely time for older folk, or people who live alone though, and a difficult time for people who work in the emergency services so I wanted to incorporate that into the story too. Lexi and her family love Christmas and her fight to save the tree draws the whole village in. I hope it draws readers in too, and that they enjoy the story.
What’s your most recent read that you’d like to recommend?
I’ve just finished reading an ARC copy of My Daughter’s Mistake by Kate Hewitt. An incredible story told from both mothers’ POV when the teenage daughter of one of them is involved in a car accident where the six year old daughter of the other mother is seriously injured. It’s a thought-provoking authentic read.
What has been your author highlight over the past year?
I write psychological thrillers as well as romances and have recently signed a contract with Bookouture, my other publishers, for two more thrillers. I’m over the moon as my debut psychological thriller, The Stranger in my Bed, was published less than a year ago, and my second one, The Perfect Stepmother, was out in June. I can’t wait to start writing my third and fourth.
What are you working on now?
My third romance novel for Headline, The Spanish Wedding Disaster. When their best friend Kate’s partner Steve tells Sophie and Maddie that he’s planning a secret wedding to Kate when they are both on holiday in Spain in three months’ time, Sophie thinks it’s the most romantic thing ever but Maddie is horrified. So is Steve’s brother Josh, pointing out that Steve hasn’t even proposed to Kate yet. Steve refuses to listen to their objections and persuades them to help him with the wedding plans. But things don’t go according to plan and Sophie wonders if Maddie and Josh are right and it will end up a total disaster. Will Kate say ‘Yes’ or turn Steve down?
What do you hope readers will take away from The Best Christmas Ever?
I hope they find it a heart-warming, feel-good read that takes them away from the ups and downs of life for a while. We all need a bit of cheering up right now. And I hope that all my readers have ‘the best Christmas ever’ this year.
About the book
A heart-warming Christmas romance, perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Mandy Baggot and Milly Johnson.
Lexi Forde adores Christmas. She’s especially looking forward to it this year as it’s the first Christmas with her boyfriend Ben and her older brother is visiting from Canada with his family. So they’re having a family Christmas at her parents’ house in Devon.
But then Lexi sees Ben kissing someone else and discovers he’s been having an affair. Devastated, she travels to Devon alone. She’s determined not to let her break up with Ben spoil her family Christmas. But when she arrives, Lexi discovers the council won’t allow the Christmas tree on The Green to be decorated this year; it’s too dangerous and has to come down. Lexi is desperate to save their favourite family tradition and make this Christmas extra special.
Can she save the tree and mend her broken heart in time for Christmas?
Karen King is a multi-published author of both adult and children’s books. She has had ten romantic novels published, two psychological thrillers, 120 children’s books, two young adult novels, and several short stories for women’s magazines. Her romantic novel The Cornish Hotel by the Sea became an international bestseller, reaching the top one hundred in the Kindle charts in both the UK and Australia. Karen is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. Karen now lives in Spain where she loves to spend her non-writing time exploring the quaint local towns with her husband, Dave, when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.
I am delighted to be joining the blog tour for the wonderful book, Falling in Louvre by a favourite author (and person), Fiona Leitch.
Tell us what inspired you to write Falling in Louvre?
Back in 2016, there were huge floods in Paris. The Seine burst its banks, Metro lines were closed after tunnels flooded, and the basement storage area of the Louvre also ended up under water. In order to protect the artefacts stored in the basement, the Louvre was closed and everything moved onto higher floors. I thought, what a fantastic time for an art heist! While everything is topsy turvy! I was working as a cleaner at the time, and I liked the idea of someone who was constantly underestimated and almost invisible being responsible for a massive art theft (which the Netflix show Lupin has done brilliantly since). But I also wanted them to be sympathetic, to not be your usual criminals, and so I decided to tie it in with a love story. Plus I’d been to Paris the year before, and it’s such an atmospheric city – no wonder so many stories are set there! I wanted to use some of the less well known parts of the city.
What do you hope readers will take away from Falling in Louvre?
I hope they fall in love with Sylvie and Philippe, as well as Paris. I hope they see as well that no problem is insurmountable, but you can’t always do it on your own and there’s no shame in asking for help.
What’s your most recent read that you’d like to recommend?
I recently read Richard Osman’s debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club, and loved it. Great to see some older characters take centre stage, and not all be doddery old dears! I love the gentle humour and the twisty plot too. Plus I’ve lived in some of the places in the book, which was nice.
What has been your author highlight over the past year?
There have been several! Probably the first three books in my cosy mystery series being released, and signing a contract for three more. And co-writing something completely different with you, Sandy!
What are you working on now?
The next three books in the Nosey Parker series – editing number 4, writing number 5, and planning number 6! I also have another, very different, completely standalone novel set in New Zealand that I want to write.
Blurb for Falling in Louvre
Bertrand is King of the Pigeons…
Unofficially. From his perch atop a gargoyle on Notre Dame cathedral, he surveys his kingdom. He sees Sylvie Cloutier, art lover and ex-antiques dealer, making dinner for her bullying husband Henri, trapped in their loveless marriage like a bird in a gilded cage. He sees security guard, hopeless romantic and bookworm Philippe Moreau cycling through the streets of Paris in his crumpled uniform, late (again) for his night shift at the museum.
When Sylvie begs her husband to let her go to work, he gets her a job as an evening cleaner at the Louvre. He thinks such a menial position will dispel any ideas about independence she might have, but his plan backfires when she falls in love with kind, gentle Philippe. They decide to run away together, but there’s a major problem: neither of them has any money.
One stormy night in the Louvre, the answer to their prayers falls into their lap… But is it really the solution, or just another, even bigger problem?
What follows is a romantic, wistful but madcap adventure through (and under) the city of lights, involving a stolen painting, an art heist in reverse, and Eric Cantona. Will love find a way?
My reviewof Falling in Louvre
This is a wonderfully written book, with moments of humour, a slow-burn romance, and a deep dive into an important issue all wrapped up in a heist. Terrific mashup from the Queen of Mashups – highly recommended for romance readers, cosy mystery readers, and those who want to read something special.
Fiona Leitch is a writer with a chequered past. She’s written for football and motoring magazines, DJ’ed at illegal raves and is a stalwart of the low budget TV commercial, even appearing as the Australasian face of a cleaning product called ‘Sod Off’. After living in London and Cornwall she’s finally settled in sunny New Zealand, where she enjoys scaring her cats by trying out dialogue on them. She spends her days dreaming of retiring to a crumbling Venetian palazzo, walking on the windswept beaches of West Auckland, and writing funny, flawed but awesome female characters.
I’d been single for several years, dating occasionally but nothing serious as, after two back-to-back relationships with cheaters, I was convinced that all men should f*ck off and die. My status as a late-30s singleton was a concern to many of my family members and well-meaning friends and the topic of far too many conversations. In fact, when I booked the trip, I lost count of the number of time I heard ‘Oh, you might meet someone’.
But I didn’t want to meet someone. At 37, I had met enough someones to know that relationships were not for me. I would lose sight of myself, pretending to be someone I wasn’t just to keep them going.
So imagine my surprise when I said goodbye to two of my oldest and dearest friends, Greek-Australian siblings I’d just spent the week with in Athens and Santorini, and boarded a rickety bus to ride dusty roads to the small port on the southern tip of Santorini – Vlychada – and when I stepped off that bus, I met someone.
‘Are you on the sailing trip,’ said the tall, cute American I’d been watching on the bus.
‘Yep.’
‘Oh, thank god I’m in the right place.’ I smiled at him. ‘Sorry, I’m Ben.’ He held out his hand for me to shake it.
‘Sandy.’ He had a firm handshake and a friendly smile.
‘Should we go find our boat?’ he asked.
‘Sounds good.’
We found the right boat, met the people we’d be sailing with for the next 10 days and embarked on a remarkable friendship. I say ‘remarkable’ because despite have a 10-year age difference, living on different continents and having a vastly different upbringings, professions, and life experiences, I’d met someone who saw the world through similar eyes to mine.
And he was super cute too. See?
Me and Ben, Mykonos 2006
Our friendship turned romantic and by the end of the trip, I knew I wanted him in my life. But how would that work? I lived in Sydney and he lived in St Paul.
Well, we did make it work. We met up to travel together for more than 2 years – Hawaii, New Zealand, a road trip up the West Coast of the US – and then in 2008, we made the (exciting and terrifying) decision to move together to Seattle. There was a ‘hard-to-get’ visa to come by (mine), a job to leave (mine), a job to transfer (Ben’s), and an apartment to find and set up (both of us). There was also a MASSIVE LEAP OF FAITH for Ben to move across the country and me across the world to move in with someone we’d only spent (collectively) 3 months with, face to face.
Cut to 2021.
We’ve lived together in 4 apartments in 2 cities (not counting our 2018 sabbatical, which takes that tally to double digits).
We’ve added dozens more trips to our repertoire (longer international trips, interstate trips to see family and friends and to explore, and shorter local trips to ‘get away’). We’ve taken a year-long sabbatical, living and working in WA, Bali, Seattle, Minnesota, the UK, Edinburgh, and Portugal, and visiting LA, Chicago, Ireland, Wales and Amsterdam.
We’ve tasted wine in regions around the world – Australia, New Zealand, California, the Pacific Northwest, Italy, and Portugal – with many more on our wine tasting bucket list. We’ve been sailing, boating, white water rafting, sky diving, ziplining, abseiling, hiking, water skiing, glacier climbing, snowshoeing, skiing, and paddle-boarding. Ben learnt to surf in Hawaii, but I stayed (safe) on the beach.
We’ve loved 2 kitties – Lucy (sadly, she died in 2015) and Rocky (he found his forever home in 2017)- and are about to bring home a 3rd (disclaimer: no pet’s names have been used in passwords😉). We’ve had several career changes each, and I’ve published 5 books and am about to finish writing my 8th. I’ve gone from being a brunette to a (dark) blonde (really a silver vixen, but not quite ready to embrace that yet) and Ben has gone from a curly-haired cutie to a smooth-headed hottie.
We’ve made lifelong friends together.
We’ve changed, we’ve grown, we’ve evolved and we’ve stayed ourselves.
And the past 2 years, we have spent every day and every night together. And through a pandemic, he is still my person, my someone. There is no other person I could have gotten through this with, babe.
Thank you for your good humour, your sometimes lame, but more often clever jokes, for hugs and laughs and dancing in the living room. Thank you for cleaning our windows so we can at least enjoy the view. Thank you for keeping track of seventy million streaming services and finding fun and interesting things for us to watch. Thank you for letting me teach you backgammon and for the games of gin rummy, even though you almost always beat me. Thank you for reading books about philosophy and thinking and how the mind works, broadening my knowledge and perception both by example and in our fascinating conversations. Thank you for enjoying my cooking, even when I’m phoning it in. Thank you for making the bed each morning, taking out the rubbish, and vacuuming to keep our home a sanctuary. Thank you for walks around the city and listening and understanding when it all gets too much. Thank you for celebrating every minor milestone of my publishing career – and thank you for keeping us well stocked in bubbles for those celebrations.
Thank you for being you. Thank you for being my someone. Happy 15th(!) anniversary.
I am thrilled to have been chosen as an Australia Reads Ambassador this year, especially as I have just published my 5th book with HarperCollins and am currently writing my 8th!
To mark this very special day, I have a treat for you. I have recorded the first chapter of my latest book, The Dating Game.
Here’s the blurb:
Abby Jones has a secret identity …
While her dream is to be an investigative journalist, in her ‘day job’ she is the Anastasia Blabbergasted, Queen of Snark and illustrious recapper of British reality television shows for online magazine, Feed Your Mind. When a recap of reality dating show, The Stag, goes viral, the show’s producers practically insist that she joins next season’s cast, undercover as a Doe – won’t that make her recaps all the spicier! Abby’s editor is all for the idea, but Abby can’t think of anything worse – even though next season is filming in Sydney!
That is until Abby meets gorgeous Australian, Jack – rescuer from murderous elevator doors and the producer of the show. With the opportunity to write a juicy tell-all and perhaps break out of recapping once and for all, a free trip to Sydney, and (let’s face it) more time with the gorgeous Aussie, Abby looks on the bright side, donning a whole new persona as ‘Doe Abby’.
The adventure (really) begins in Sydney when Abby meets the rest of the cast – eleven other Does and Daniel, the Stag – while failing miserably to keep her crush on Jack in check. Lots of madcap fun and romantic adventures ensure – all with the backdrop of one of the world’s most beautiful cities.
And here’s the recording:
If you enjoyed that and you’d like to read The Dating Game, find out where to get it here.
Today is publication day for my 5th book, The Dating Game! You can read about my inspiration for the book here and today I thought I would share the acknowledgements. It always takes ‘a village’ to publish a book and this one was no exception.
The Dating Game Acknowledgements
As we all know, 2020 was an incredibly trying year across the world (and 2021 has already had its challenges too), but something that came from that difficult time – when my home city of Melbourne was strictly locked down for the better part of the year – was this book.
The idea came from a sweepstake at work. The Bachelor (or Bachie, as we call it in Australia) was starting and for some mid-pandemic light relief, my colleagues created a sweepstake, with the pot going to whoever drew the winning Bachelorette. To add to the experience, I started writing recaps of each episode – snarky, funny recaps – which I would post in our group chat the morning after each episode aired.
I mentioned the recaps to a close author friend, Andie Newton, one of my fellow Renegades. She asked to read one and immediately replied with, ‘This needs to be a book.’ I couldn’t imagine how a recap could turn into a book, but she came back with, ‘Write the story about the woman who writes the recaps.’ Genius. I bounced ideas off her and the other Renegades, Nina Kaye and Fiona Leitch, sent a sample chapter to my agent, Lina Langlee, and we pitched it to my editor at One More Chapter. Once I had the ‘thumbs up’ from my publisher, I researched, researched, researched – meaning I watched every episode of The Bachelor and continued to write my recaps. When the season was over, I sat down and wrote this book.
An enormous thank you, Andie, for sparking the original idea and for being a brilliant sounding board in the planning stages. For a historical fiction author, you certainly have excellent ideas for romcoms. Thank you also to Nina and Fi, who have been right there with me throughout the entire authoring process and particularly for answering my endless ‘Does this sound British enough?’ questions. And thank you to Fi and Andie for being early readers and giving me (incredibly) helpful feedback.
Thank you also to my lovely colleagues (and work friends) who ran the sweepstake, LOLed at my recaps (which spurred me on), and encouraged me, especially Carla, Natalie, Amanda, Dee, Shileen, Sam, and Keely.
A huge shout out to my wonderful editors. Hannah Todd was still at One More Chapter when we pitched this book. Hannah, thank you for advocating for me and The Dating Game – I so appreciate it – and thank you for all I learnt from you while working on my first four books.
To Jennie Rothwell, although you are new to One More Chapter, I already know that we are going to be a great team. Your inciteful feedback and your vision for this book have elevated my writing and I so look forward to working with you on my next books with One More Chapter. And speaking of … thank you so much to the incredibly hard-working team at One More Chapter, especially Charlotte Ledger and Bethan Morgan for being champions of my writing and for working so hard through the toughest of times.
A big thank you to my (fabulous, talented, and dedicated) agent, Lina Langlee of The North Literary Agency. I so appreciate the leap of faith you took with me on this book, and your early feedback was instrumental in setting me up for success. And another big thank you to Julie Fergusson, also of The North, who stepped in while Lina was on maternity leave. Thank you for your expert guidance and unwavering support to help me get this book across the line.
As always, I am grateful to my fellow authors for their support, their empathy, their trust, and their inspiring work. It is an honour and a privilege to be part of your community and I am constantly in awe of how generous you are and of your incredible work. A special mention and thank you to the volunteers who run our associations, the Romance Novelists Association (UK) and the Romance Writers Association (AU) for continuing to support and elevate the Romance genre. And thank you to my fellow #AusWrites-ers and #6amAusWrites-ers – I love our catchups on the socials and sometimes even in person!
A special thank you to Julie Houston, who provided the cover quote for this book. Julie, I admire you as a writer, but also as a person – you are so generous, thoughtful, and talented. Thank you for taking time out of your incredibly busy schedule to read my book. It means the world to me that you loved it.
And when I cheekily asked some other fellow romance authors if they’d like to do an early read, they all said yes! Thank you, Jessica Redland, Katie Ginger, Lucy Knott (and Kelly too), Rachael Stewart, Nikki Moore, Kiley Dunbar, and debut novelist and writing community maven, Anita Faulkner. I am also grateful to belong to the incredibly supportive (and aptly named) Author Support Network.
Thank you also to the reading and reviewing community – the bloggers, podcasters, and reviewers who generously share their thoughts on reading and books – especially to the community of Chick Lit and Prosecco (particularly for supporting my cover reveal and the lead up to publication day); the Australian Romance Readers Association (particularly you, Debbie, for all your incredible work); Australian Book Lovers (Darren and Veronica) who have generously hosted me on their podcast twice; Kim the Bookworm (Kim Nash) for inviting me on Book Chat with Kim – you are not only a wonderful author in your own right, but a terrific supporter of our community; and to the Australian Writers Centre for hosting me on their podcast, ‘So You Want to Be a Writer?’ (thank you, Valerie and Allison). And I have worked with the wonderful Rachel Gilbey several times – Rachel, it is a pleasure to work with you and thank you for all you do to organise such incredible book blog tours.
I always rely heavily on the support of my close friends and family, and my partner, Ben, to get through each stage of launching a book – from conception to publication and beyond. Ben, thank you for understanding that even minor milestones should be celebrated (and usually with bubbles). Thank you to my sis, Victoria, my mum, Lee, and dear friends, Lindsey, Jen, and Kate, for being early readers of this book and supporting and encouraging me. Thank you to the best, most supportive and loving parents and family a woman could ask for – your unwavering support is such a large part of why I get to do this wondrous thing, be an author. A special shout out to my Aunties, Linda, Candyce, Fran, Carmel, Karen, and Jenny – and especially my Great Aunt Joan. I am so fortunate to have such incredible role models in my life.
And lastly, thank you, dear reader, for coming on this fun and fabulous journey with me, Abby, and the gang. I hope you had a blast!
Out now in ebook and print to come on December 9. Buy links can be found here.
Really excited to welcome one of the AusWrites originals to Off The Beaten Track today. Kevin’s latest book, The Midnight Man is out today – huge congratulations, Kevin and welcome!
Tell us what inspired you to write The Midnight Man?
It was Kate Bush’s haunting hit, ‘The Man With the Child in His Eyes’. The idea of a lover who only appeared in your bedroom when it’s time to sleep, appealed to me.
When did you start writing seriously?
I think it was in the 2000s some time. And after my manuscript was assessed several times, and rejected many more times, I was finally published in 2012. It took a while but I got there.
What do you love most about being an author?
Telling tales. I like taking aspects of my own life and heavily fictionalising them. And stealing clever lines which my friends have said and including them in my work.
What are you working on now?
I have two projects at the moment. One is the sequel to my dystopian novel, Social Media Central. It’s called Virtual Insanity and features manipulative robots.
The other follows six friends through the Sydney rave party days of the 1990s.
What do you hope readers will take away from The Midnight Man?
When you’re a gay author, many people mistake you as a Romance writer, or think you write erotica. So it’s important for me to clarify what this novel is.
My editor told me she ‘liked what the story had to say about the good and bad aspects of getting older.’ While many other things happen in the novel, it’s basically an Urban Fantasy about seeing where you want to be in life and finding how to get there.
More about the book
Stanley is almost fifty. He hates his job, has an overbearing mother, and is in a failed relationship.
Then he meets Asher, the man of his dreams, literally in his dreams.
Asher is young, captivating, and confident about his future – everything Stanley is not. So, Asher gives Stan a gift. The chance to be an extra five years younger each time they meet.
Some of their adventures are whimsical. A few are challenging. Others are totally surreal. All are designed to bring Stan closer to the moment his joyful childhood turned to tears.
But when they fall in love, Stan knows he can’t live in Asher’s dream world. Yet Stan is haunted by Asher’s invitation to “Slip into eternal sleep.”
Check with Kevin’s publisher Ninestar Press for buy links.
More about Kevin
Kevin lives with his husband, Warren, in their humble apartment (affectionately named Sabrina), in Sydney.
His tall tales explore unrequited love in the theatre district of the Afterlife, romance between a dreamer and a realist, an abused man in search of himself on an enchanted ocean liner, and a dystopian city addicted to social media.
His first novel, Drama Queens with Love Scenes, spawned a secondary character named Guy. Many readers argue that Guy, the insecure gay angel, is the star of the Actors and Angels book series. His popularity surprised the author. The third in this series, Drama Queens and Devilish Schemes, scored a Rainbow Award (judged by fans of queer fiction) for Best Gay Alternative Universe/Reality novel.
So, with his fictional guardian angel guiding him, Kevin hopes to bring more whimsical tales of love, life and friendship to his readers.
Today marks Day 201 of lockdown in Melbourne since March 31 2020 – and that is full-on lockdown with only 5 reasons to leave home, no visitors or gatherings, not going more than 5km from home, and masks on everywhere including outside. Is it any wonder that the book I started in August – just as we commenced a 112-day lockdown – has the cast of a reality television stuck in the same house with each other for months?
It’s odd, I know, but it only just occurred to me last week – The Dating Game is both my lockdown book and my book about a ‘lockdown’. Though, that is not how or why it came about.
Last year, just as the Australian season of The Bachelor was about to commence, some colleagues asked around – who would be up for a sweepstakes? We’d all put some money in the kitty, be randomly assigned a bachelorette, and the last woman standing at the end of the season would win one of us the kitty. It was a fun way to liven up an otherwise (often) dull working-from-home existence. And after the season premier aired, I was inspired to write a witty recap. I posted it to our Teams chat the next day, got lots of LOLs and, as I am a sucker for positive reinforcement, I continued throughout the season.
I mentioned my recaps to an author friend, then sent her one and she said, ‘You should write that as a book.’
‘A season of The Bachelor as a book?’
‘No, write the story about the woman who writes the recaps. Then send her on the show undercover.’
I percolated on this (brilliant) idea then pitched it to my agent, (the fabulous) Lina Langlee, sending her one of the recaps. She said, ‘Write me chapter one. Show me who she is, this woman.’ I did, sending it back a couple of days later. She loved it. ‘Write the synopsis.’ I did. She loved that and we pitched it to my publisher, One More Chapter. Hannah Todd was my editor at the time and she leapt at it – she loved the tone, style, and premise, she loved Abby, my heroine, and we got the green light. Abby Jones a.k.a. Anastasia Blabbergasted would be strong-armed into going on The Stag as a contestant. (Thank you, Andie, you were right.)
The Dating Game is a little different from my other books. It’s still ‘destination fiction’ with a heroine from London and most of the book set in Sydney, but it isn’t really about travel the way that my other books have been.
It’s about love and relationships – about what you want and need in a relationship, and how that can differ from what you think you want. It’s also about what’s real and what’s not when you go on a reality television show seeking love. That was a really fun theme to explore and a lot of characters get to have that conversation – with themselves and with each other.
Another differentiator between this book and my previous books is the romantic tropes I got to play with – several, actually: slow burn, forbidden love, friends to lovers … I had a lot of fun exploring Abby’s relationship with her love interest, especially as it starts as a meeting of the minds (with a little lust thrown in). And even though this book doesn’t have as much heat as the Holiday Romance series, I think readers will love how Abby keeps her love interest on his toes – and deservedly so! She’s plucky and, sometimes, he’s a bit of a twit!
The book also includes recaps of The Stag written by Abby as ‘Anastasia’ and – oh my god – those were a blast to write. Anastasia loves word play and literary devices, she’s hilarious and just a little bit mean and, as I wrote her, she sounded a lot like Patsy from Ab Fab in my head.
There’s also an undercurrent throughout the book of being trapped by circumstance – of having no way out of the situation so having to make the most of it and, just maybe, discovering something about one’s self along the way. (This really resonated with me.)
One thing The Dating Game does share with my other books, is that female friendship is a strong theme. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the supporting characters and how friendships form, even under the unlikely circumstances of being in competition with each other. I’ve already had quite a few early reviews mention Kaz, one of the Aussie Does, and she could actually be fun to write as a heroine. Hmmm …
We also had some great early reader feedback about wanting an epilogue and on reflection, I wanted one too, so I wrote one! (Tip: If you downloaded the book from NetGalley before it was added, you can download it again to read the epilogue).
So, The Dating Game will forever be my ‘lockdown’ book, a little snapshot of what it was like to write while confined to home, and how ‘making the most of it’ resulted in my funniest book to date. I really hope you enjoy it – it’s light and fun and funny – and that it is as much an escape for you to read as it was for me to write.
Huge congratulations to Amanda Brittany on publication day of The Island House, her stunning new contemporary thriller.
Welcome Amanda. Tell us what inspired you to write The Island House?
I’ve always been a huge fan of Agatha Christie, and it’s fair to say the queen of locked room mysteries inspired me to write The Island House.
Visiting Burgh Island in Devon was the inspiration for the setting for The Island House – although Flynn House in the book is a Gothic residence, rather than Art Deco like Burgh Island Hotel. When writing the scenes on the actual island, Burgh Island Hotel was never far from my thoughts.
The locations of Whitby and the Suffolk coast are places I love to visit. I remember being in Whitby a few years ago when the Gothic festival was on, and thought then that I must include it in a novel one day.
And when did you start writing seriously?
I’ve loved writing and telling stories since I was young, and always had a good imagination. I dreamed of writing a book one day, but it wasn’t until 2006, when I was in a serious car crash, that I thought, ‘If I don’t try now, I never will.’ I studied Literature and Creative Writing with the Open University, and subbed my first story to My Weekly in 2008. 200 published stories later, my first novel Her Last Lie was published by HQ/HarperCollins in 2008.
What do you love most about being an author?
I love hearing from readers who have enjoyed my books. It really is the icing on the cake.
Can you tell us what you’re working on now?
I have three projects on the go at the moment. I’ve just finished the first draft of my sixth psychological thriller, am working on the outline for my seventh, and Karen Clarke and I are presently writing out third co-written novel, which is always great fun.
What do you hope readers will take away from The Island House?
I hope that The Island House will entertain readers, that they will enjoy trying to work out the twists – and will hopefully be surprised by some of them.
More about the book
A DARK FAMILY SECRET
When Alice’s father dies after a tragic hit and run, his death stirs up unanswered questions about her childhood. Who was her mother, why did her father never speak of the past, and why can’t she remember anything before the age of seven?
AN ISLAND CUT OFF
But when she receives an anonymous letter containing a photograph of a refurbished gothic guesthouse surrounded by water, and an invitation to stay, old memories fight to resurface.
Alice has visited before. She is certain of it.
WHO WILL SURVIVE?
Convinced the clues to her past lie at the hotel, she checks in. But once on the island, a wild storm rages, waves crash violently into the rocks, and the house is cut off by the roaring sea.
Then two guests are found dead. And the hotel owner is missing. Will Alice ever uncover her secret past?
Amanda Brittany is the best selling author of five psychological thrillers Her Last Lie, Tell the Truth, Traces of Her, I Lie in Wait and now, The Island House.
Her debut, Her Last Lie is being made into a film supported by Creative Scotland, and she has raised almost £8500 for Cancer Research UK from her eBook royalties, in memory of her sister. (Huge congrats on this too, Amanda!)
Amanda lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and a crazy, cute dog. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family and friends, travelling, walking her dogs, reading & sunny days. Though, since childhood, she has loved the snow, which features in Her Last Lie and I Lie in Wait.
She also writes psychological suspense novels with Karen Clarke. The Secret Sister and The Perfect Nanny are out now, and the writing duo are presently working on their third novel.
Welcoming the lovely Rosie Travers to Off the Beaten Track today to celebrate the recent release of her latest book, A Crisis at Clifftops. I’ve loved Rosie’s first two books and am excited for this new cosy mystery series.
Tell us, what inspired you to write A Crisis at Clifftops?
A Crisis at Clifftops is a humorous cosy mystery set on the Isle of Wight. It would be difficult to reveal the actual incident which inspired this novel, without giving away a major plot twist! However, the original idea was conceived while taking a short break on the island a few years’ back. I initially planned a ‘coming home’ story, featuring a jaded sportsman who returns to rejuvenate the family’s seaside business. My sportsman soon became a sportswoman (after all, why not?) and as soon as the opening line, “My grandmother had picked the perfect day to get arrested,” popped into my head, I decided it would be far more fun to write a cosy mystery. I realised I could use my main character, professional golfer Eliza, to solve a whole string of vintage mysteries based on the island’s geographic landmarks and cultural history.
When did you start writing seriously?
I began writing seriously about ten years ago. We had moved from our home on the south coast of England to California, I changed from being a busy working mum, to a lady of leisure with plenty of time on my hands. I started a blog about my somewhat surreal life as an ex-pat wife. I’d scribbled a few stories as a teenager and the blog rekindled that desire to become a writer. When we returned to the UK three years later I took a part-time creative writing course at my local college, thinking I’d write a book about my US experiences, but soon discovered I preferred writing fiction to fact. When my husband took another overseas assignment to the Netherlands a couple of years later, I was able to concentrate on writing full-time, and my first novel, The Theatre of Dreams, was published by Crooked Cat books in 2018.
What do you love most about being an author?
I was an avid reader from a very early age and have always loved escaping into a good book. When you’re engrossed in a book you can shut out the rest of the world, and I love the idea that as a writer, I can now provide that sense of escape to my own readers. I have a very vivid imagination, and I enjoy creating puzzles, setting my characters challenges and giving them dilemmas. It’s like being a puppet-master, although the puppets quite often take over! Having now decided to take the plunge into self-publishing I’ve also realised I don’t have to conform or write to a market, which has reignited my creativity. I have the freedom to write the books I want to read.
What are you working on now?
I’m hoping to publish my second Eliza Kane mystery, The Puzzle of Pine Bay, early in 2022. Having also regained my rights to The Theatre of Dreams, I’m working on a sequel to that too, which all being well, I’ll publish later next year.
What do you hope readers will take away from A Crisis at Clifftops?
My main aim is always to provide escapism and entertainment, so I hope readers come away with a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment. Although the book starts off as a murder mystery, it also explores the relationship between the main protagonist, amateur sleuth Eliza, and her grandmother Lilian, the chief suspect. I hope this book may also make readers take a closer look at their own elderly relatives. Sometimes it’s easy to forget they weren’t always old!
More about the book
When Lilian Hathaway is named as the chief suspect in a murder enquiry, her granddaughter Eliza drops everything to rush to her side. After a string of crushing defeats, professional golfer Eliza is facing a career crisis of her own. She seizes the opportunity to hide away with Lilian at Clifftops Hotel, the family’s home on the Isle of Wight, determined to defend her beloved nanna’s innocence.
But just how innocent is Lilian?
As the evidence starts to mount up, Eliza turns amateur sleuth in a race to uncover the truth. Family loyalty is stretched to the limits when she discovers a series of events in her grandmother’s past which could have far-reaching consequences, not just for Lilian but also for Clifftops, and Eliza’s own future.
Rosie Travers grew up in Southampton on the south coast of England. She spent many years working in local government before moving to California in 2009. With time on her hands she started a blog about life as an ex-pat wife which rekindled a teenage desire to become a writer. Now back in the UK, Rosie lives with her husband Neil and cat Ed on the edge of the New Forest.
Her debut novel The Theatre of Dreams was published in August 2018 and her second, Your Secret’s Safe With Me, followed in February 2019. She is currently working on a series of humorous cosy mysteries set in the Isle of Wight.
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