Author Archives: Cathy

#SundayStills ~ What does #Summer Mean to You? #Scenery #Beach

Posted in Sunday Stills by

Welcome to the Sunday Stills feature hosted by Terri Webster Schrandt. This week’s theme is Summer.

SundayStills

I love being by water in any season but summer walks are especially enjoyable.

Fun on the beach

SS10
SS9

Colourful blooms and butterflies. 

The birds provide lots of interest, spring and summer sees many baby birds. This year we had several nesting birds. This  juvenile blue tit was having a wash and brush up in the sun.

The butterflies love the catmint bush, and the one on the right must have found something in the soil, perhaps having a drink.

Whatever summer means for you…enjoy!

#ThrowbackThursday ~ The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan #ClassicThriller #Spy

Posted in Audiobook, Book Review by

I first read this book many years ago and enjoyed it, so when I saw an Audible edition in 2017 at just under four hours long I decided it was time to revisit this classic. This adaptation stays true to the original as far as I remember, unlike the films. Although the language is obviously dated by today’s standards, the writing is good and it’s still enjoyable for what it is, a good spy story of its time.

throwbackthursday

My Thoughts

The story is set just prior to the first world war. Richard Hannay, the narrator of the story, recently returned to London from South Africa, is already bored with the lifestyle and seriously considering returning to South Africa. When he arrives home one day he finds his neighbour, an American journalist by the name of Scudder, on his doorstep.

Continue reading →

The Twist of a Knife (Hawthorne and Horowitz Book 4) by Anthony Horowitz #CrimeFiction #Mystery #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Book Review by

51vQp0hfZxL._SX319_BO1,204,203,200_Author: Anthony Horowitz

Due to be published on the 18th August

Category: Crime Fiction, Murder, Mystery

four-half-stars

‘I’ve written three books and our deal is over.’ That’s what reluctant author Anthony Horowitz tells ex-detective Daniel Hawthorne in an awkward meeting. The truth is that Anthony has got other things on his mind.

His new play, a thriller called ‘Mindgame’, is about to open at the famous Vaudeville theatre in Shoreditch. Not surprisingly, Hawthorne declines a ticket to the opening night.

A unique twist in this entertaining series is that Anthony Horowitz has cast himself as one of the characters. The fictitious Horowitz teamed up with ex detective Daniel Hawthorne to shadow Hawthorne as he works cases, and turn the investigations into novels. As the three book deal that was agreed upon is completed, Horowitz has decided to move on. His new project, a play, is about to open at the Vaudeville, a Victorian theatre in Shoreditch.

Continue reading →

A Visit to Powis Castle #Photography #Medieval

Posted in Photography by

Castell Powys (in Welsh) was built around 1200 as a medieval fortress sitting in a hugely elevated position on the Welsh borders and is now in the care of the National Trust. No photography is allowed inside so the following images are from the impressive tiered garden with far reaching views. You can find out more here.

Continue reading →

#GuestPost + #Giveaway by #Author Susan Buchanan @Susan_Buchanan @rararesources

Posted in Blog Tour, Giveaway, Guest Post by

I’m delighted to welcome Susan Buchanan with a guest post for my stop on the blog tour for her new release, Just One Day – Summer, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.

Just One Day Summer

Where to summer – at home or abroad? 

I didn’t travel abroad until I was sixteen, enduring the excitement of a thirty-six-hour coach trip, complete with breakdown prior to Dover, and again at Caen, France, before finally arriving in La Fosca on the Costa Brava. And although we were a family of five, and the trip was hair-raising and exhausting, we loved every minute of it, almost! 

Continue reading →

#SpotlightFeature ~ A Summer of Castles by Rachel Walkley @RachelJWalkley @rararesources

Posted in Spotlight by

I’m delighted to share a spotlight post for the Publication Day Push for A Summer of Castles, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.

A Summer of Castles

A Summer of Castles. A secret in ruins.

Continue reading →

The Silent Brother by Simon Van der Velde #LiteraryFiction @SimonVdVWriter #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Book Review, Crime by

41InJmgsxALAuthor: Simon Van der Velde

Published: June 2022 by Northodox Press

Category: Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Urban, Gangland Crime

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Past Never Dies

When his beloved little brother is stolen away, five-year-old Tommy Farrier is left alone with his alcoholic mam, his violent step-dad and his guilt. Too young to understand what has really happened, Tommy is sure of only one thing. He is to blame.

Tommy tries to be good, to live-up to his brother’s increasingly hazy memory, but trapped in a world of shame and degradation he grows up with just two options; poverty or crime. And crime pays.

Compelling and emotive, The Silent Brother is a gritty, dark, tense and raw look at life in Newcastle during an extremely troubled time for the city. Industry had lost its hold and business after business disappeared, leaving men and women jobless and without hope for the future.

Continue reading →

#GuestPost + #Giveaway by Catherine Evans #author of The Wrong’un @rararesources @fiction_junkies

Posted in Giveaway, Guest Post by

I’m delighted to welcome Catherine Evans with a guest post and giveaway for my stop on the Blog Tour organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.

The Wrongun

Epigenetics and Generational Trauma

My first novel, The Wrong’un, is about a dysfunctional working-class family whose eldest son, Paddy, sets about destroying the lives of his siblings. He does this in various ways and for many conscious and unconscious reasons, all of which are outlined in the book, but one possible explanation for his behaviour is that he is a victim of generational trauma. The idea for this blog post comes from The Neglected Samurai: A Manual for Armchair Warriors Everywhere by Jurcell Virginia and Hideo Muramatsu, which will soon be published by Inkspot Publishing – see http://www.inkspotpublishing.com for more details.

Continue reading →

Flashback Friday ~ Shadow the Wolf Cub #animals #nature #wolf

Posted in Flashback Friday by

Flashback to eight years ago when I found this video clip of a gorgeous two month old grey wolf cub at the San Diego zoo. Shadow was spending time in the children’s zoo nursery while completing quarantine before becoming a wolf ambassador at the zoo.  How anyone can hunt and kill these, or any animal, for ‘fun’ is beyond me.