Review - A Sacred Storm by Dominic C James

Wow! The third book in the Reiki Man trilogy had quite a lot to live up to as the first two books were utterly phenomenal.  And it lived up to every single one of my expectations.

A mysterious healer appears in Mecca claiming to be The Mahdi, the Muslim redeemer.

In Rome, The Vatican announce a young priest called Christian as The Messiah.

Each of these two huge religions feel that the other is a fake. In Rome they set out to prove that they are the real thing. Panic breaks out across the whole of the world and battle commences. Who will come out as the real thing and what happens to the world before World War 3 breaks out!

This book was just amazing.  I normally find it difficult to believe things that are a little unusual in my world yet this book and Dominic's writing never ceases to amaze me and conjures up such imaginative pictures that actually astound me.  

This whole trilogy is probably one of the best trilogies in the history of writing in my eyes.  I could imagine each one of these books being made into amazing films and would be unbelievable on a big screen.

I have looked forward to this book for such a long time and was so very pleasantly surprised when it landed on my doormat earlier last week without warning. I apologise to any of the authors who are in a queue to have their books reviewed  but I had to read this book immediately!

I have been thinking since I read the last book about what had happened to the characters as the ending seemed very final. I found out what happened and finally my mind was put at rest.

Dominic C. James is a writer and Reiki Master and he lives in Banbury. He has been a singer/songwriter in various indie bands, and has scratched a living as a freelance writer, barman, draughtsman and factory worker. On being made redundant two years ago he committed himself to full-time writing.

The Reiki Man (review here) was his first full-length novel, and combines his passion for all things spiritual with his passion for all things temporal. He keeps a foot firmly placed in both worlds. He wants to bring practices such as Reiki to a wider audience by conveying Eastern ideals in an entertaining context.  The second in the trilogy was called Fear of the Fathers.  (review here). 

Dominic's website is www.dominiccjames.com

You can buy all of Dominic's books via Amazon.co.uk here

You can follow Dominic on Twitter

You can like Dominic on Facebook 

Interview with the fabulous author Victoria Connelly

I'm delighted to be joined on my blog today by the fabulous author Victoria Connelly.  I've reviewed a couple of her books.  My review of The Runaway Actress can be found here and my review of The Perfect Hero can be found here.   
Both of these books were brilliant reads and I loved them both as you will find out from my reviews.  Victoria has now launched a fantasy trilogy which is available on Kindle called It's Magic:  'Flights of Angels', 'Unmasking Elena Montella' and 'Three Graces'.

These books were first published in Germany and 'Flights of Angels' was made into a film there which was really exciting for her.   This is the first time the books have all appeared together in the English language in this collection It’s Magic.

I interviewed Victoria recently and asked her a few questions about being a writer and wanted to share my answers with my readers and also want to say a great big thank you to Victoria for being featured on my blog. 

Thanks so much for joining me today Victoria.  I'd like to start by asking you who or what gave you the inspiration to become a writer?

As far as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a writer.  I used to make up my own versions of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five stories and I started writing my first novel when I was fourteen – bashing it out on a manual typewriter, Tipex bottle by my side, and giving it to my friends to read during Maths lessons at school!

If you weren't a writer, what would you like to do?

Go mad!  Seriously, I’d probably like to work in conservation – taking care of animals, the countryside or old historic buildings.  Or something in the film industry.  I’ve always wondered what it would be like to work in Jim Henson’s creature workshop!

Where do you write?

We’ve just moved house and I have my own study at long last!  It’s at the front of our cottage and looks out over a pretty garden to fields full of horses.  It’s lovely and quiet and it’s lined with books and lots of photographs and paintings.  I feel very lucky.  I used to have to share a room with my husband and – er – that didn’t work very well at all!

How do you keep managing to think of new plots/storylines?

It’s impossible not to!  I have so many ideas and there isn’t enough time to write everything I want to but that’s a blessing, I guess.  Ideas come from all sorts of places – usually they start with a subject I’m passionate about like my love of Jane Austen which inspired A Weekend with Mr Darcy, The Perfect Hero and Mr Darcy Forever.

They can also be inspired by events in my life too.  My new e-book collection of three magical rom coms - It’s Magic - contains Flights of Angels about a young widow who has a group of tiny guardian angels to take care of her.  It was inspired by my husband being sent to a war zone as a news cameraman just six weeks after our wedding.  I truly believed I was going to become a widow and that’s what inspired Flights of Angels – my fear of losing my husband. 

Three Graces – also in the collection It’s Magic, began with my obsession for old country houses.  It’s about a young woman who marries a duke and goes to live in his (haunted) ancestral home.  I’ve always wondered what it would be like in a really enormous house.

Can you guide us through your whole process of writing a book from the first idea through to publication?

It’s very messy at first – I make a spider diagram of all my characters’ names on a piece of plain A4 paper and then make loads of random notes and start a very rough outline of the book.  I then start writing – pretty much in chronological order but not always – doing three drafts before sending it to my editor who makes notes on it and sends it back.  Another draft later and it’s just about done. 

Then the exciting bit happens and you get to see your cover and the proofs which is the book all set out neatly, just needing proof-read.  The really magical day is when a box full of your author copies arrives and you see it and hold it for the first time.  That’s always an amazing moment!

What sort of books do you like to read? Do you have a favourite author?

My favourite novel is HE Bates’s The Darling Buds of May – a lovely romantic comedy about a family who live in rural Kent.  I also adore Miss Read’s Fairacre books, anything by Sophie Kinsella, Freya North, Amy Tan and Rosamunde Pilcher.  But I’ll occasionally break from women’s fiction and read a thriller.  I love Scott Mariani’s Ben Hope books!

You've recently moved from London, to the Suffolk countryside?  How are you getting on in your new part of the world?

I absolutely adore being in Suffolk.  London didn’t suit me at all although it was handy for publishers’ parties!  We live in a very quiet village now and have some fantastic walks from our cottage.  We have a beautiful garden full of fruit trees and I’m planting a phenomenal amount of roses!  I was brought up in East Anglia so I feel as if I’ve come home at last.

How do you find the whole social media phenomenon now from an author's point of view.  Is it a help or a hindrance? 

I have to say that I’m a bit of a fan of Facebook and Twitter.  You can find me on both (@VictoriaDarcy on Twitter) and I’m forever posting up photos on FB of our hens and the countryside.  This can, of course, distract you from the actual business of writing but it’s also wonderful to connect with readers this way and it’s great to give them a shout when your new books come out.  Publishers are very happy to encourage this!

I've seen some posts on Facebook about you keeping battery hens - how many do you have and how long have you had them? Are they hard work to look after?

We started off with four ex-battery hens in February 2011.  Alas, only one is still with us – dear old Dotty.  Ex-bats don’t have a long lifespan as they’re worked so hard in the factories for the first eighteen months of their lives. 

We rehomed three more hens back in April (Mariette, Primrose and Little Flo – named after characters in The Darling Buds of May!) so we have four again now but I’d like to get some posh hens too some time. 

Hens are such great characters.  They’re curious and cheeky and never fail to make me smile and they’re very easy to look after.  Ours free-range in the garden and, other than eating my geraniums and chasing our spaniel, they’re no bother at all.

If you could be a pantomime character, who would you be and why?

Anyone who gets to dress up in a big, fancy frock.  I’m such a girl!

To read more about this lovely lady and her fabulous books, her website address is www.victoriaconnelly.com.

You can buy this book via Amazon by clicking here.

Review - Grandma Bendy by Izy Penguin

A colourful and amusing story about a very bendy Grandma who has super stretchy legs and twizzly arms. 

Granda Bendy used to be a burglar, using these amazing arms and legs to get into houses easily, but when she gets burgled herself, and loses everything she ever had, she realises that she has done wrong and hands herself into the police. 

She knows that she did wrong and has paid the price for it, so when she's released from prison, she decides she's not going to be bendy anymore!

But someone needs her help; when her neighbour gets locked out of her house, Grandma Bendy is able to help by using her bendiness to let her in.  She then decides that she's only going to ever use her bendiness to help others. 

Grandma Bendy is written and beautifully illustrated by first time author Izy Penguin.  She must be a very clever lady if she can write as well as illustrate so fantastically.   The drawings are fabulously colourful and perfectly matched to the story. 

My nearly five year old little boy Oliver said that he liked the story.  He said that he wished he was as bendy as Grandma Bendy and he'd love to play Hide & Seek with her.  He thought that it was good that she handed herself over to the police (Oliver's daddy is a policeman so he's very fond of the police!) and he particularly liked the colourful pictures.  When I asked him if there was anything in particular that he liked about the book, he said "just all of it!"

When we finished the story we had to read it again, then again, and then again!

The conclusion therefore was, it was a hit!

To find out more about this author, her website can be found here. 

You can follow Izy Penguin on Twitter

You can buy this book by clicking here

This book was published by Maverick Books, you can find out more about their other fabulous books by clicking here.

Signing Event in Lichfield for author Carol E Wyer

Abbots Bromley award winning author Carol E. Wyer will be launching 'Surfing in Stilettos' in Lichfield this month and will be appearing at a book signing/talk/reading at the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum and Bookshop, Breadmarket Street, Lichfield at 11am on Tuesday 14^thAugust.

Carol’s humorous novels take a light-hearted look at getting older, encouraging others to appreciate life and attempt to "age disgracefully". Her best-selling debut novel 'Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines' launched last year, won five awards including Readers Views Reviewers Choice 2012 Award (category - humour) and won Silver medal for both the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the Indie Excellence Awards 2012.

The sequel 'Surfing in Stilettos' which follows the further adventures of Amanda Wilson as she attempts to inject some fun into her life, is a Costa Award nominee.

Carol is a featured loveahappyending.com author and associate editor who writes regularly for on-line magazines and author websites Indies Unlimited and Famous Five Plus.

To learn more about Carol, go to www.carolewyer.co.uk or follow Carol on Twitter: @carolewyer. Carol blogs at www.facing50withhumour.blogspot.com.

Review - Surfing in Stilettos by Carol E Wyer

Reading this book was like taking a breath of fresh french air!

It follows on from Mini Skirts & laughter Lines by Carol which I read and reviewed last year and my review can be found by clicking here.

Amanda and grumpy Phil have left their dopey son Tom in charge of their home and have headed off for a gap-year in a camper-van  in search of happiness. Instead of finding joy at being with each other for 24 hours a day, cooped up in a small space, with nowhere to escape to, they find that they are actually getting right on each others nerves! The highlight of Amanda's life is her weekly Skype chat with her Mom who, even though she's an OAP, certainly does know how to enjoy herself!

Tom constantly texting his troubles from home, and the motor-home breaking down and them discovering that it won't be fixed for a few weeks really is the final straw and they end up staying in a holiday house of someone that they met and dog sitting Ted!

Amanda finds a new friend in Bibi who is trying to find a way to stop her husband's womanising ways once and for all but with a disasterous outcome.  And over in Australia, Todd realises that Amanda really is the love of his life and tries to get in touch to tell her before it's too late!

All these things lead to a hilariously funny story that will have your cheeks and your sides aching from laughing, conjuring up vivid pictures from the way the author fabulously describes the vivacious characters and wonderful story. 

At one point, I could actually feel the warm sunshine on my face, as I sat outside the lovely cottage they were staying in, in the gorgeous countryside, with Amanda drinking a glass of lovely french red and working through her worries.  I love reading a book which makes you feel part of it!

Carol's work is bright, lively, witty and thoroughly enjoyable with a lot of laughs thrown into a story which has a strong message behind it which is that life isn't ever over and that it doesn't matter what age you are, you can still live your life to the full and appreciate what you've got.   It also shows that things aren't always what they seem!

If my lovely mom was still alive today, I know that she would adore Carol's writing and the subject particularly of being older and retired.  My poor mom work as long as she could before she was too ill, because she said my my dad would have driven her bonkers all day if she was stuck at home with him.  I've thought about her loads while reading Carol's books and how much I know that she would have enjoyed them.  

This book was loads of fun, extremely entertaining and a real pleasure to read. Carol E Wyer has an incredible sense of humour which really shines through in her stories. 
 

Carol’s humorous novels take a light-hearted look at getting older, encouraging others to appreciate life and attempt to "age disgracefully". Her best-selling debut novel 'Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines' launched last year, won five awards including Readers Views Reviewers Choice 2012 Award (category - humour) and won Silver medal for both the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the Indie Excellence Awards 2012.

Carol is a featured loveahappyending.com author and associate editor who writes regularly for on-line magazines and author websites Indies Unlimited and Famous Five Plus.

Find out more about Carol at her website

You can read Carol's blog

You can follow Carol on Twitter

You can like Carol on Facebook

You can buy this book via Amazon

Angelic Wisdom Trilogy by Richard Holmes

Today, I'm delighted to tell you all about Richard Holmes' promotion which is being held this weekend (3rd to 5th August).  You'll find details about his Angelic Wisdom Trilogy below and you can also read an extract from the book.

Richard is a wonderful man and a brilliant author and I was lucky enough last year to be invited to review his amazing book Astral Travelling, The Avatar and Me.  My review of that book can be found here.  

I also met Richard earlier this year and experienced one of his guided meditations.  I've always struggled to meditate before, as my mind normally goes off in all directions, but with Richard's guided help, I was completely blown away! And I don't mind admitting that it brought me to tears!

Click here - to buy Angelic Wisdom Trilogy via Amazon.co.uk

Click here - to buy Angelic Wisdom Trilogy via Amazon.com

  

Synopsis

This wonderful trilogy of angelic insights started life back in 2002, and was originally three separate volumes.  It is a delightful piece of work that allows the reader to take a peek into the very souls of these truly amazing celestial beings that we like to refer to as angels. 

The first part of the book goes into great detail as to how the angels function and what they actually do for the Earth and mankind in general.  Part two gives a deep insight into spiritual (natural) law and answers the kind of questions that tend to keep the average mere mortal frustrated and in the dark.  For example, have you ever wondered why you continuously seem to attract the same kinds of people into your life that always cause you hurt and pain? This question and many more are dealt with within the pages of part two.  There are also question and answer sessions in parts one and two, between the author and his celestial guardian, that are both thought provoking and interesting to say the least.  Finally, part three consists entirely of such a session and deals with matters that the author felt remained unanswered from the previous two volumes. This book will change your life; you can’t afford NOT to read it.

Extract

Intention is probably the most important thing in any thought, feeling or deed that you conceive, in that it is the intention behind the thought, feeling or deed that determines the outcome. The outcome in this case meaning the level of cause and effect. There have been many deeds carried out with good intentions that have not yielded desirable results. However, this does not necessarily mean that the perpetrators have acquired a degree of negative karma by their actions. It is what is in your heart that counts.

Your intentions count for everything, and this is a very important truth to grasp for all those who seek a pathway of light. Once you conceive a thought there is a simultaneous interaction between the mind and the heart. In this minute moment in time, your intentions behind the thought are determined. Remember, we have spoken previously about today’s thoughts being tomorrow’s reality. As soon as the thought is conceived it goes out into the ether and will manifest itself at some stage or other. This means that if you have a thought based on good intentions, but for various reasons forget to carry out the actions behind the thought, there is every chance that the manifestation of the good actions will take place anyway. For example, if you know of someone who is under the weather and needs healing, it may be your intention, via your thoughts, to send this person absent healing (please see the section on healing for an explanation of this). If you then forget it won’t matter because the thought has already gone out into the ether. Your angels in the higher spiritual realms will pick up on this and act in accordance with your thoughts.

Everything is created by the thoughts of man. Humans create all situations for themselves by the power of their thoughts. Life on the Earth plane is most definitely an illusion, but the actions of humans are the product of previous thoughts, which in turn became feelings and then actions. Today’s thoughts create tomorrow’s life; we have stated this on many previous occasions. Humans are slaves to their own thoughts. The human mind will “steal” your happiness and create for you unhappiness based on illusion. By the same token humans can also experience joy whilst on Earth. The thing to remember is that matter is constantly in motion and is driven by the thoughts of humankind. It’s like a child having a piece of plasticine and constantly creating different objects from the same piece. The plasticine itself will always remain the same but the object created will always be in accordance with the child’s imagination. This is the illusion. Everything on the Earth plane is comprised of matter, which is concentrated energy. The energy will always be constant, but the scenarios of people’s lives will always be a product of their thoughts. Thoughts are very confusing and changeable; therefore the illusion will change too. This is why some people appear to go from disaster to disaster throughout their lives.

About Richard Holmes

Richard is a medium and clairvoyant and also the author of spiritual books and producer of meditation CD’s that have helped to change the lives of many people from all walks of life. Only 12 years ago he was still struggling with an alcohol problem that was threatening to take his life in a very negative direction from which there would have been no return. These days he uses the same principles that enabled him to turn his life around and apply them to his client’s individual needs.

Richard says "I help people replace the old negative mindsets, that keep them rooted in the past, with new positive thoughts and attitudes that enable them to get what they dream about having and being in their lives. By drawing on my own life experience I help people to grow and realise their true worth and potential; helping them to express themselves in ways that make them feel happy and fulfilled." "People contact me when they are at a crossroads in their lives or when they feel they are stuck in a particular negative situation. It may also be because they are experiencing grief due to the loss of a loved one or they may simply be in search of some guidance of a spiritual nature. Whatever the reason, I always aim to make people feel at ease so that they can enjoy the experience. I also help people to realise the gifts of clairvoyance, mediumship and healing that are present within themselves."

"This can be on a one-to-one or group basis and is achieved through guided meditation and other methods of inner work."

If you would like to find out more about this amazing man, you can visit his website.

Review - In Her Shadow by Louise Douglas

An incredible book from an amazing author!

This book starts in Bristol in the current time where Hannah who works in a museum thinks she has seen a ghost from her past.

It then travels back to twenty years ago when Hannah and her friend Jago live in Cornwall and meet a young girl called Ellen who becomes part of their lives. Dramatic and always wanting to be the centre of attention, Ellen was complicated and hard work where Hannah's life was simple and easy. 

When the friendship between the three of them changed and became complex, deceit and tragedy hit them and changed their lives forever.

The books flits between now and then in a delightful explanation of Hannah's feelings, concerns and obsession with Ellen and twenty years on, how the ghosts of the past continued to haunt her.

This was a love story that was full of memories, mystery and intrigue.  It was dark and it was deep. It was full of passion and emotion. It was magical and mystical.  It twisted and it turned.  It was simply superb.

Louise is such a skilled author that the characters and the settings came alive before my very eyes and I can still see and hear them even now.  Even the covers of her books are beautiful and entice you to read straight away.  I could not put this book down!

The plot was outstanding. There were many moments where I held my breath not knowing what was coming next and I had no clue whatsoever as to what was going to happen. The end was a complete surprise that I had never even contemplated.  A lovely surprise I will add!

This book was an absolute pleasure to read and  I could have carried on reading it forever! Stunning! Positively stunning!

Last year I read another of Louise's books called The Secrets Between Us and my review of that can be found if you click here.

I can't wait to read more of this author's work.  I hear that she's working on her fifth book and I shall SO look forward to finding out more about it.  You kind of feel privilaged to have to read her work and if you never have - you really are missing something very special!

You can vote for this book in this year's Richard & Judy Summer Book Club by clicking here.

Sheffield born Louise moved to Somerset when she was 18 and has stayed there ever since. She lives with her three beautiful sons, and husband, Kevin. She always dreamt of being a published author and in 2006, her life allowed her to write and she began The Love of My Life, writing each evening after work.  It took her six months to complete and she submitted it to agents.  Marianne Gunn O’Connor called to say she liked the story and very soon after, thanks to Marianne and her co-agent Vicki Satlow, Louise had a contract for two books with Pan Macmillan.

In 2010, Louise joined Transworld, who published her third book, The Secrets Between Us. This book was selected for the Richard and Judy Summer Read 2012 which was an amazing experience for Louise.  Louise met Richard and Judy in London (!!!), was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm for books and reading, and had an amazing day with her Transworld and WH Smith colleagues.

Louise still has her day job with aircraft manufacturer Airbus. She works with some brilliant people and is passionate about aviation, engineering and sustainability. She continues to write her fiction in the evenings and sometimes through the night.

In her spare time, Louise enjoys being with her family and friends, reading and walking. She goes out into the Mendips as often as possible with the family’s dogs Lil, and new addition, Lola.

Learn more about Louise and her books at her website www.louisedouglas.co.uk.

You can follow her on Twitter

You can buy this book via Amazon by clicking here