Book Reviews

Read more about the article Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Someone Dead: The Most Eventful Honeymoon in Fiction

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Someone Dead: The Most Eventful Honeymoon in Fiction

Every bride deserves a perfect wedding day. The dress, the flowers, the first dance, the champagne — and then, at last, the honeymoon. Two weeks of uninterrupted bliss with the person you love. No work, no complications, no dead bodies. If you happen to be Rachel Prince, however, the universe has other ideas. Honeymoon Cruise Murder is book seven in the Rachel Prince series, and it opens with everything a romantic at heart could wish for. Rachel finally marries her long-suffering fiancé Carlos Jacobi in a beautiful church ceremony in her home village, officiated by her own father, the Reverend Brendan Prince. The dress is breathtaking — ivory taffeta with a sweetheart neckline, silver sparkles, and a rose-patterned tulle overlay — and the church is full of people who love her. After months of uncertainty, cold feet, and the kind of pre-wedding jitters that would test the patience of a saint, Rachel has finally made it to the altar. The happiness practically radiates off the page. And then, as the confetti is still settling, the complications begin. That is the particular genius of the Rachel Prince cruise ship mystery series: the warmth is always genuine, but trouble is never far behind. This book manages something rather clever — it gives us all the romantic satisfaction of a wedding before systematically dismantling the peaceful honeymoon that was supposed to follow. By the time Rachel and Carlos board the Coral Queen bound for the Mediterranean, the seeds of several thorny problems have already been sown. An Uninvited Guest Even at the wedding reception, Rachel's radar is twitching. An unwelcome face from the past appears among the guests — a man she barely remembers, full of charm and self-importance, who drops a cryptic hint that he has something important to tell her. Something, he implies, that involves…

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Read more about the article An author’s take on reviews

An author’s take on reviews

Bad Reviews: Do they make or break authors? I’ve recently come across a number of posts by authors on social media feeling hurt by negative reviews. The temptation is to want to hit back, have the reviews removed (not going to happen), or be reassured by others that the reviewer is the enemy which is not the case.  When I received my first one-star review, like so many authors before me, I was devastated. How can someone dismiss my work out of hand when it took months and months to create something decent enough to put out there? It turns out, quite easily in fact because mostly it’s not personal. It was amazing how, in spite of loads of positive reviews, all I could see was that one-star - I read it over and over - it was almost like self-mutilation. Many authors respond in the same way because we are seemingly programmed to focus on the negatives! I have since realised that bad reviews are quite acceptable and the one and two star reviewer is entitled to his/her opinion, after all that’s what the review process is all about. Not only that, but when I got things in perspective, I realised I had arrived as an author. Every author has one-star reviews at some point. The reality is that not everyone is going to like your book. Once an author puts their work out there, its in the public domain and someone, somewhere is not going to like it. Some reviewers will be just plain rude about it.  Since that first low star review, I have developed a thicker skin in terms of reviews but if the reviewer offers any useful nuggets of information as to why they didn’t like the book rather than comments like, ‘utter drivel’, I will…

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Read more about the article Writing a Memoir

Writing a Memoir

By Dawn Brookes, bestselling author of  Hurry up Nurse: memoirs of nurse training in the 1970s. Recently I gave a talk at a local church to an interesting group of people, most of whom could write great memoirs if they had a mind to. We all have a story to tell, so if you've ever considered writing your own memoir but don't know where to start, read on... Memoir or Autobiography First of all you need to decide whether their focus is on your whole life story (an autobiography) or on one aspect of your life, bringing in themes, memories and anecdotes that highlight that theme (a memoir). To be honest, unless you're famous or writing for posterity, a memoir is likely to be more readable that an autobiography! Having said that, who knows? Reasons for Writing People have different reasons for writing a memoir or autobiography, some of which are listed below: Personal–writing for posterity, familyAs branding –e.g. running a businessTeach somethingPublishing–writing to publish You don't have to be famous, but it helps! This was a screenshot of the top 17 books listed in the bestseller list of Amazon's memoir/biography section at the time I prepared my talk. Spot the famous people! That said, there are some who weren't well-known prior to writing their biography or memoir. When you niche down, it makes a difference as shown in this screenshot of the bestsellers in nursing category where two of my books feature in the top 18! If I'd taken a screenshot of the US Amazon store, niching down, my book would be top, where it has been for the past 16 months, but hey, that's just showing off! My point is, you can do well within your area of expertise if you're writing a memoir. This only matters if you're considering publishing of course.…

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Plotter, Pantser or Planter

Plotter, Pantser or Planter? You may have heard the term plotter and probably pantser and I've been mulling these writing styles over in my head and while doing so I've come up with a combination of the two, planter! What on earth is she talking about? All will become clear... Plotters In terms of writing, a plotter is a person who sits down and outlines a plot of their story following a structured approach. This approach will most likely drill down to chapter headings and a rough outline of the contents of each chapter ending with a finale.  A story outline such as this is a requirement for submissions to agents and/or publishers and it is an approach many authors follow rigidly. Pantser The opposite to a plotter, the pantser sits down and writes, allowing their creativity to take over. There is no plan, the story develops itself on the hoof as the author writes. Authors who rebel against the traditional plotting already mentioned might swear by this approach arguing that the former inhibits their creative side.  Some people argue that pantsing results in better stories while others say that it is damaging. Who's right? Neither. It's whatever works for the author or more importantly, the reader as he/she is the ultimate judge of whether it is working. Planter  In reality many authors use a combination of the two approaches and you can see what I've done here - creating one word from the two. I personally use a combination and when I was playing with this word initially it was a bit of fun.  The more I think about it though, planting is what I do as an author. I have a seed of an idea, I start to write and for me as the story develops or the plant…

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Read more about the article Wine Tasting

Wine Tasting

Wine Tasting Posted on 1st February 2019 inCozy Mysteries, Cruising, Rachel Prince Backstory, Rachel Prince Behind the Scenes, Wine Tasting Wine Tasting Rachel Prince attends a wine tasting lesson in the book ‘Deadly Cruise.‘ I thought it would be fun to put together a summary of what she may have learned! Introduction to Wine Tasting In terms of fine dining, no drink plays nearly as important a role as wine. Top restaurants and cruise ships have their own sommeliers to advise guests with regard to the wines suitable for accompanying their food choices. A good wine is an experience in its own right. Accordingly, wine tasting is growing in popularity as more people have opportunities to dine out and to take cruises. Many cruise lines offer wine tasting lessons on board ship with the ship’s own sommelier and visits to wine growing vineyards as part of a land-based tour. In particular, a vineyard tour offers a unique insight into the inner workings of wine growers. Wine tasting provides an excellent opportunity to engage intensely with wine variants. By practising wine tasting you will learn which grape varieties and dishes can be combined. This helps you choose which wines are suitable for which occasion and what specialties you can serve with what wine. You will learn to sensitise your taste buds and your nose for the different flavors! What is Wine Tasting? When it comes to wine, tasting wine is not synonymous with drinking. Tasting comes from engaging and stimulating the senses including those of sight, smell and taste. Wine tasting is a skill needed to analyse wine to check it is suitable for serving and that there are no imperfections. You will use the eye to check colour and clarity, the nose to check aromas and the mouth to detect flavors and textures. Tasting also involves the pleasure of recognising…

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