Fancy a bit of #cozy crime? Then check out Haircuts, Hens and Homicide by @llamamum #romcom #crime @rararesources

Dear reader,

Hi, Megan here, the narrator of ‘Haircuts, Hens and Homicide’. I’ve been invited chat about myself, so here goes.

First of all, who am I and what’s made me me? Well, I’m nobody special really, but I do like to think I’m a loyal friend, and I always try to do the right thing. It may not work out in practice, but the intention is there.

I was brought up by my prickly grandmother after my teenage mum went to India to ‘find herself’ when I was three, but whether Mum went or not nobody knows, because she disappeared without a trace. Gran never gave up hope, and wrote letters to her every week. I found those in the attic last month and they broke my heart. ☹

Gran died recently so I’ve come over to France to sort out her affairs and decide what to do with myself: whether to stay in France or go back to England where I have no job, no boyfriend (he dumped me two months before our wedding, the worm) and no home (my flat, along with the others in the block, is being turned into a bingo hall). Such choices!

Dealing with my difficult grandmother, who is… was the sort of person who could start an argument in an empty room has led me to be a tactful, conflict-avoiding sort of person, but I could always see beneath the skin. Hidden below the thick veneer of cantankerousness that coated Gran was a warm, loving person. And so I don’t immediately pigeon-hole the people I meet, no matter how weird, annoying or irritating they might first appear to be. Usually there’s more than meets the eye. I hope people appreciate that quality in me and find me a sympathetic person to be with.

me chicken

I love the colour peach, which I think speaks ‘sympathetic’. I don’t know, it just sorts of suits me as you can easily tell from my wardrobe. I also love chickens. That’s a recent development, because inheriting Gran’s house meant I also inherited her four chickens and one duck, and her shy adopted cat Catastrophe (name speaks for itself!). Oh, and some other wandering chickens came my way too. They chose to appear on the day of Gran’s funeral, as did Romain, the arrogant gendarme. That’s French for cop, btw. He was very snooty and wouldn’t let me explain that I had a burial to be at until Gran’s hearse rolled up the drive. He went as red as a beetroot but in true French style didn’t apologise.

I’ve become used to the French not apologising now. Even though they may do something that, in hindsight, wasn’t the best course of action, the word ‘sorry’ will not pass their lips—actually, it would be ‘désolé’ but you know what I mean.

Romain was therefore my main dislike, but the more I’ve got to know him, the more I’ve begun to like him.

My biggest wish at present is to set up my own hairdressing salon. That’s my profession, and I love it. I’m not half bad either. I’ve been steadily relooking – making over – the local women in return for baked goods mainly. Until my business is up and running properly, I can’t accept money. That’s frustrating but at least I don’t go hungry. There’s certainly demand for a hairdresser here, especially a mobile one who can call on elderly clients. In this part of Creuse the average age is about sixty, or so it seems. A lot of old folk are housebound. So, I know I could earn my living. But, my plans are all up in the air, as you could probably imagine. 

Now, what would I change about myself if I had a magic wand? Easy. My nose. It’s a rather an enthusiastic one, much bigger than it really needs to be. But, that said, I’ve got used to it and I would certainly never have surgery on it. Too expensive, and I might miss it. Which is why a magic wand would be perfect. If I didn’t like my new look, I could restore the old one with a quick wave. And anyway, Romain’s nose is even bigger than mine.

Finally, and before I bore you to tears, will you be seeing more of me? Oh yes. I can categorically state that will be more adventures to share with you, my first one being HAIRCUTS, HENS AND HOMICIDE so please do come and see me there! I’m sure that they’ll be starring a particular type of bird, an element of hairdressing and some appropriately alliterative skulduggery! 

I’m already starting to investigate the suspicious death of a pigeon fancier…  

Anyhoo, that’s all for now,

Megan

Haircuts, Hens and Homicide

Megan finds mayhem when she arrives in France to bury her Gran and sort out her affairs. She expected difficult encounters with civil servants and red tape but not with wandering chickens, an imperious policeman and a dead body.

Together with her unlikely new friend, the elderly and grumpy Alphonse and his canine equivalent, Monsieur Moustache, Megan becomes involved in investigating the fowl-related foul play that’s at work in this sleepy part of rural France. 

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She’s helped but mainly hindered by the people she comes across. These include the local mayor, who wants Megan to stay and set up a hair salon in his village to help keep it alive. There are the cousins Romain, the gendarme, and Nico, the clumsy but hunky farmer. They have always clashed, but do so constantly now that Megan is on the scene. Michelle, Romain’s terrifying ex who wants him back, appears along the way, as does Claudette, a wheelchair-bound old lady, and Kayla, Megan’s best friend, who is hugely pregnant but not above taking on the forces of French law and order when Megan finds herself the prime suspect after Alphonse is stabbed.

There’s excitement, humour and lots of ruffled feathers in this rom-com slash cosy mystery, the first in a projected series.

About Stephanie Dagg, in her own words...

'I'm an English expat living in France, having moved here with my family in 2006 after fourteen years as an expat in Ireland. I now consider myself a European rather than 'belonging' to any particular country. The last ten years have been interesting, to put it mildly. Taking on seventy-five acres with three lakes, two hovels and one cathedral-sized barn, not to mention an ever increasing menagerie, makes for exciting times. The current array of animals includes alpacas, llamas, huarizos (alpaca-llama crossbreds, unintended in our case and all of them thanks to one very determined alpaca male), sheep, goats, pigs, ducks, geese, chickens and turkeys, not forgetting our pets of dogs, cats, zebra finches, budgies , canaries, lovebirds and Chinese quail. Before we came to France all we had was a dog and two chickens, so it's been a steep learning curve. I recount these experiences in my book Heads Above Water: Staying Afloat in France and the sequel to that, Total Immersion: Ten Years in France. I also blog regularly at www.bloginfrance.com.

I'm married to Chris and we have three bilingual TCKs (third culture kids) who are resilient and resourceful and generally wonderful.    

I'm a traditionally-published author of many children's books, and am now self-publishing too. I have worked part-time as a freelance editor for thirty years after starting out as a desk editor for Hodder & Stoughton. Find me at www.editing.zone. The rest of the time I'm running carp fishing lakes with Chris and inevitably cleaning up some or other animal's poop.'

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Move over Wonder Woman! A new superhero is in town! #capecrusader #superheroes #comedy #romance .@capesandcorsets .@rararesources

CHARACTER BUILDING

by

Elle Spellman

One of my favourite aspects of beginning a new writing project is deciding on characters; who they are, what they like, how they act. There's always a whole host of things to consider. When I start writing a new book, I usually have a vague idea of my characters, their personality beginning to shine through as I get down that first chapter, but for me the fun part is delving into their lives and working out just who they are.

In my debut novel She's Bad News, the protagonist is Bella Brown; a twenty-nine-year old aspiring reporter living in the fictional small town of Hartleybourne, UK. Despite her childhood dream of becoming a successful journalist, luck hasn't exactly been on Bella's side, resulting in her still living in her uneventful hometown with a flatmate (albeit her best friend Chloe), and working as an Editorial Administrator (translation: typing up press releases and writing reviews for a 'health' column nobody reads) for the local paper, The Hartleybourne Gazette.

Still, Bella's determined to achieve her dream of being a real reporter, even though her boss, Layla, refuses to take her seriously. However, everything changes when she wakes up one morning to find that she has some amazing new abilities. Super powers, even.

After accidentally catching one of Hartleybourne's well-known vandals, Bella realises that her mysterious new powers have provided her with an opportunity she could once only dream of. Soon Bella's out tracking down local criminals for front-page leads in the Gazette, whilst trying to track down the source of the powers. For someone who's always hated feeling invisible, suddenly invisibility is what she needs the most.  

Bella Brown was one of the most interesting characters I've created. At first, when the initial idea for She's Bad News first entered my head, I knew that I wanted to write a superhero novel. Having been a fan of comic books for years, I wanted to combine my love for the superhero world and women's fiction. The idea for the protagonist just came to me; I saw a female journalist, in a small town. Someone who is perhaps struggling with life, and maybe love, and gets some superpowers thrown into the mix. And so there she was – Bella Brown. 

Of course, this was simply the brief idea. When it came to plotting the novel, there was a lot I needed to think about. Especially since the story involved a superheroine. Bella doesn't simply don a cape and take to the streets to fight crime; she uses the powers to her advantage. Which made me think; is she a heroine, or essentially a villain? Does her slightly selfish streak make her less of a hero? 

One of the main things I wanted to explore with the book was that question that we've all probably pondered at some point. If you had super powers, what would you do? Just like some of us question what we would spend a lottery jackpot on (I do, and I don't even play the lottery). Sometimes it's just fun to wonder.

When thinking about Bella's actions, I had to consider her ambitions. Her likes and ultimately dislikes. What makes her angry, what makes her care. Bella is a caring and determined individual; her life goal was to be an investigative reporter; finding the truth, helping people. Making the world a better place. However, as her dreams seem to have fallen by the wayside over the years, it doesn't take much to convince her that a step up on the career ladder is just what she needs. And if the strange new abilities she possesses can help, then what's wrong with a bit of, ahem, assistance?

The way I see it, Bella is more of an anti-hero. Her desire to do good in the community is always prevalent and has been throughout her life, though her determination can often be a downside to her character, becoming clear later on in the book.

As She's Bad News is a comedy, I wanted to make Bella relatable and fun, someone that I'd personally want to hang out with. Bella leads a relatively normal life; she goes to work, is newly single after a recent breakup. She writes a health and wellbeing column, but barely exercises and has a fondness for biscuits and cheap wine. But she's also strong and persistent. In the beginning, I based her partly on myself and others I knew (she inherited my sarcasm, at least), but by the time I had finished the novel I realised that Bella and I are very different. I could see myself teaming up with her perhaps – but we'd definitely have some disagreements!

During the rewrites, I tried out different 'versions' of the novel; for example, I wrote a couple of versions set in London rather than Hartleybourne, and at one point made the book a bit darker. I liked this new, darker Bella, but at the same time didn't think the change was for the best, preferring the small-town setting and more of a lighter story. Personally? I love the book as it is now, and enjoyed writing Bella Brown and her changes throughout the book, as she went from a seemingly invisible wannabe journalist to an actual superhero that really put her determination to the test.

When reading comics, I love the 'secret identity' aspect of the characters. Seemingly normal, everyday people, anonymous in their big cities, who take on other lives to help save the places and people they love. I really wanted to include this in the novel, and had so much fun with Bella and her (unplanned!) alter-ego.

So far, there are no plans for a sequel as yet, but truthfully? I already have some ideas for a possible second novel. Bella Brown was such an interesting character to write, that perhaps some more adventures in Hartleybourne are in order. At the moment though, other projects are taking over my writing life, but I thoroughly enjoyed working on She's Bad News and could hardly refuse writing more superhero-themed adventures in the future! I'm already missing Bella.

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 Introducing…

She’s Bad News

What would you do if you woke up with super powers?

For Bella Brown, life hasn't gone according to plan. She's almost thirty, still living in her uneventful hometown, and her dreams of becoming an investigative reporter have fallen by the wayside.

That is, until she wakes up one morning to find she's been gifted with some amazing new abilities. What’s a girl to do with heightened senses, super speed and the ability to lift a truck one-handed? Bella quickly discovers that her new powers can easily help her land front-page leads at local newspaper The Hartleybourne Gazette.

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Soon Bella's out every night chasing down local criminals for stories, while keeping her powers a secret from everyone besides flatmate Chloe.

But when a burglary-gone-wrong accidentally turns her into the mysterious Hartleybourne Heroine, Bella finds herself on the front page for the wrong reasons.

Her secret becomes harder to keep as she tries to track down the source of her powers, and especially when crime reporter Matt Gilmore is intent on unmasking the town's new vigilante...

Suddenly, having an extraordinary life is far more dangerous than she ever imagined.

Elle Spellman is a writer and comic book geek living in Bristol, UK. She's been writing since a very young age, spending her childhood afternoons penning stories about fictional adventures, and illustrating them too.

Now, Elle tends to write contemporary fiction with kick-ass heroines and a little bit of magic. She's Bad News is her debut novel, and she's just finished working on her second. Her other interests include running, wine, red lipstick, the paranormal, and all things Batman.

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A disgraced aristocrat, distant planets and a new identity - Zara by .@MarkHenwick #free #scifi #serial

Zara - A Name Among The Stars

by

Mark Henwick

Your family’s been murdered, the estates illegally confiscated, and they’ve turned it around so people think you’re the criminal. The warrant for your arrest is a fiction, and you face a stone cold certainty you’d never make it to the prison cell alive.

To get off the planet, you forge a new identity and take the first job you might be qualified for.

You didn’t expect what happens next. To fall in love with everything about your new role – everything – including a man who can’t possibly respond. And then to find that the same conspiracy that destroyed your family is intent on destroying his as well, using you as a weakness in his defences.

Run away? Stay and fight, knowing that even victory will leave you alone again?

Read the  first two episodes for FREE!

You are nothing without me. Nothing! It will serve you best to remember that.

My grandfather shouting, looming over me. Terrifying man, utterly terrifying. Strong and confident adults were afraid of him, let alone a fifteen-year-old slip of a girl as I was at the time. Those wild eyebrows over the cold, piercing eyes. That cruel mouth, and the voice that issued from it; born to command. The way he carried tension in his body, as if it could break out into violence at any second.

…remember that.

I remember. He’d spoken those words standing in front of the panoramic window in his study.

That window looked over the formal manor gardens, past the ornamental lake and down into the stretching crop fields below. There were misty woods in the far distance. No inch of ground that he saw from that window was not under his ownership. The manor itself bore his Name.

You are nothing…

Quivering in fear, I had stubbornly refused to believe it then.

The arrogance of untried youth. I’d put a lot of faith in the weight of history that lay on the manor and estates. Even later, as I began to see the troubles that he’d long known, I refused to believe.

Nothing!

The weight of history, I’d thought, though I’d not dared to say it aloud.

But history has no weight, and forms no shield. History is simply a long time to collect enemies.

…without me.

And I am without him now. He is dead, murdered by exactly the enemies he warned me about, not six years after that lecture in his study.

The large counter at the front of the room clicks loudly. Everyone’s eyes jerk up, even though we know the number displayed is one more than the last number, and we all know what number we hold in our sweaty hands.

The last woman who’d entered the office at the front hadn’t come back. She’d gone out another way, gone through. They’d let her through.

As a distraction, I try to call her to mind. Young, tall, thin, short blonde hair, serious look. Nervous, but then all of us are. Who is she? A student perhaps, hoping to join some distant university off-world? A course unavailable here?

I don’t know. All I really know about her is she has been let through; that she’s getting off this planet.

Would I trade places with her? Without even knowing who she is and where she’s going?

She didn’t look stupid; she wouldn’t trade with me, even if it were possible, not for all my ‘privileges’ and ‘history’.

And neither would I trade with her.

Fool! Arrogant imbecile! Your pride will slow you, and then the hounds will drag you down into the dirt where you will die. I imagine my grandfather’s anger at my refusal to trade places with the student, spitting out the kind of hunting metaphor he always used.

In a strange way, it is comforting to imagine him still here, still angry at me.

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