🎄This cracker is bound to put a sparkle in your Christmas this holiday! A book by Peggy Jaeger needs to be in everyone's stocking!

Christmas and Cannolis

by

Peggy Jaeger

With Christmas season in full swing, baker Regina San Valentino is up to her elbows in cake batter and cookie dough. Between running her own business, filling her bursting holiday order book, and managing her crazy Italian family, she's got no time to relax, no room for more custom cake orders, and no desire to find love.

 A failed marriage and a personal tragedy have convinced her she's better off alone. Then a handsome stranger enters her bakery begging for help. 

Regina can't find it in her heart to refuse him.

Connor Gilhooly is in a bind. He needs a specialty cake for an upcoming fundraiser and puts himself—and his company's reputation—in Regina's capable hands. What he doesn't plan on is falling for a woman with heartbreak in her eyes or dealing with a wise-guy father and a disapproving family.

Can Regina lay her past to rest and trust the man who's awoken her heart?

Amazon | The Wild Rose Press 

Merry Christmas!

'His problem started when Marjorie Williams left her industrial strength knickers and bra in his car.' Great opening! #mustread #christmasbooks #womensfiction @JanRuthAuthor

Away for Christmas

A Christmas Novella

by

Jan Ruth

Jonathan Jones has written a novel. Losing his job a few days before Christmas means the pressure is on for his book to become a bestseller, but when his partner drops her own bombshell, the festive holiday looks set to be a disaster.

Buy NOW!

When he’s bequeathed a failing bookshop in their seaside town, it seems that some of his prayers have been answered, but his publishing company turn out to be not what they seem, and when his ex-wife suddenly declares her romantic intent, another Christmas looks set to be complicated. 

Is everything lost, or can the true meaning of words, a dog called Frodo, and the sheer magic of Christmas be enough to save Jonathan’s book, and his skin?

Bookmuse Magazine: "If you’re a writer you will laugh, despair and sympathise with Jonathan Jones, and the trials and tribulations he faces as he battles to become a published author. And if you’re a reader, you’ll be captivated by the excellent story-telling that weaves Jonathan’s complicated life into a page turning drama. A real feel good novella, perfect to curl up with on a stormy winter’s afternoon..."

You’ll enjoy this if you like: Jojo Moyes, Jill Mansell, Erica James.

Ideal accompaniments: Hot chocolate with marshmallows and a plate of shortbread.

~

An excerpt from...

Away for Christmas

CHAPTER ONE

 ~2015~

His problem started when flame-haired Marjorie Williams left her industrial strength knickers and bra in his car.

If his boss, Amanda, had taken a moment to consider the other items in the bag the whole situation would have been crystal clear… sort of. There was a metal hook thing, a hairnet, and a bag of week-old carrots. Hardly the stuff of sexual intrigue. All he’d done was offer Marjorie a lift to the stables when her car had refused to start after the staff conference. Why on earth did everyone in the office think it their business to jump to the wrong conclusion at every turn? Seriously, they were into the realms of dangerous fantasy on all counts because there was nothing in the least erotic about Marjorie Williams’ horse-shaped rear. The company secretary might affectionately be known as Red Rum, but at sixty-two she was twenty years his senior and recently bereaved, so any speculation was not only infantile but extremely distasteful.

      Of course, some of the ribbing in the accountancy office was down to the fact that he was writing a novel, although no matter how many times he reiterated that he was not writing erotica – or basing characters on anyone he knew – they all seemed to prefer to believe their own blinkered view of the process. His colleagues asked what it was about on a regular basis, usually while they were peering over his shoulder and rustling a packet of crisps. Trevor Hughes butted-in on a more than regular basis. ‘Any sex in it?’

      ‘Yes, but it’s probably too subtle for you to appreciate.’

      Loud laughter and whistles.

      ‘What’s it about, then?’

      ‘A man,’ he said, through gritted teeth. ‘He goes on a killing spree in an accountant’s office in a Welsh seaside town.’

      ‘Alright, alright!’ Hughes slid onto the front of Jonathan’s desk. ‘When’s it coming out? Be sure to let us know so we can get you to sign our free copies.’

      He never rose to their comments, knowing full well they were designed to pour scorn over his years of work. Some of his workmates were even suspicious of his motives. Maybe they thought he’d suffer an instant personality transplant if his book was a success and they wouldn’t know how to handle him. On the other hand, the reactions of his friends and relations were almost as difficult to fathom, ranging from indifference to abject disbelief. Some of them felt compelled to defend their reading choices even before they knew what his book was about, in case he asked them to read it. Of course, Jonathan’s book fell short before they’d even clapped eyes on it.

      Except for Catherine. His partner understood the blood, sweat and tears of the thing because she lived through it on a daily basis.

Amazon | Twitter | Website | Blog 

Jonathan Hill in the spotlight.

As winner of my short story competition back in April, Jonathan Hill as earned a spotlight  on WWBB.

Hill's clever comic novellas are awash with the crazy antics of his crazy character, Maureen. Fresh and funny (with a smidgen of real life--we've all met a Maureen!) he takes you to places and situations and lets you see them through the eyes of a 'means well, really' middle-aged battle axe Maureen. B sure to grab yourself a copy.

Maureen goes to Venice

Amazon.UK

Amzon.com

If Maureen were real, I would advise you to avoid her like the plague. She somehow attracts disaster and farce in equal measure wherever she goes.

As she is fictional though, it should be safe enough for you to encounter her from behind your Kindle. 

Maureen had a disastrous trip to a modern art exhibition in ECLECTIC: Ten Very Different Tales. Well, now she's back in her own feature-length adventure!

The book will give you plenty of laughs and a taste of Italy, so join hapless Maureen on her Venetian break and just be glad you're not there with her! 

See my review here.

A Letter for Maureen

Amazon.UK
Amazon.com

"Maureen's back!  Run away!  Hide anything she might break!  But this time, that might include your heart." (Amazon reviewer - January 2013)

When it's Maureen's turn to chair the local book group meeting, choosing a new outfit turns out to be the least of her worries.  A secret confided in Maureen by a fellow reader impacts on her life greatly over the following year.  Then comes a revelation which could change the way Maureen lives her life altogether.

The disaster-prone Maureen, recently recovered from her comic mishaps in Venice, stars in a story that is both hilarious and heartbreaking.
A novella of ~18,500 words.  This is the second to be published in the Maureen series, but the book can be read as a stand-alone story.

Jonathan Hill is also the writer of  Ecelectic: Ten Very Different Tales where in one of the stories, you'll meet Maureen again. You have been warned!

Little Guide to Unhip

book by 

Kate Rigby

Have you ever worried about not being quite hip enough?  Or maybe you are one of those who flaunts your unhipness with abandon?

Either way, The Little Unhip Guide is for you. Although it charts my own personal unhip top 50 with the likes of Gilbert O’Sullivan, Morris Dancing, Vicar of Dibley, Sanitary Towels (with wings), and the colour beige to name but a few, I picked those characters, characteristics, attributes or material objetcs with a universally unhip feeling to them.  Each is given an unhip rating up to five for you to keep a count of your own unhip rating, and some sections include a few personal anecdotes.  There is also a ‘bubbling under’ list for a further 14  unhip things not quite making the top 50. 

This book carries a warning: some readers may seriously dent their coolness if caught reading this material!

Kate Rigby has been been writing for over thirty years and has released many titles. Her latest is Little Guide to Unhip by Night Publishing. Little Guide to Unhip is a comedy lightly based on the author's own experiences as she blundered through her teen years to adulthood. Not targeted at any particular audience, but probably better suited to thirty-somethings plus due to the era of the novel. 

Maybe Kate's "unhipness" has abated because she penned a punk novel titled Fall  Of  The Flamingo Circus which was published by Allison and Busby and by Villard. It was reviewed in The Times and The Face. Since then she has seen Seaview Terrace and Sucka! published by Skrev Press and Break Point, and shorter works have appeared in Skrev's avant garde magazine Texts' Bones including a version of a satirical novella Lost The Plot. 

A poignant novel, Thalidomide Kid, was published by Bewrite Books which brings back the era of the 60s and 70s wonderfully, so if you're looking nostalgia as well as a tearjerker maybe that's the one to try.

Kate has many short stories published, and received a Southern Arts bursary for Where A Shadow Played (now renamed Œ Did You Whisper Back?), and Dancing In The Dark is an erotic anthology by Pfoxmoor Publishing.

Her novels tend to be character-driven and a bit quirky or gritty ­whether contemporary or retro ­and deal with issues of today: drugs abuse, homosexuality, neighbourhood conflicts, and a common theme is about the experience of being an outsider in society.

Titles now available on Kindle:

Little Guide to Unhip

Thalidomide Kid

Seaview Terrace

Break Point

Suckers n Scallies (formerly Sucka!)

Down The Tubes

Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/16648 - Little Guide to Unhip

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/45068 - Down The Tubes

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/43721 - Break Point

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/42991 - Seaview Terrace

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/50635 ­ Suckers n Scallies

 Kindle:

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Down-The-Tubes-ebook/dp/B004UC51NK - Down The Tubes

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004TNGRBU - Break Point

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004SV2DBG - Seaview Terrace

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Guide-Unhip-Kj-Rigby/dp/1452876983 -  Little Guide to Unhip

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004WTARYY ­ Suckers n Scallies

 http://www.amazon.com/Thalidomide-Kid-ebook/dp/B0046W6TDA -  Thalidomide Kid

Paperbacks:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thalidomide-Kid-Kate-Rigby/dp/tags-on-product

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Guide-Unhip-Kj-Rigby/dp/1452876983

http://www.skrevpress.com/index.php?p=2_12_Kate-Rigby

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0749000910/ref=cm_cd_asin_lnk - Flamingo Circus  Anthology

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/39905 - Dancing In The Dark, where I have two stories

Website:

http://kjrbooks.yolasite.com/

http://bubbitybooks.blogspot.com/

Ever wondered what happened to Cinderalla after she married Prince Charming?

Michelle Davidson Argyle tells the story...

Cinders is the story of Cinderella after she marries her prince and sets out to live her happily-ever-after. That happiness soon turns into something completely different when Cinderella discovers her fairy godmother has been imprisoned in the castle and she remembers a man she met two years before her marriage.

This man is mysterious, and Cinderella is sure she’s still in love with him because his love was real while her Prince Rowland’s love is tainted and governed by magic. Cinderella soon sets out to find her true love again, but encounters death and heartache around almost every turn.

Written in a poetic, literary tone, Cinders is reminiscent of the original Grimm’s fairy tales. It is dark, visceral, and filled with twists and turns that will surprise any reader. In Cinders, Cinderella may be a character who readers find hard to love, but she is also a character we can relate to, one who makes decisions that will keep readers thinking long after they close the book.

Click for the interview:

FREE books with Tom Lichtenberg.

Tom Lichtenberg has written a "bunch of books" which he's giving away for free as e-books via Smashwords and Feedbooks. He's been writing for twenty years, but only recently self-published and put his books out there.

Zombie Nights spent the summer as the #1 most downloaded book from Smashwords. It's currently #2, behind Smashwords own required reading – their style guide.

Lichtenberg likes to think his books are genre free. He has five books on Smashwords' 100 Most Downloaded list, including a YA thriller Snapdragon Alley, a sci-fi detective farce Death Ray Butterfly, a mystery adventure Freak City, and a sort of magical realism tall-tale Secret Sidewalk. Among other books are some atheist comic pulp fiction stories Orange Car with Stripes and Missy Tonight, non-traditional time travel Time Zone and Golden, and young children's read-alouds Tiddlywink the Mouse, to name but a few.

The books have garnered a wide range of reactions from the public, with over 100,000 copies downloaded in this period. Reviews have been varied from "probably the worst book ever" to "work of genius". All in all the books tend to be viewed as odd, and if you like your reading material "odd" than we've certainly found the author for you!

Author, Tom Lichtenberg

Hi Tom, tell me, all in all just how many books have you written?

I've written more than sixty books over the past thirty years or so. Following my all-time favorite advice for writers, from Henry Miller, I've thrown away the first half of those books. I remember reading where he once said something like 'you’ve got to write a million words, perhaps more before you get down your first true word'. I'm not a big Henry Miller fan, or anything, but it did seem to make sense to me. You have to find your voice and there's only one way to do that. Write, write write.

In my late teens and early twenties I wrote pretty much non-stop, always in long-hand, always in blank books and notebooks. I developed a heck of a blister on my right middle finger and I wrote some really weird stuff. Actually I still have those books but can't decipher the handwriting, but it's no great loss, I'm sure. I'd get to the point where I would have to decide if the book was "typewriter-worthy", and then in later years whether it was 'computer-keyboard-worthy'. A handful of earlier works did survive those filters. I stopped writing entirely for more than a decade, and when I started up again, in my late thirties, it was as if I was a completely different writer. Where formerly I wrote longish novels, I began to write shorter ones. Where previously I did a lot of planning, now I just make it all up as I go along. I'm having a lot more fun than I used to.

Novellas by Catherine Chisnall

Descending and Surfacing Novellas

by

Catherine Chisnall

Emily is a lonely, disillusioned, teaching assistant at a college of Further Education. Jamie is a neglected, unpredictable student. Trapped together in a falling lift, wherever will this lead? Told from Emily's point of view, this story explores the ambiguity of relationships between staff and students, and reflects on who is actually in control.

Suddenly the lift began sinking, slowly at first, with a terrible metallic groaning sound, then faster and faster.

I screamed and put my hand out for Jamie to find he was reaching out for me too. He pulled me towards him and we clung onto each other as the lift plunged. I realised I was screaming but he was just holding on.

The sequel to Descending. Emily is in shock. What happened with Jamie changed her life irreversibly - but will it be for better or worse? Should she confront him, or just move on?

‘Er- about two months ago. Something like that.’ I stifled a laugh. How ridiculous. I was a thirty year old woman and I could’t be pregnant by a seventeen year old boy, it was unthinkable.

Catherine Chisnall was born in the Midlands, England and now lives with husband and child in the South. She has had a varied career working in banks, libraries, charities and for the last ten years, secondary and further education.

Catherine Chisnall ignored the desire to write, thinking it wasn’t a valid career but the call to writing proved too strong. She has had several factual articles published and this gave her confidence to publish some of her fiction.

Descending and Surfacing are available for download at:
Lebrary: http://www.lebrary.com/author.php?id=503
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/16102

Catherine's thoughts on the world of writing so far...

"I have been writing stories as long as I can remember. It is something I have to do, not just a hobby. Often it feels like my characters are in charge of themselves and I'm not, so they do what they want and write their own story. That probably sounds pretentious but that's just the way it is. I am pleased to say because of that I've never had writers' block, well not so far anyway. My favourite saying is 'just do it.'"