Awaking Hope, by Emily Renee Cunningham: #BookReview.

379 pages.Science Fiction This story of a society that is such a contrast to the destructive one we currently have worldwide is full of hope. But, sneaking pervasively beneath the surface, lies a hint of threat, an unspecified suggestion that all may not be as it seems.We follow the eponymous Hope as she leads a …

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Why That Title? – Breaking Faith.

Titles for works of fiction often cause authors a lot of soul-searching. Ideally, we want to give potential readers clues about content, theme, style, and storyline. Not easy in anything from one to, say, a dozen words. Of course, the best titles are revealed as obvious choices once a book’s been read, so this series …

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#Words and #PictureOfTheDay: 18/Feb/22

The distance between uson this dying day of wintersignals what I wonderis this the final partingor a renewal of our loveor a simple misunderstandingtime will render comedywhen we glance back on yearswe have yet to walk together? *****………………………….*****Some of my pictures appear in the Gallery.But, if you want images to decorate your home or office, …

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Looking For an Absorbing #Read?

You want adventure, peril, romance, conflict, survival, love, threat, humour, hate, teamwork, isolation and hope of rescue? You’ll find all that, and more, in ‘An Excess Of…’ where three discordant men and three very different women find themselves stranded on a desert island after their ship sinks. Will they survive? Will they ever return to …

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Another 5 Stars in Second Review for ‘An Excess Of…’

The second review has come in for my latest novel. As you know, reviews are difficult to come by, so it’s always worth celebrating when they arrive. This one is on Goodreads (some reviewers avoid Amazon these days for many reasons). You can read it by clicking here. But to make it easy, I’ll also …

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First review for ‘An Excess Of…’ Gives 5 Stars

The first review has come in for my latest novel. As most readers and writers know, reviews are difficult to come by, so it’s always worth celebrating when they start to arrive. This one is on Goodreads (many reviewers avoid Amazon these days for many reasons). You can read it by clicking here. But to …

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Translation: Illuminating Cultural Difference.

Just short of a month ago, I wrote a post about Helen, a Chinese woman, translating some of my stories into her language. My hope was that would place my work before a wider readership. But there has been an unexpected and positive additional outcome.I’m no linguist. But I’ve travelled, both within the land of …

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Wild Horses on the Salt, by Anne Montgomery: #BookReview.

345 pagesWomen’s Action & Adventure/Romance/Contemporary Fiction Having enjoyed Anne Montgomery’s ‘A Light in the Desert’, I thought I’d give this new novel a try. I’ve never been to the USA, and frequently find novels set there both self-congratulatory and full of references that are meaningless to me as a UK reader. But the previous novel …

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Finding Home, by Jackie Weger: #BookReview.

233 pagesWomen’s Humorous/Contemporary/Romance In this romance, we follow the progress of Phoebe as she attempts to find a new home for herself, her siblings, and her parents following their loss of employment. Set in America, it has the usual tendency to reference aspects of life that are familiar only to those who live there. In …

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A #Romantic Short Story for You.

In hope of giving you some entertainment in these peculiar times, here’s a short story. It’s a gentle romance, with a touch of humour, from a collection of such stories I published some time ago. A Perfect Solution Under the heat of a Mediterranean sun it seemed ludicrous to care about his worries back home. …

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Fated to Meet You, by Despoina Kemeridou: #BookReview.

49 pages Time Travel Romance This short book has a gentle, naïve charm. It is, essentially, a fairy tale. But a fairy tale for adults. As a reader, I enjoyed the story. As a writer, I found some elements in need of editing, but that’s so often the case these days that it hardly merits …

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Why Did I Write Breaking Faith That Way?

It occurred to me recently that I’ve never explained what drove me to write the books I’ve had published. My hope was the intention would be clear from the story. But it seems that’s not very realistic. I know what motivated me, so I can hardly judge how effectively that motivation was transferred to the …

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Love Matters: a #Poem

Today is Valentine's Day, but Valerie and I have always ignored such niceties. At the risk of seeming overly romantic; every day is our special day. And this is for my lovely wife. Love Matters You are she who speaks me truth never harsh or hurtful ever your heart is your guide and leads the …

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One Summer in Italy, by Sue Moorcroft: #BookReview.

368 pages Genre Fiction/Holidays Intending to visit Italy, I bought a copy of Lonely Planet’s ‘Italy’. Along with other recommendations resulting from that purchase, Sue Moorcroft’s ‘One Summer in Italy’ came up. I thought it might be fun to read this as I lay sunbathing by the pool at the latter end of our visit. …

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Looking for the Best Word? Tip #01

  English is a startling language, as those who use it know. Amongst many claims about language, most of which are difficult to prove, English is recognised as one of the top 3 most widely spoken languages. It’s also a second language in many countries. Whilst ‘Chinese’ is spoken by more people, this gives a …

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