Did you ever do painting by numbers as a child? I did, with colouring pencils, felt tips and paints. I loved it! So, when the lovely people at Paint By Numbers UK asked me if I would like to review their custom Paint by Numbers kit, I jumped at the chance. In fact, I thought it might be good for my artistic teenage son to try but when it arrived, I decided actually I am going to give it a whirl myself!
DISCLAIMER
The Paint By Numbers Custom Photo Kit were supplied by Paint By Numbers UK for the purpose of this review however all opinions expressed are 100% mine.
The Kit
THE BRAND
Paint By Numbers UK have hundreds of pre made Paint by Numbers kits to choose from, there are some free download designs or you can choose to get a custom Paint By Number kit. Whichever kit you choose, they all come with a numbered sheet, a pre printed canvas, paint and brushes. Clean website with easy navigation and instructions to download your photo if you choose a custom kit , are clear and precise.
At the start….
PACKAGING AND DELIVERY
My kit came in a long tube like parcel with the numbered sheet, canvas sheet, paint and paintbrushes rolled up securely inside. Delivery times depend on what you choose. I assume that a ready made print kit would be with you around 5 – 7 days. A custom Paint By Numbers kit takes a while so allow extra time if you are thinking of purchasing a kit for as a present. For a custom kit, it takes 2 working days to assess and process the photo; 5 – 7 days to create the custom image into a paint by numbers kit; 3 – 5 working days for shipping. After payment is received, a total delivery time is estimated. Free shipping in the UK too.
THEPRODUCT
Original photo
For custom kits, the company advises to pick a photo to download with a variety of colours, so with this in mind I decided to download my picture of a fruit stall in Funchal fruit market in Madeira. It is certainly colourful and had a lot of scope. I had 35 paints in my kit, 2 thin brushes and a slightly thicker one.
My finished painting
MY CONCLUSION
According to the website, creating art relieves stress, encourages creative thinking, increases brain plasticity and imparts other mental health benefits. All I know is, that after a busy few weeks at work it was nice to come home and spend an hour or so in the evening, doing a bit of painting – it was very therapeutic and enjoyable. Some of the numbers I found hard to read as they were so small, so I may have put the wrong shade in places! Also, I found I am not very neat with a paintbrush as I would be with a pencil or felt tip pen – but I like the idea of the paint being daubed on, like an abstract painting! At the end of the day, I have a painting I’m proud of and that’s all that matters. Would I purchase again? Oh yes, most definitely. It was a great activity to do away from my phone/computer/TV . Highly recommended 10/10.
If you enjoy a good love story and all things spooky … then this book, A Shadow Of Love by Amy S Cutler, may be just up your street… or alley! Amy is a published author of short stories and poems and this paranormal romance is her first novel – and what a debut! The story had me hooked from page one….
THE STORY
When Annabelle flees her abusive husband and moves into an 1860’s farmhouse, she soon learns that she is not alone; she shares her home with Christian, the ghost of a poet who killed himself in 1917. Christian, wanting nothing but solitude, tries to scare Annabelle away, but once they come together while she is dreaming, they fall in love. The clock is ticking for Christian, for moments after his hanging his fiance magically cursed his spirit to be stuck on earth for one hundred years, and his time is almost up.
With Annabelle’s ex threatening her and the spirit she has fallen in love with on the verge of disappearing, Annabelle becomes obsessed with staying with Christian, and will do anything to be with him.
Being in love with a ghost is bad enough, but for Annabelle, discovering that her true love will be crossing over at any moment pushes her over the edge of reckless behavior.
Hello! I am Amy, the author of paranormal romance novel, “A Shadow of Love.” I also run a ski area in New York State with my family, where I spend an inappropriate amount of time writing random pieces of fiction.
“A Shadow Of Love ” is certainly a spooky ghost love story and your writing focus is centered on the spooky, suspense, horror, science fiction, and poetry. Who or what inspired you to start your writing career?
When I was young, my parents had a house about five hours away from home where we would spend almost every weekend. That’s a lot of time in the car, and I passed the time by reading, or listening to my Walkman. I read a lot of Danielle Stelle and Stephen King – an odd mix, sure – so it’s probably not surprising that my first novel was a mix of romance and ghosts. Writing has always been something that I turned to, either to explain what my mouth couldn’t form words for, or just as a creative outlet.
“A Shadow Of Love ” is a ghost story with a romantic bizarre twist. Annabelle being in love with a ghost sounds silly at first but then her nightmares draw you in and Christian becomes real in your imagination too, that it soon seems like being in love with a ghost seems quite normal …. Which character did you enjoy writing about the most? Which character was the hardest?
I loved writing about Annabelle. She is independent and brave, leaving an abusive marriage and living on her own. I really enjoyed finding the strength in that vulnerability. I had the hardest time with Scott, her ex. I just didn’t like him, and had a hard time giving him depth. I wrote this while in grad school, and my advisor kept telling me that he was too one dimensional, and I really struggled to try and find a good or sensitive side to him.
I love reading gothic/horror/thriller novels – so what attracted you to writing ghost stories?
I have always loved ghost stories. I like the thrill of being scared while reading a book or watching a movie, and writing them is even more fun!
If you could visit any country/place in the world, to base a future novel in, where would you go and why?
I would go to an isolated castle near the ocean. Can you imagine? The storms, the crashing waves, the echoes from the stone walls and floors. I get happy chills just thinking about it.
Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?
Yes I am! My favorite genre is horror, and I love Stephen King, Peter Straub, Shirley Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury – to name a few.
Actual book … I love to hold a book, the way they smell, the history of where it has been and who else has read it. I appreciate the Kindle for portability and do use one, but I would always rather have a physical book in my hands.
Growing up had you always wanted to be an author or did you have other career aspirations?
I have wanted to be an author since I can remember. I have always also known that I would be in the ski business, which is my family’s business, but it is nice that they can work together and share my time.
Your other big love is skiing – you are Executive Manager at Mount Peter Ski Area in New York. How old was you when you started skiing? Do you get ideas for stories whilst on the slopes?
I have been skiing since I was two years old. I grew up on skis, the mountain was my babysitter in the winter months. I do get story ideas while skiing, but then again, I get story ideas at the grocery store.
Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?
I am very casual. Jeans, T-shirt in the summer and sweater in the winter. I like cardigans because my temperature fluctuates so much that I am constantly taking off or putting on a layer, and I can’t stand pulling shirts over my hair all day.
Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?
Sundance is my absolute favorite online store, for not only clothes but home décor and jewelry. I currently have 19 items on my wishlist!
What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?
Winter boots! Winter is coming and I have a hard time finding something that is grippy, waterproof, comfortable, and warm but not too warm since I work inside most of the day.
Boots or Shoes?
Well, flip flops. But in the cooler months, I go for boots. Even though I work inside most of the time, I never know when I have to go out onto the mountain, and I’d rather be safe than cold and wet.
Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc.
On Instagram and Twitter I can be found at AmysHippieHut
BOOK TOUR DATES
Thank you Amy for inviting me onto your book tour, for chatting and for the copy of your book for reviewing. PS. Totally off topic but I love your twitter/instagram handle! 😀
Linda x
All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Amy Cutler.
Header photo is by Linda Hobden and was taken in Lisciano Niccone on the Tuscany/Umbria border in Italy.
I’m so pleased to be part of another book tour – this time it is to highlight “The House On Linden Way ”by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. This gothic/suspense thriller is just the ticket for Hallowe’en, with its ghosts and a haunted house to boot!
BOOK SUMMARY
While passing through her hometown a decade after she left, Amber Blake impulsively revisits her old house on Linden Way. She only means to stay a moment, to show her three-year-old daughter Bee the place where she grew up. But when the kindly new owners invite them inside, Amber cannot resist.
Soon Bee is missing, the owners have disappeared, and Amber finds herself in a houseful of ghosts. Time takes on new meaning as she loses herself in living memories and a past that does not wish to be forgotten.
As Amber fights the powerful lure of a childhood she’d long left behind, her tenuous hold on the real world slips further from her grasp. Is it merely nostalgia she’s battling, or something far more menacing? Who haunts the house on Linden Way, and where are they hiding her child?
MY INTERVIEW
As the nights draw in, there is nothing more comforting than curling up with a good book – and this adult gothic suspense novel by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is certainly a story that sucks you in and takes you on an magical adventure that is full of suspense, and enough spookiness to lift the hairs on the back of your neck. I caught up with author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo to chat about her love of ghost stories…Hi Elizabeth! …
Hello! I’m Elizabeth, an author in Tempe, Arizona, who loves ghost stories, rainy days (rare here!), and woodsy getaways. I’ve been writing since I can remember and publishing for about ten years, mostly short fiction and essays in literary journals, but also a book here and there. I’m excited to be here sharing my latest novel, The House on Linden Way, so thank you!
“The House On Linden Way” is your adult gothic suspense novel; you have also written a young adult novel centered around magical realism – “The Fourth Wall”, and numerous short stories and creative non fiction. Who or what inspired you to start your writing career?
I don’t remember ever not writing, so I can’t pinpoint who or what my earliest inspiration was, but I do remember my teachers, as early as second grade, singling me out as a writer and applauding and encouraging my creative efforts. This was an early source of confidence for me and I clung to it, embracing writing as an identity. Teachers have incredible influence.
“The House On Linden Way” is a ghost story with a suspense twist. There are a lot of ghosts and as you read, sometimes you meet characters in the book and just wonder, are they real or figments of imagination? And then there’s Amber and her daughter Bee…. Did you base a lot of your characters on you and people you’ve met in life? Which character did you enjoy writing about the most? Which character was the hardest?
The character that most closely resembles real life is the house itself; I used my childhood home, which I have an almost mythical attachment to, as the setting for the novel. The character of Joey is loosely based on my brother Michael. I appreciate stories that focus on sibling relationships, especially brother/sister relationships, since that’s what I’ve known.
The character I enjoyed writing most was adult Amber, because she was the easiest. She had a clear problem—her daughter was missing and she needed to find her. Little Amber was the hardest, depending on her age in the memories. Her conflict was not as straight-forward, because she wasn’t always aware of it; she doesn’t know what the reader knows. That’s a tricky point of view, but it was a fun challenge.
I love reading gothic/horror/thriller novels – so what attracted you to writing a novel in that genre?
I love reading gothic and horror novels too! I grew up consuming all forms of horror media, from movies to music to books. My brother definitely had something to do with that! The first real horror book I read was Stephen King’s IT and it stuck with me because I’m fascinated with childhood fears; they know no bounds. As for gothic themes and settings, these have also always appealed to me because gothic is the perfect blend of horror and sadness and beauty.
If you could visit any country/place in the world, to base a future novel in, where would you go and why?
Switzerland is so breathtakingly beautiful. The charming villages, the dramatic mountainscapes, the crystal-blue lakes and spruce forests… the whole country looks like a fairy tale. I’d go there.
Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre? Kindle or actual book?
Fellow bookworm here for sure! Speculative fiction is my favorite, from ghost stories to supernatural horror to magical realism. Although I will admit an indulgence for cozy mysteries, the sillier the better.
I’m evenly split on Kindle vs. print. What matters to me is the type/size of the print book—I can’t stand hardcovers, and I much prefer mass market paperbacks over trade paperbacks. They’re the perfect size! That said, if a book is more than 400 pages, I’d rather read it on Kindle.
Growing up had you always wanted to be an author or did you have other career aspirations?
As a little girl, I imagined being an author or a schoolteacher. Now I’m both! It works well for me because as much as I love writing, I wouldn’t want to make a career out of it. I like having a steady paycheck and health insurance, and I like the feeling that my writing is something I do because I enjoy it and not because I have to. I also really like teaching! I’m surrounded by little people all day who are amazing and make me laugh and also make me want to tear my hair out sometimes, but it’s just such a rewarding job.
Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?
In the summer I wear dresses; it’s just too hot here in the desert to wear anything else. Simple, sleeveless, A-line dresses, heeled flip flops for shoes. In fall and winter, jeans and boots all the way, with v-neck tees and a light jacket or cardigan.
Do you have any favourite shops or online sites ?
I really don’t like clothes shopping, so I stick with the basics: for jeans it’s Old Navy, for dresses it’s JCPenney, and for shoes… well, I’ll just wear them until they’re peeling apart rather than go shoe shopping.
However, if we’re talking any shops, I could spend an entire day in Barnes & Noble. Online my go-to is Etsy, because the creativity and talent of others is wonderful and I love supporting fellow creatives and getting (and giving!) homemade gifts.
For Pinning Later
What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?
I’d like some more tunics because they’re so cute to pair with leggings and boots—I teach in an elementary school and we can wear leggings but not jeans, and I’ve never been a slacks person. Shirts can be tricky for me; I’m only 5 foot 2, and that’s rounding up, so I need just the right length or I look even shorter!
Boots or Shoes?
Boots! Always! They’re just so much more comfortable. Also, I have really big feet, so shoes look silly on me, like I have clown feet. Ankle boots are the perfect solution for this, I’ve found. Also, with boots I never have that problem where the back of the shoe rubs the back of your ankle and you don’t know until you’ve worn the shoes for a whole day and then it’s too late to take them back. Forget shoes.
Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc
Thank you to Elizabeth Maria Naranjo for letting me be part of The House On Linden Way book tour. Thank you for the review copy of The House On Linden Way – I found the book highly enjoyable 😊
Linda x
All photographs in the article have been published with kind permission of Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. The Pinterest and header photo were both by Linda Hobden.
My guest this week is the groovy American musician, Cliff Beach, who has just published his book ”Side Hustle & Flow” which chronicles his music career journey as well as giving readers a detailed and realistic approach to how people can run their passion projects alongside the day job. And Cliff certainly knows his stuff – he is a successful musician but his full time day job is actually VP of Digital & Operations with online beauty company, BeautyTap. So, how does he do it all? I caught up with Cliff recently to find out… Hi Cliff, and welcome…
Hi! I am a musician and author based in Los Angeles, CA. I have a 10-piece funk band which performs regularly in Southern California and toured the West Coast this year.
Your book, “Side Hustle & Flow” is a detailed & realistic approach to how you can successfully run your passion projects alongside your day job, as well as providing practical productivity ideas and real-life techniques. What was the initial inspiration for writing this book?
It was my bucket list, pandemic project. Originally the book was titled “From Full to Fulfilled” as I wanted to learn why some people had full lives that were full of busyness, and some had fulfilled lives that were about their business. As it progressed, I realized that I had inadvertently curated my life to be able to work full-time and work on my side hustles full time by becoming very good at goal setting and time-management.
I loved the questions at the end of each chapter – they really helped to frame idea and to sort out priorities – and it made it easier to feel that having a successful side hustle is certainly achievable! What do you feel is the biggest hurdle people face when trying to run their passion/side hustle alongside their day job?
First, many people do not think it is achievable, because they have an all or nothing mindset or have self-limiting beliefs or have never learned how to make and set goals. The biggest hurdle is facing your fears. Fears are triggered by anxiety and stress that set in, and we don’t want to look foolish or fail publicly so we talk ourselves out of it. I am trying to live by a rule “Love the idea for 5 mins” that I learned from Mel Robbins because often in life we kill our own ideas before we even have time to believe it could be possible. If you try, you might, achieve it but if you don’t try, you won’t achieve it.
Were there any aspects of writing “Side Hustle & Flow” that surprised you, either by being harder or easier to write about than you expected?
The writing of at least the first draft moved right along, but it was the ten rounds of editing that almost killed me. I never thought I would hate my own ideas or reading my own words, and now that I have done the audiobook it was torture all over again, but once you have some distance from it, you get graduation goggles on and think ‘it’s not so bad.’ I didn’t know how much I didn’t know about the English language until my editors humbled me in the process. But it did make the book better each time, it is a labor of love.
Your full-time day job is VP of Digital & Operations with online beauty company Beautytap. Do you feel that your side hustles/passions – music, TEDX speaker, Toastmaster, author – have helped you to be productive in your day job too? If so, in which ways?
Yes, I think many firms should think more intrapreneurial. Just today I interviewed a person for a job at our firm and they expressed that outside of their normal work they owned a few Boba tea shops in LA, which was very impressive to me. Without telling me I can understand that for a person to work and have a side hustle and manage not, 1 or 2 but 3 locations, plus other endeavors, that person is a go-getter, that person wants to continually improve, and they can set goals and time manage while dealing with a high level stress. I’d take a person with soft skills and hustle any day over someone who looks good on paper. They used to say the proof is the pudding, but I say the proof is in the output. What your produce matters.
What attracted you to the role of Toastmaster?
I learned Warren Buffet displays no degrees on his wall, only a public speaking certificate. I think people think they speak well but can still improve, while others are afraid to speak in public. Effective communication is what changes someone from good to great and not just at work and career but in interpersonal relationships. In the world of texting and shorthand, people are not using as many words, and we have a more passive than explicit and direct nature when we speak now. In Toastmasters practicing persuasive, humorous, impromptu, and succinct speeches have helped me immensely, by having a warm, supportive environment to practice and a methodology that has evolved over the past 90+ years to be tried and true.
Music also plays a very big part of your life – having a hit song “Confident”; winner of 2 Global Music Awards and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize; House-band leader for Josh Gates Tonight on Discovery Channel; and host of Deeper Grooves on 88.5FM KCSN; plus, a spell on “American Idol”. So, growing up, did you want to have a career in writing or in music or did you actually have other career aspirations?
When I was young, I wanted to be a chef. I used to love watching cooking shows. I almost became a doctor, but I decided last minute to go to Music Conservatory at Berklee instead. It worked out in the end though I do love to cook, I can’t stand the sight of blood.
Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?
I used to read a lot of books, but I am more into audio books and book summaries now. I read mostly self-help. I love Tim Ferris, Tim Robbins, Jim Rohn, Les Brown, Zig Ziglar Brian Tracy and more, but mostly I read Success Magazine, which is all substance and no fluff and over 100+ years old.
Is “Side Hustle & Flow” available to purchase worldwide?
Yes, on Eyewear Publishing, it is available worldwide in hard cover first edition and will soon be available on audio and eventually digital.
Have you got a passion project bucket list of activities you would love to try but haven’t as yet?
Yes, I am working on a lot of music projects at the moment, one more contemporary project, three jazz projects, a soul project and possibly a blues project. I created a legacy document at 30 almost 10 years ago on my first ep info and beyond and now I am looking to plan and plot out the next decade. I said I would make ten albums in 10 years, and I have done almost that in nine so far.
Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?
Depends on the day sometimes more casual, sometimes dressy but always in my brand/band colors which are red and black. I liked the White Stripes, who wore red and white so I chose red and black. Red is the first color you see, so it makes me stand out in a crowd.
Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?
I shop a lot at Ross Stores and Amazon. I am not brand specific, and I do like a bargain. I never go to the mall.
What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?
You can never have too many hats. I just got a wide brim red fedora, but I’d like a regular brim red fedora as well next purchase.
Boots or Shoes?
Shoes, because boots are too heavy and unlike the song they are not made for walking.
For Pinning Later
Links you would like to share e.g., website/facebook etc
Red is one of my favourite colours to wear also – it definitely sends out a powerful message – and the colour suits you too, Cliff 😊
Linda x
Photo Credits: Sheldon Botler. Header photo: Linda Hobden. All photographs published with kind permission of Cliff Beach.
Book cover credit: Image Stricken
Thank you to Cliff Beach & Ben Cameron (Cameron Publicity & Marketing) for the review copy of ”Side Hustle & Flow”. All opinions expressed in this article are 100% my own.
My holiday book this year was the fascinating novel “The Maids Of Biddenden” by G D Harper. It is really an ”imagined biography” – a novel based on the legendary story of Mary and Eliza Chaulkhurst, the 12th century conjoined twins who hailed from Biddenden, Kent. A really heart warming and inspirational story of two women, with two distinctly different personalities and two different careers but sharing the one body. Although it is an imagined biography, the storyline isn’t far fetched and I was drawn into the world of the twins from the start. I loved the fact that although they were one body they were definitely two distinct people in their own right. I could easily imagine how frightened people were when they first encountered the twins, and how innocent the twins were, thinking that everybody starts life conjoined. This novel piqued my interest in finding out more about the twins, I cried at the cruelty, I laughed at the antics and petty quarrels between the girls and my heart melted when they encountered people who treated them with kindness. This book is the first in a new historical fiction trilogy highlighting little known stories from Kent and Sussex, by author GD Harper ( although , he has written 3 brilliant psychological thrillers – Love’s Long Road, A Friend In Deed and Silent Money). I couldn’t wait to chat to Glyn to find out more about the Maids of Biddenden … Hi Glyn! Please introduce yourself 😊
Hello! I went to Glasgow University in 1975 and lived in the city’s West End, the time and place for the setting of the majority of my first two novels, Love’s Long Road and Silent Money.
I also worked in Russia and Ukraine for ten years, which gave me ideas for the plot and setting that I used in my third novel, “A Friend in Deed”. Although somewhat overtaken by recent events, I think it still remains an entertaining read.
I now live in East Sussex, not far from Biddenden in Kent, which is the setting for my latest novel, The Maids of Biddenden, the imagined biography of Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, conjoined twins born in 1100 into a wealthy family from the small Kent village of Biddenden. When they died they left their money to charity, which almost 900 years later still gives donations to the elderly of the village every Easter Monday, making it one of oldest continuous charity doles in England. Visitors to the village when the dole is handed out can buy Biddenden cakes, shaped in the image of the Maids. They are rock-hard and inedible, but store well and are kept as souvenirs.
I became a full-time author in 2016. My writing was placed third in the Lightship Prize for first-time authors and has won a 2016 Wishing Shelf Award Red Ribbon, longlisted for the 2017 UK Novel Writing Competition, the Wishing Shelf 2018 awards, the 2020 Page Turner Writer Award, the 2021 Flash 500 Award, the 2021 Impress Prize and the 2021 Exeter Novel Prize. The Maids of Biddenden was number one in Medieval History on amazon.com in the month it was launched.
Who or what inspired you to research and write about The Maids of Biddenden?
When you arrive in Biddenden, you are greeted by a village sign of the two women side-by-side and the same image is seen throughout the village. It is an astonishing story, and one that I always tell when I’m showing visitors around this beautiful part of Kent. But when I am asked specific questions about them, I realise how little factual information is known about Eliza and Mary. For a novelist, this is actually good news as I realised I had a largely blank canvas to describe a possible life for them.
That was the inspiration for me writing, The Maids of Biddenden. I used the real-life historical events and characters of the time to give a factual backcloth to the story and carefully researched what was known about rural life in Kent at that time and the places where the book is set; Malling, Maidstone, Tenterden, Ashford, Canterbury and, of course, Biddenden itself.
Property of Wellcome Institute in London, used with permission.
I really enjoyed reading your book, “The Maids of Biddenden”. Although the novel is based on legendary story of the 12th century conjoined twins Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst and is essentially an imagined biography, I loved the portrayal of the twins and could imagine the reactions from people that met them. I loved that the twins had distinctly different personalities and I did giggle a bit when Eliza had a love interest! My heart melted when they were given a looking glass and I was so upset when Mary became ill. They were definitely my favourite characters in the novel but I also had a soft spot for Sister Agnes, Gerbert and Gaston. Which characters were challenging to write about?
I think Gudrun, the Maids’ stepmother was the most challenging. The twins spend their early years hidden away and being cared for by nuns, so she doesn’t meet them until they are six years old and is horrified both by the sight of them and the fact that she believes the family will be shunned if they return with them to Biddenden and so plots to stop that from happening. But over the course of the book she begins to accept and then admire them, and by the end she holds them in even higher esteem than the villagers do themselves. It was important to me to make this significant character as credible and believable as I think it has a message about how attitudes to disability are changing in today’s society as well.
Did you have any favourite characters?
Eliza and Mary are of course my favourites, but I enjoyed the challenge of bringing some of the minor characters to life – the outspoken alewife, Ada; the warring nobles William de Ashford and Robert de Crevecoeur, Deorwin the wise and compassionate village reeve, etc
Having already written 3 very popular psychological thrillers – Love’s Long Road; A Friend In Deed & Silent Money – “ The Maids Of Biddenden” is obviously a different genre (although written just as well!) Were there any aspects of writing “The Maids Of Biddenden “ that surprised you, pleasantly or otherwise, compared with writing psychological thrillers?
I was worried about how to give my author voice a historical feel without resorting to pastiche. And you can’t write in the actual language of the time as it would be incomprehensible, but you also need to make sure you don’t sound overly contemporary and avoid anachronisms. Hopefully, I’ve got the balance right, and if anything, I always veered more towards making the story easy to read rather than overly flowery and obtuse.
Growing up, have you always wanted to be an author or did you have other career aspirations?
I had a first career in marketing, but I always wanted to be a writer. I didn’t start writing until I was in my fifties, as I think it took me until then to feel I had enough of an informed view of life to write words people would want to read.
“The Maids Of Biddenden” is the first book of a planned trilogy of historical fiction highlighting little known stories from Kent and Sussex. Can you tell us a bit about the other books?
It is the first part of a trilogy bringing to life obscure historical events and characters from Kent and Sussex. The outline of the second book is already defined and I’m currently working on a first draft.
Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?
Not as much as I’d like to be. I like reading authors who are easy to read, but have a great quality of prose that is both lyrical and evocative. I’m reading Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist at the moment, Delia Owen’s Where the Crawdad’s Sing before that. I also love the imagery in Ian McEwan’s books.
And being a bit of a technophobe, I always read paperbacks.
Biddenden Cakes. Photo by Paul Webster
Is “The Maids Of Biddenden” available to purchase worldwide?
Yes it is, in both paperback and e-book. I was number 16 in overall sales on Amazon in Australia at the beginning of September, number two in historical fiction behind the new Maggie O’Farrell novel. Having said I’m a technophobe, I’m amazed at how easy it is these days to market and sell books all over the world.
If you could visit any place in the world to give you inspiration for your next book, where would you go and why?
I’m working with facsimiles and transcriptions of 16th-century documents at the moment, the sourcematerial for my next novel. I’d love to visit the British Library and the Bodleian Library and see the actual documents for myself and see what additional insights they reveal.
Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?
When you get to a certain age, you have to up your game when it comes to clothes if you want to look smart, you can’t get away with cheap stuff anymore. Tailored suit with t shirt and leather sneakers if I’m going out, something non-slobby if I’m nipping down to the shops.
Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?
I like to buy my clothes in the independent shops in Brighton’s Lanes and go down and do a blitz shopthere once a year. Ted Baker and Paul Smith are the chains I like and so I pop into their shops in Covent Garden when I’m in London. I never buy clothes online.
What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?
A new Arc’teryx waterproof jacket for wearing in the Scottish mountains. My current one is coming to the end of its useful life.
Boots or Shoes?
I’ll say boots, as I love climbing and trekking. But if you mean for casualwear, I’ll have to choose shoes. I like boots, but they don’t like me. Always giving me blisters.
For Pinning Later
Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc
Thank you Glyn for agreeing to be interviewed; and thank you to Ben Cameron of Cameron Publicity & Marketing (and Glyn) for sending me a copy of ”The Maids Of Biddenden” for reviewing. My thoughts about the book are 100% mine! 😊
Linda x
All photographs have been published with the kind permission of G D Harper and copyright information on certain photos has been added.
Have you ever been on holiday overseas in some idyllic place and just wondered what it would be like to live there on a permanent basis? Have you casually looked in an estate agents window or looked online for properties overseas? I know I have when I visited Madeira a few years back and since then, every time I’ve visited the island, I do get the ”urge”. I enjoy watching the TV programme ”Down Under” – when people from the UK get the chance to experience Australia or New Zealand for a week – they check out the housing market, job market, the food bills, the downtime opportunities, schooling (if necessary), opinions from ex pats and lastly they watch, usually weepy, a video from loved ones and friends giving their opinions on the ”move”. The couple then make up their minds whether they still want to move or not. The follow up programme a year or so later discovers whether they took the plunge or not! So, it was with great interest to receive ”Living The Dream” to review – this book really is the true life, warts-n-all accounts of settling overseas from women who wanted to live the dream including an eye opening account on how it feels to be a foreigner in England. This book is really essential reading for those aspiring to live abroad as well as for current expats. My guest this week is Carrie Frais, a British Broadcast journalist & PR consultant who has been living in Barcelona since 2006. She edited Living The Dream as well as contributed her story. Hi Carrie and welcome 😊
Hi! I am a British born TV and Radio journalist living in Cabrils, a pretty village about 20 minutes north of Barcelona. I am the founder of MumAbroad.com, an online resource for international families living in or relocating to Europe, FiG, a communications and creative agency and 4Voices, a platform to encourage public speaking among teenagers. I also host the podcasts ‘The Soundtrack to My Life’, ‘Notes OnLeadership’ and ‘Turo Talks’. I am married to Tom and have two teenage children Poppy & Bertie, Reggie the dog and cats Maggie and Wally.
Who or what inspired the compilation “Living TheDream” collection of true life accounts of settling overseas from women who wanted to “Live The Dream”?
#LivingTheDream was written during the pandemic, when time stopped and some of us (like me) suffered from existential angst. I realised that I hadn’t come to terms with losing both my parents a few years earlier as I had been so caught up with work and family. I also hadn’t come to terms with the loss of my childhood home and what that meant to my sense of belonging and identity. I wanted to share these thoughts and emotions with others as well as the challenges of living abroad with (in my case) losing a parent very suddenly and losing another parent after a long, drawn-out illness. I started talking to other women living abroad about these issues and I soon realised that many of them had undergone their own challenges as expats – from issues with alcohol to rootlessness. It was then that I came up with the idea of creating an anthology depicting different stories from different women but all with the underlying issues of loneliness, loss and identity.
Being an expat has always had its misconceptions – unfortunately a lot of people do think expats are always living the high life – alcohol, parties, sunshine, beaches … Your book highlighted the diversity of expat experiences of nine women in their 40s, 50s & 60s… and great tips from those expats as well as analysis and advice from psychologist Leigh Matthews (also an expat). After moving to Barcelona in 2006, what did you realise was your biggest misconception about life in Spain compared with the UK?
Prior to 2006, my (then boyfriend, now husband) and I had divided our time between London and Barcelona for work. When I fell pregnant in 2006 we made the decision that we would move permanently to Barcelona, but we were well aware of the challenges that lay ahead. Both of us had to give up our careers (I was working at the BBC and ITN as a presenter and my husband was working in sports marketing). We had to re-invent ourselves. That was a huge challenge, but not a misconception as such as we had come across others who had been through that process and we were well aware of the difficulties. I think for me, the biggest misconception was around motherhood. I imagined a Mediterranean country full of services offering help with the many challenges of being a new mother. As time went by, I realised that new mothers in Catalonia and the rest of Spain would normally pass the childcare onto their own mothers and fathers and there were very few public or private centres that could offer new mothers like me, with no extended family nearby, a helping hand. It was then that I came up with the idea of MumAbroad – with the idea of creating a resource that would help other mothers and working women in a European country that was not their own.
Were there any aspects of moving to Spain that surprised you, pleasantly or otherwise?
I’d already lived in Madrid during University and in Barcelona post University so that really was the underlying reason I wanted to move back to Spain in the first place – for its vibrancy, its outdoor lifestyle, its entrepreneurial spirit (in Barcelona at least) and its generally relaxed mode, especially towards work. The British used to laugh at the Spanish for their ‘mañana’ attitude. It’s not really like that – they just have a fantastic balance between work and leisure here, which I think if the British analysed further, they might be a little envious of.
You are a founding member of “Bremain in Spain”, which campaigns to protect the rights of British Citizens living in Spain & Europe. How has BREXIT influenced or changed expat life in Europe?
It’s definitely made me feel less British and more European. When I first moved to Barcelona I felt that being British was almost a badge of honour. People respected the British, its strongeconomy and its progressive attitudes. Brexit was a huge shock to the Spanish. They could not understand why the British would not want other Europeans to come to live and work in the UK. I felt embarrassed by the result of the referendum. It didn`t reflect my values and I felt we all got tarnished by the same brush. Luckily I was able to get Irish citizenship and I now have an Irish (EU) passport as well as my British one!
Let’s be positive – what is your favourite thing about living in Barcelona?
Having the Mediterranean, the Pyrenees, exquisite architecture and incredible gastronomy all within touching distance.
One question I really want to know is, as you are already living in a tourist destination, when planning a holiday do you go back to the country of your birth, do you explore another area in your new “adopted” country; or do you book a holiday in a country or place vastly different from where you live?
I used to go regularly back to the UK when my parents were around and then Covid hit and this year was the first year in three years I went back for an extended length of time. We went to Cornwall and it was fabulous! Normally we go on a tour between family and friends houses in and around London but this year we decided to give ourselves a break and indulge in a typical British family holiday. We were there during the heatwave (or one of them!) which was a little surreal on a British holiday but it was hugely enjoyable. If we are not going to the UK or somewhere in the north of Spain we usually head to Languedoc in France we have a cute little townhouse.
Is “#LivingTheDream” available to purchase worldwide?
Yes it is – it’s available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones as well as other well-known online stores.
You founded a fabulous website in 2008 called MumAbroad.com – What inspired you to start this website? In your opinion, what has been the most valuable resource the website has provided for expats and expats to be in Europe?
As I mentioned earlier, MumAbroad was initially started for selfish reasons – to help me with my journey navigating motherhood in a foreign country and then the site began to grow organically and we extended it to France, Italy and Germany. Initially the website was more a resource for new parents living abroad but as my own children and my business partner’s children have grown up, so has the website in that we now focus more on education, educational specialisms, child and adult therapy, relocation and on women and business. We aim to give a platform to mothers who want to get back into the workplace or have set up their own business after having taken time out of work when having a young family.
Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?
I made a promise to myself a year or so ago that I would only buy vintage, second hand or locally made clothes draw the line at underwear and sports gear though!
Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?
I love the ‘Vide Greniers’ markets across the border in France which often have fabulous vintage clothes, there’s a local fashion market nearby called ‘Emocions’ which is held twice a year showcasing local designers and I love my nearest vintage shop ‘Carousel’ located in a vibrant coastal town called Vilassar de Mar.
What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?
To find a couple of every day well fitted vintage jeans. I run a coworking space nearby and whereas before I could get away with just having a decent top for zoom calls, I now need to think about the whole outfit!
Boots or Shoes?
Always boots. I love the clunkiness and comfiness of boots.
Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc
During holiday season what can be better than finding a good book to read? One book I took on holiday with me to review, was ”Her Private War” by David Laws…
Based around the time of World War One, this novel tells the story of Charlotte Dovedale , a woman whose ambition was to be a pilot and fly for her country. But England at that time was on the verge of war, the suffragette movement was gaining momentum and Charlotte had to put up with prejudices and setbacks – from her own mother, her brother, the powers that be…. she had Scott though, who taught her to fly, had faith in her ability and, although Charlotte hated to admit it, he was rather handsome. Determined to fly, she takes on a photographer role in a frontline air base close to the French/Belgian border. Close enough to get to the planes and show her ability but will she get a chance?????????? You’ll just have to read the book to find out! I enjoyed the story, the era it was based in, the story twists were unbelievably subtle and you can tell a lot of research went into presenting a novel that truly reflected the mood of that time.
The Interview
So, it is with great joy to welcome onto the blog this week the author, David Laws.
Hello! I’m a journalist turned thriller writer with five published novels, launching in 2018 with Munich The Man Who Said No! (Chamberlain controversy), went on to Exit Day (Brexitconspiracy) 2019 and then in 2020 The Fuhrer’s Orphans (rescuing children from the Nazis). The latest is Her Private War (exploits of a woman pilot in the First World War)
Who or what inspired you to research and write “Her Private War”?
Inspiration for my main character in Her Private War, Charlotte Dovedale, arose from a visit to the only remaining operational First World War aerodrome in this country – at a tiny Essex village called Stow Maries. They had female workers on site (in a hut separated from the rest!) and women are well represented on information displays. Stow is a wonderful resource for how things worked back then with lots of inspirational personal stories. Add in their own aircraft and hangars and other early aircraft that drop in on flying days.
I really enjoyed reading your book, “Her Private Book”. I haven’t read many books based during World War I Britain and nowadays it is easy to forget the struggles women had to be thought about seriously, especially when it came to jobs and their roles in wartime. I loved the character of Charlotte Dovedale! She was my absolute favourite! What character was the hardest to write? Who was the easiest? Did you base the mannerisms of the characters on people that you have come across in your research?
I enjoyed researching the character of Charlotte, her trials and tribulations, and when I’d got her, she appeared easily on the page. Of course, you have to remember women were actually banned from the air at that time, so my challenge was to find ways for her to break the embargo. The hardest person to write was the father of her best friend whom she idolised as a kind of substitute father. He let her down and I had to give him legitimate reasons to do so. Mannerisms… they came from watching people in buses and trains!
When you were researching in preparation for this novel, were there any aspects of life around that time in general, that surprised you, pleasantly or otherwise?
The more you get into the 1910-14 age the more surprises! Poverty at that time was such that the war was actually a boon to those who were not in immediate danger. If you hailed from the horror of the slums being called up to the forces meant three meals a day, proper beds, a nice uniform and respect for who you were. Many pleaded: please don’t stop the war! I was also able to add a little texture from the family lexicon.
Hypothetically speaking, if “Her Private War” was made into a film, who would you think would be most suited to the characters of Charlotte and Scott?
My film choices for Charlotte and Scott; Kate Winslet and Tom Holland.
Growing up, have you always wanted to be a journalist/author or did your career aspirations lie elsewhere?
I always wanted to be a reporter from my teens, started writing a magazine at school and couldn’t wait to get started. Probably wrote about a hundred letters of application before I landed a job. Asking questions of other people, that’s the key… but now I ask questions of myself instead, delving into the imagination with ‘What if….?’
Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?
Unsurprisingly, my favourite genre is the thriller, with Robert Harris probably the master of the art. Add in Philip Kerr, Ken Follett, Jack Higgins, Henry Porter, Peter Robinson, Robert Goddard, Gerald Seymour and Charles Cumming. I’m happy with either Kindle or paperback.
Is “Her Private War” available to purchase worldwide?
Her Private War is available to all English speaking readers(62 reviews in the UK, 38 in the US and 35 in Canada) and there are eight European translation versions of the book, the most recent in Spain, which I visited a few weeks back to help with the launch.
If you could visit any place in the world to give you inspiration for your next book, where would you go and why?
I’ve always fancied Amsterdam as a starter for another story… all that water, all those crimes, the paintings, the artists and the forgers. Dirty work at the crossroads, as my Mum used to say.
Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?
As a keen walker I’m usually in outdoor gear, mostly The North Face, with Craghoppers and Karrimor boots (like slippers); on other occasions I attempt smart casual with jeans, favouring Gardeur or Meyer bought at a great little tailor’s in my local town.
Thank you very much David for chatting to me about your book and also thank you for sending me a copy of Her Private War for reviewing. I really enjoyed the read 😊 Thanks also to Ben Cameron
All photographs have been published with kind permission of David Laws, apart from where marked.
I’m so pleased to be on another book tour – this time it is to highlight “Reckless Grace” by Carolyn DiPasquale – a moving memoir or as Carolyn puts it, a mother’s crash course in mental illness.
BOOK SUMMARY
Fourteen-year-old Rachel guards a collection of secrets for ten years, journaling to vent her terror and loneliness.
Following Rachel’s fatal overdose years later, her mother, Carolyn DiPasquale, stumbles upon her daughter’s diaries. Shattered, she searches for answers, retracing her steps to figure out how parents and doctors missed three major mental illnesses.
What the single, working mother recalls is a far cry from what happens, as dramatically revealed in tandem chapters gleaned from Rachel’s journals. While the mother sprints from task to task, the daughter details the baffling emergence and frightening progression of bulimia, diabulimia, and borderline personality disorder; her eventual substance abuse; and heart-wrenching reasons for not seeking help.
Despite her loss, DiPasquale hopes her story lights a path for victims of mental illness while awakening all readers.
This book is brutally honest – and although it is a sad tale, it is also one that hopefully helps other parents to spot the signs of mental illness in adolescents that can easily be missed. There is a lot of love in this book too. And a lot of heartache. I am so honoured to have Carolyn join us on the blog …. welcome Carolyn…
Hi I’m Carolyn. I’m a follower of God, a wife, mother, grandmother, and new author.
What made you decide to write down your memoir about your beautiful daughter Rachel and her struggles with mental illness, diabetes, diabulimia, bulimia and substance abuse?
My daughter’s extraordinary journals—twenty volumes penned over ten years. When I discovered them, I felt like I’d struck gold. Rachel was guarded, and her death was abrupt. These diaries would finally let me in. They would answer my gnawing questions. However, once her secrets started to surface, I knew they had to be shared. Other people, especially parents of teenage girls, would want to know how Rachel had fallen through the medical cracks and why she’d kept quiet for fourteen years.
Your book highlighted for me how quickly your daughter’s struggles with accepting her diabetes and trying to deal with puberty and wanting to be slim quickly escalated to eating disorders and substance abuse. I have heard of anorexia and bulimia and diabetes but never heard of “diabulimia”. Before your daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, had you heard of “diabulimia”? Do you think the diabetes diagnosis and subsequent treatments were to the catalyst for her succumbing to her eating disorders and substance abuse disorder?
I had never heard of diabulimia, nor have most of my readers; indeed, this term has been unfamiliar even to RNs who have been practicing for decades.
Though other factors were involved, Rachel’s diabetes diagnosis was the catalyst. Up until then she was a happy, slender fourteen-year-old. With insulin therapy, she gained 15 pounds, her new shape clashing with the waif-like female body type pop culture was pushing in 1998. Adolescence, as you guessed, also played a part. At a time when Rachel’s autonomy should have been taking flight, diabetes, with its strict food and insulin regime, clipped her wings. Tragically, she rebelled by turning against herself.
Were there any aspects of writing your book that surprised you, either by being harder or easier to relate than you expected?
Nothing about writing this book was easy, except knowing in my bones that it had to be done. I expected it to be emotionally taxing, but I never dreamed it would be so intellectually taxing or time-consuming. I had to pore through hundreds of pages of Rachel’s journals, not just to plumb the meaning of her poetry and prose, but also to choose from among the sea of riveting entries. Next, I had to research diabulimia and Borderline and their link to substance abuse, reading and rereading highly technical studies that I labored to convey in simple language. Then I had to figure out how to work all this information into the story in a way that was logical and compelling. Another challenge was trying to reach both Christian and secular readers.I did not want to minimize my or Rachel’s faith. Nor did I want to proselytise . I ended up cutting quite a bit of spiritual content to find that sweet spot.
I loved your writing style and the honesty that shone through. I was also impressed and moved by Rachel’s journals – her thoughts so eloquent yet heartbreaking too. Do you feel that journal writing was a therapeutic way for Rachel to cope with what was going on in her life? Was reading Rachel’s journals and writing this memoir therapeutic for you too?
Rachel journaled for a few reasons. First to unburden her tortured soul. But she also loved writing. She constantly read good books, mostly by contemporary writers—Alice Sebold, Toni Morrison, Jodi Picoult, Elizabeth Berg. She liked to learn new words; and often defined these in the margins of her journals, applying them in that day’s entry. Mostly, Rachel wanted to be known. While guarding her deepest secrets from her family, she meticulously recorded her struggles, hoping, I can only guess, that after she died, we, and possibly a larger audience, might finally understand her.
This project was therapeutic for me. Healing came not just from venting my emotions but also from understanding what had happened. Learning about Rachel’s disorders helped me grasp some of her baffling thought patterns and risky behaviors. Even her grip on substances and downward spiral started to make sense. My comprehension even of this tragic path somehow brought me peace.
One thing I did feel was how easily signs of eating disorders and substance abuse can be missed by parents and by specialists and how easily addicts can “hide” the signs too. What is the main piece of advice you would give to a parent in a similar situation?
I didn’t talk to my kids enough about substances. I would caution parents to discuss this subject early and often. By early, I mean third or fourth grade, well before kids are exposed or enticed and when they still think Mom and Dad know a few things. By often, I mean monthly or at least several times a year. Parents shouldn’t lecture. These talks should be short and light—simple statements, suggestions, and questions that plant seeds about the insidious nature of alcohol and drugs so their kids make wise decisions when they grow up.
Have you always wanted to have a career in writing or did you have other aspirations?
Writing has always been my first love. Being a novelist would have been my ideal career, but it wasn’t feasible as a single mother. I settled for teaching writing; it seemed like the next best thing.
Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?
I chain read good literature. After word processing all day, I wouldn’t think of reading on a Kindle. I reach for the book on my nightstand. There’s something soothing about smelling and turning real pages. Though I enjoyed reading the classics in college, now, like Rachel, I prefer contemporary literature,memoirs and fiction about family dynamics and relationships. I’m currently reading Ann Tyler’s Saint Maybe. Before that I read a new memoir by Cathryn Vogeley, I Need to Tell You and A Yellow Raft on Blue Water by Michael Dorris.
Is “Reckless Grace” available to purchase worldwide?
Yes.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I like to walk and hike in any season, especially in fall when the trees are breathtaking and the cool air is perfumed with the musk of fallen leaves. I love to shop at thrift and consignment stores.It’s such a rush to find treasures for nearly nothing. I enjoy talking with female friends over coffee or wine. I LOVE reading to my granddaughters. Four-year-old Lelia and two-year-old Essie sit on either side, crunched against me on the couch, like soft,sweet-smelling bookends. Church outreach—visiting people in nursing homes and hospitals or doing Bible studies with homeless women—also gives me joy.
Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?
I love quality clothes in flattering colors with good lines. Comfort is also key. In summer, when I’m home writing, I dress down: sleeveless linen top or cotton tee, Levi’s Bermudas, flipflops or bare feet. When I go out, I wear a linen or cotton maxi dress.
For Pinning Later
Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?
I like TJ Maxx and Marshalls because they carry quality yet affordable shoes and clothes.
What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?
I’m always looking for that elusive linen jacket in oatmeal white with silver buttons. I had one once, but I literally wore it out.I’m also on the lookout for stylish (never Uggs) fleece-lined winter boots for those frigid winter walks.
Boots or Shoes?
Please don’t make me choose between boots and shoes! I love them both! I recall the foreign but wonderful smell of Italian leather filling my bedroom when my mom bought my first pair of burgundy buckle shoes. I displayed them on my dresser. From then on, I was hooked. My love of boots followed. To my chagrin, we couldn’t afford the stylish “shoe boots” other girls wore. Now, I indulge myself. My favorites are a gorgeous pair of knee-length, black leather Coach boots with flat heels and silver buckles that the kids bought me one year for Christmas.
Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc
Thank you so much Carolyn for letting me be part of your Reckless Grace Book Tour – I really thought the book was interesting, thought provoking and I highly recommend it. Thank you for the review copy of Reckless Grace.
Linda x
All photographs has been published with the kind permission of Carolyn DiPasquale.
DISCLAIMER ALERT:The Cotton & Grey Just To Say … Thinking Of You candles were supplied by Cotton & Grey for the purpose of this review however all opinions expressed are 100% mine.
Cotton & Grey are a new brand based in Bath, UK that sell a range of beeswax candle gift sets to aidrelaxation and well being. The brand started with a small pack of 20 minute beeswax candles that they put together in a small box alongside a handwritten affirmation card which they gave to a close friend who was struggling during lockdown, to help her relax and restore her well being. Their friend appreciated the sentiment, loved the idea and the gift worked! Six months later, Cotton & Grey were finalists in Gift Of The Year 2022, awarded the accolade ”Highly Commended”. The collection of candle gift sets has expanded to a collection of over 50 products as well as offering personalisation, gift wrapping, bespoke and trade services. The website shows the complete range available –https://cottonandgrey.com
PACKAGING AND DELIVERY
The candles come in a dinky box with a small ceramic candle holder. It is a beautiful yet practical gift box. Cotton & Grey use Royal Mail 1st class UK post and they do endeavour to dispatch all orders received before noon on the same day. Postage is free in the UK too. If you want next day delivery there is a small charge though.
THE PRODUCT
I was sent the ”Just To Say …Thinking About You” candle gift set which has been marketed to combine the sentiment of a greeting card with a thoughtful affordable gift. The box contains 10 small, but perfectly formed, non drip 100% beeswax candles. Each candle burns cleanly for about 20 minutes and the gentle honey aroma is certainly relaxing. You are able to order extra candles, add personalisation to the card/packaging and you can even get the candle set gift wrapped.
For Pinning Later.
MY CONCLUSION
This is a really cute gift idea and one that would be well received by candle fans. I was initially shocked by how thin and small the candles were – they are incredibly dinky – but that is probably because the candles I generally see marketed are either in glass bottles/ jars or are pretty chunky. But don’t be fooled by their size – these candles last at least 20 minutes and are pretty robust. The gentle honey aroma is just right too… not overpowering. My daughter commented that the candles with their lovely white ceramic holder could be placed anywhere – she used them in her bathroom where space is at a premium and found them very relaxing. My only concern is not to leave the candles unattended – especially if you have pets or young children – my cats are pretty inquisitive so lighting the candles in the lounge, for example, was nigh on impossible. They are ideal bathroom candles though.
My thanks to Cotton & Grey for the beautiful candle gift box .
Linda x
All photographs are by Linda Hobden, apart from where marked.
Summertime and the weather is balmy, lay on a sunbed and while away the hours with a good book …. so say me! 😊 And I have another great book to recommend and add on to your reading list – ”Fire Of The Dark Triad” by Asya Semenovich – a psychological sci-fi page turner. It is a futuristic tale of power, lust, betrayal and obsession. I loved it! Thanks to Ben Cameron for forwarding me a copy for reviewing.
BOOK SUMMARY
The ”Dark Triads” are a group of humans born with a DNA that makes them dangerous and for centuries they have wreaked havoc on Earth. Dark Triads are a rare breed, however, and display elements of narcissism. The Earth’s rulers tried to purify the human race by removing this particular gene from future generations…. but civilisation on Earth has become…. ”boring”?! Anyway, people on Earth now lacked creative spirit, so Earth’s leaders recruited an elite group of Head Hunters to recruit Dark Triads from other planets to come back to Earth. Meet Nick, the best of the Head Hunters, whose routine mission didn’t go exactly to plan….
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
I am so pleased to welcome onto the blog author Asya Semenovich ….hello Asya!
Thank you, Linda! Hello, I am Asya. I was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, lived there until the time when the iron curtain started lifting, and in 1992 I left for graduate studies in the US. I got my PhD in Mathematics in 1997 from the Penn State University. After graduation I joined a tech start up, and later I worked in financial technology on Wall Street . I started writing my novel Fire of the Dark Triad while working full time as an Executive Director in Morgan Stanley. I really liked my job, but the book was progressing too slowly, and eventually I decided to leave my full-time position to focus on writing.
I live in New York, the city I love, with my husband and a daughter.
“Fire Of The Dark Triad” is a futurist tale of power, lust, betrayal and obsession. Where did you draw the inspiration to write this futuristic novel?
I always wanted to write about things I was passionate about – freedom, especially, freedom of creative expression, the soul crushing reality of totalitarian regimes, the dangers of genetic engineering, the nature of creativity in various areas of human activities, the power of love and the great lengths people are willing to go for it.
When I learned about the psychological concept of the Dark Triad, I found that it could serve would serve as a rich and exciting basis for a sci-fi futuristic novel, and at the same time help me weave together the themes that I wanted to explore with my readers.
The Dark Triad recognizes the interplay between three character traits: Narcissism, Machiavellianism and Psychopathy. Individuals described by this syndrome have little regard for others in their desire to get what they want. Many autocratic leaders such as Vladimir Putin are perfect examples of this kind of person. In fact, in the sequel to The Fire of the Dark Triad, I’ve based the major antagonist on him.
Can you tell us a bit about the interesting or exciting projects you are working on or wish to create?
Currently, I’m working on an audio version of the novel and the sequel which will follow many of the original characters on a new adventure.
I have to thank my many readers for inspiring me to pursue the sequel. I thought that I said everything I wanted to say in my first novel. But many of my readers said that they wanted to know what happened to Nick and the other characters in their world. I also realized that there were many more ideas, I could share in a new book.
The main theme of the sequel is the nature of manipulation: by governments, by the media, by other people. As I thought about it, I found that the scariest part of this issue is just how easily people tend to embrace being manipulated. Perhaps it is because they feel more comfortable abandoning their free will and following someone else’s agenda. I wanted to make people think about it and search for the reason why it happens. Since the principal goal of Dark Triads is to manipulate others to do their bidding, it seemed the perfect way to continue the story.
Ialso continue to deepen our understanding of the relationship between creativity and the Dark Triad syndrome. I read an article in Harvard Business Review regarding this very issue. It states in part that “… the very thinking patterns that define the creative process and help lead to original thinking can have a maladaptive side. For example, creativity requires the inability to suppress irrelevant thoughts and inappropriate ideas.” In the sequel, I portray this connection from many different angles and pose the complex ethical problems they can cause.
I loved the variety of characters – Who were the hardest characters to portray? Who were the easiest?
While I tried to make all the characters multilayered and complex, the most challenging to portray was Nick, the protagonist and headhunter of Dark Triads. I wanted to write a believable male character by telling the story from his POV. It wasn’t easy, especially portraying the romantic and sexual interactions between Nick and other characters, and I am very grateful to my early readers for the feedback.
The easiest character was the artist, Reish because I could identify with her on a deep personal level.
I loved the main character Nick – and also the fiery flirty Lita. Do you have favourite characters?
My favorite character is Nick, which isn’t surprising – we spent so much time together, and he was always a good company to have around thanks to his sense of humor, intensity and charm.
Lita is my other favorite character. Not only is she fiercely independent, but she is no afraid to fight for she believes in against all odds. The real life event that inspired me create her character occurred in 1968,four days after hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops poured into Czechoslovakia to crush the reforms of the Prague Spring. Eight Soviet citizens went into Moscow’s Red Square and held up banners denouncing the invasion and apologizing to the people of Czechoslovakia. These eight people knew in advance that the KGB would arrest them, but they decided they would risk their own safety to underscore their shame at their country’s behavior. Some were sentenced to lengthy terms in forced-labor camps in Siberia, some sent to psychiatric prisons, notorious for their cruelty, and some were forced into prolonged exile in remote, barren regions of the country. I wrote Lita to celebrate these heroes of freedom.
Were there any aspects of writing “Fire of The Dark Triad” that surprised you, either by being harder or easier to write about than you expected?
I was surprised that the complexities of the main story and the various subplots came as easily as they did. When I came upon plot point that was a challenge, I focused on my characters and let them lead me to a resolution. For instance, if Nick were caught between a rock and hard place, I would ask myself “What would be his next step? How would he get out of the situation?” And, he led me to find a solution.
If “Fire Of The Dark Triad” was to become a TV film, who would you pick to represent the main characters eg Nick, Lita, Hilgor, Reish, Elizabeth?
I would love Nick to be played by Alexander Skarsgard. I had his picture (as Eric from the series True Blood) on my wall during the time when I was writing Fire of the Dark Triad. He was the inspiration for Nick – funny, sarcastic, intense and fantastically good looking just like genetically improved people I describe in the future Earth in the book.
I can imagine Jennifer Lawrence as a perfect Lita; Daniel Craig as Hilgor; Denée Benton as Reish, and Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth.
Have you always wanted to have a career in writing or did you actually have other career aspirations?
Ernest Hemingway, who was a major influence on my writing, once said: “In order to write about life, first you must live it.” I think I happened to do exactly as he advised, albeit unintentionally.
Writing has always been my passion, but I didn’t have a chance to dedicate myself to it for a while. There were so many interesting things to explore in my life. I love theoretical mathematics, so I trained as a mathematician. Once I got my degree, my curiosity pushed me out of the ivory tower in the financial world. I worked on emerging technologies on Wall Street. It was an intense but fascinating experience where I met a host of interesting personalities. I used many of these life experiences in my novel.
Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?
Yes, I love to read, always have. Naturally, speculative fiction is one of my favorite genres. Michael Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita was a huge inspiration on me. I even used a short quote from it as an epigraphic to Fire of the Dark Triad. Bulgakov’s antagonist Voland asks: “What would your good be doing if there were no evil, and what would the earth look like if shadows disappeared from it?” It encapsulates one of the major themes of my novel: the conflict presents by Dark Triad in society. Julio Cortázar’snovel The Pursuer has been my artist manifesto since I read it as a college student. Stanislaw Lem’s novel Solaris is another example of a book that influenced my writing. William Gibson’s Neuromancer and Jeff Vandermeer’s Veniss Underground are two current sci fi works which I admire as well.
I vastly prefer reading printed books over ebooks. However, it presents only one inconvenience: a reliable way to locate a title in my library. No amount of arranging and rearranging my books by themes, periods, genres has ever helped me find a book when I want it. Sometimes I spend hours looking for a particular book on my bookshelves, and them I give up and buy a replacement just to find the original copy a week later. As you can imagine, I have many duplicates. Otherwise paper over a screen, always.
Is “Fire Of The Dark Triad” available to purchase worldwide?
Yes, it is on every major bookselling platform online.
If you could travel to any place on Earth to get inspiration for your next novel, where would you go and why?
I would love to visit North Korea. It is a country that is deeply affected by the manipulation of media. I would be very curious to know what everyday people in North Korean actually think, what they believe, how many know that the world outside of their country is completely different. Since the sequel is based on the premise of the power of political and psychological manipulation and the willingness of people to accept it without question, what has happened to North Korea over its many autocratic regimes is a living example of the theme.
You was born and brought up in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and emigrated to the USA in 1992. What have you found are the main differences between the two countries? What things have you missed from Uzbekistan? What things do you enjoy about the USA?
I enjoy the freedoms to say and write what I want in the US. It is much more restricted in my home country. I do miss the rich cultural history of Uzbekistan and its food (although you can get more of it in New York City than any other place in the US).
Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?
My style can be described as Cyberpunk. I fell in love with this style as a teenager before I knew what Cyberpunk was, and over the years my devotion to this style has only been growing. To understand the style and distinguish it from goth, steampunk, rave, and industrial looks, one needs to remember the formal definition of Cyberpunk: “a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a “combination of lowlife and high tech.” The cyberpunk fashion “speaks” to an urban dystopian landscape affected by highly advanced developments in science and technology. New York is a perfect example of this environment and my personal style fits right in. I love wearing black, a cyberpunk staple, zippers over buttons, snaps, loads of pockets and of course boots.
Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?
My absolutely number one place to check for new arrivals every season is Y-3 by Adidas – a Japanese Style Cyberpunk Clothing Store in the style of Yohji Yamamoto. I have more items from this brand than from any other by a wide margin: my favorite boots, shoes, jackets, sweaters, hats are from Y-3. I originally ran into this store walking my dog in Soho, several blocks from where I live. I looked into the store window, stepped in and that was it. In fact, I love this brand so much that I named one of the main planets in Fire of the Dark Triad Y-3.I imagined its inhabitants all wearing Y-3 brand outfits! I recently mentioned it in the store, and salespeople were greatly amused.
What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?
While I am waiting for the new arrivals to Y-3 store, I fantasize about wearing the outfit Del from Fire of the Dark Triad wears on Y-3. The upper part of her dress is a tight bodysuit made of soft gray materialthat covers the arms, chest and waist. At the hips it explodes into a haystack skirt of fluorescent red and white ribbons. The accessories are high-wedged white leather boots and black wristband studded with large pink stones.
This dress is number one on my theoretical wish list.
Boots or Shoes?
The answer is obvious because of the cyberpunk theme – boots, boots and boots of course! Plus, they are perfect for New York City streets.
Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc
For pinning later
My website darktriadbooks.com is dedicated to Fire of the Dark Triad, the soon to be published audio version, and its sequel. It has a page where I share reviews, updates on the progress of my projects, an option to subscribe to a newsletter to get news via email automatically.
Thank you very much for chatting with us today Asya 😊. My thanks to you and Ben Cameron for the copy of the book for reviewing.
Photographs of Asya only are by Michel Nafziger https://www.michelnafziger.com
Photographs featuring the book are by Linda Hobden.
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