Having another go at Maggie and Laurens, Throwback Thursday challenge! This week it is Maggie who has set the questions.
This week’s prompt is: Secrets, Hiding Places and Niches.
Did you keep a diary or a journal? If so, where did you keep it? I kept various diaries over the years, but I was never one to manage a continuous one. I still have the part diaries, and I love reading them. This terrible habit of not finishing is still with me. I have a one like a day five-year journal, and I have been trying to keep it for about three years, but I’ve still not completed a year!
Did you have treasures or money you hid from siblings or parents? No, I really didn’t have anything of value that they weren’t aware of!
Did you have a need to hide things your parents would not approve of, like cigarettes, etc.? As a child this was something highly unlikely. However, during the college/university years, there might have been a few things. but instead of things, it was relationships! Eek! As an adult, I am always hiding my favourite snacks from the family…
Thinking back, describe your most creative hiding place. There was never anything really creative, just specific drawers, or under the mattress!
Did you have a tin box or safe or a diary with a lock? I had one diary with a lock and key, and a piggy bank shaped like a little Barclays Bank that had a combination lock!
What about yourself? Did you ever have a favorite get away spot or hiding place? Not so much a hiding place, but I loved squirrelling away in my bedroom with a good book. Some things never change!
If you did not feel the need to hide away, where did you go for a little alone time? If the weather was good, I would sit on the swing in our garden, or again, in my bedrooom
If you had siblings, did they hide things from you? If so, what types of things? I don’t think my brother and I ever really wanted the same things, to hiding them was no worry. However, he liked to hide unpleasant things for me to find… like catching Daddy Long Legs in an empty cotton bud container, then offering me one, with the lid on, only for me to scream at the sight of the gangly legged creatures trapped inside! Typical brother!
Now that you are an adult, do you still have little niches where you hide things away, like mad money, treasured letters, etc? I only wish I had mad money to hide away. I think I am more often than not, hiding the bills, from myself! As I mentioned above, I do hide my favourite snacks in places the kids won’t find them,(they are gannets, as teens tend to be!), and I have little boxes filled with treasured letters, cards and items, but they aren’t so much hidden, as in safe places.
When you feel the need to be alone, to where do you retreat? I have a couple of places I could go, in my home. My bedroom is one sanctuary, then, I have my writing room with its reading nook or the summer house. But sometimes, the best place is in my classroom, after the rest have left. Peace from my class, some colleagues and the noise of my teen-aged family!
There you have it! I’ll try to be on this, on the actual Thursday, next week!
Thank you, Spidey, for finding a quote that I can discuss, what with different things floating around in my head… again!
This time, I wanted to talk about fate.
How many of you just leave things to fate?
Or do you think it’s just sheer luck that created an opportunity for you, and not your own efforts?
The reason I have been thinking about this is that I have been getting many lovely comments and congratulations for the fact that I was approached by a publisher.
Unlike many, I was not looking for representation. It would seem that I was just in the right place at the right time.
Fate.
Or Luck.
And initially, I thought that too, and almost felt like a fraud. I haven’t done anything special to receive these congratulations.
But, then again, I did write a book. And I have run a successful blog for a good few years. Not forgetting releasing a poetry book.
No, I wasn’t looking for a publisher. But, yes, that was a dream once. And even though it happened organically, it doesn’t take way from the hard work that I put in every day, to get to where I stand now.
So, I guess it was fate, It was meant to be.
But it needed me to put in my own leg work before what was fated actually happened.
I always thank whatever force it is who looks after us for blessing me with so much to be grateful for, and for giving me the mind to get to where I am, right now, in all facets of life. This publishing deal has just been the icing on the cake, for me.
Please, pop over to Dan’s blog to share a drink with Dan, David, Cheryl and me as we discuss Marriage Unarranged, writing with a busy life, and what different audiences think of my writing…!
David here: It’s Saturday. We’re at the bar, but rather than have you listen to Dan, ramble on mindlessly. “Um, it’s called Stream of Consciousness Saturday, David – not ramble on mindlessly Saturd…
I cannot believe we have reached the end of June, meaning we are halfway through 2022! Well, I already hit my Goodreads target, lol, and I have a little heap of ARCs I volunteered to read for my publisher, too, as well as the usual NetGalley ARCS… I know. I cannot help myself, but since it was also my publication month, I couldn’t refuse! We all need those readers and reviews as authors, don’t we?
It ended up being a month FULL of ARCS, and what an interesting bunch of books I got to read!
Thrillers, mysteries, crime novels, a few years ago I would have shaken my head at you and refused to believe I would ever read them. Well, let me tell you, a few books have turned my head, and though I won’t stop reading my favourite genres, these kinds of books definitely hold more interest, now too! So, I received His Dark Shadow by Phil Price as an ARC from the Publisher, Spellbound Books, and the premise of the story immediately captured my attention! Mike is a successful author, who has experienced one of the worst tragedies a person could face: losing his child (and his wife, but that is another matter, altogether!) We follow his story, in a dual timeline, as we learn how he is coping without his child, as he settles back in the UK, as well as when he first met his wife, Alina, while living in Majorca. The events of both eras read like the novels our fictional author Mike writes, as gangsters and attacks, vie with unsolved mysteries. But there is extra heart in our main character. One thing I loved was how he was unafraid to show emotion. After all, a loss as big as that would affect anyone badly. The cast of characters who join him on his journey is a colourful bunch, from the Romanian in-laws with sinister connections to the wonderful community and book club in his new hometown in Shropshire. And there may be the hope of a brighter future, too… just don’t take my word for it. Go and read!
Well, wasn’t that a Savvy B-filled romp of a read? Mark Morgan charts his relationship fails and successes in an extremely humorous, sometimes rather crude, way, and it absolutely had me hooked! From the relationship with his best friend to his misdemeanours as he navigates the LGBTQ+ world, many moons before it had that label, you are in for a right laugh! Definitely a camp, Bridgit Jones-esque read that will have you giggling, cringing and wishing the best for our hapless hero. Okay, so I am not from the LGBTQ+ community, but there was so much other content I could relate to, including places he visited, meaning, I was picturing scenes as I read them, and, I have friends who would definitely relate to the story! Did it end well? Well, I can’t tell you that, but what I can foresee is a follow-up, because, Mark (author Mark!), you can’t leave us like that! If you are looking for a fun-filled read that will make you cringe at times, but also laugh out loud (I am warning you, don’t be taking large sips of Savvy B, or anything else as you read!) then grab it right now and have a read!
Living is Losing immediately caught me with the blurb, hooking on the emotional trauma issues that are dealt with within its pages. Okay, so I’m no boxing fan. Yes, I’ve watched the odd Rocky film, and The Eye of The Tiger will make me think of the sport, and I know of a few famous names, but that’s about my limit, however, the way that boxing is used within the story, gave me a different viewpoint of the sport, as well as realising how key its discipline was to the plot. Jack and his family suffer a terrible loss when he is a young teenager, losing his older brother Sam in a tragic accident. The incident affects the family, and Jack’s friends who were there, for a long time. After struggling with trauma-related aggression for some time, Jack reaches out for help in the form of therapy, as suggested by his mother, and the structured outlet of boxing, to the relief of his father and friends. The story follows the next few years of his life, as he climbs the boxing ranks, and then, is faced with the prospect of another huge loss in his life. Championship fights, relationships, and his own son; Jack is winning in life, with Sam at the forefront of his mind, until someone threatens his son, George. I have to say I was gripped from the off. The storyline lay heavy on my heart as I read on, and I found it hard to take everything in too quickly. I usually read fast, but I needed to digest everything slowly since the story doesn’t just involve Jack; the parallel plot, involving another key character, and his own inclinations (trigger alert) made me feel more and more uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t enjoying it. I could see the importance of the issue to the story, and by the end, I was unable to put the book down, because I needed to know what happened at the end. I was literally on tenterhooks, devouring the words, to reassure myself that all would be okay… But was it? I am not going to spoil the ending for you. You need to read this, yourself.
It’s very, very brave to write a memoir. We say it is hard to write a book, and it is, but fiction, though it takes time to come together, is just that, a made-up story. When you write about your life and experiences, you are opening yourself up to the world. And when your life story is filled with hardships and difficulties, it is even tougher as you relive times in your life you might rather not think about. Mae Wagner is this brave soul right now. Girls, Assassins and Other Bad Ideas is a book filled with some harrowing experiences she suffered as she grew up and even in young adulthood; however, there is this ring of positivity within everything she writes about. Primarily, this is about her relationship with her mother – a woman with her own mental health difficulties, who swung between loving and loathing her daughter to such extremes that Mae was separated from her family for many years. I felt emotional pulls as I read how she had to deal with abuse, then was sent to the Christian Ranch and never brought back her clamouring for validation and affection, and the troubles with her own chances at motherhood… It’s not an easy read, by any stretch, but you are left feeling the heartache of a young girl who just wants her mother’s love. Beautifully sad.
Releasing 22nd August, 2022
Her Sister’s Baby by Emma Bennet My rating: 5 of 5 stars Her Sister’s Baby is a short book but boy, does it pack a punch. The essence is a romance, but one that blossoms out of a huge tragedy. Sophie is pootling along in her life in London when she gets horrifying news about her sister in Brighton. Finding herself literally holding the baby, when she arrives to extremely sad news, Sophie has to navigate her own life, now entwined with that of a baby, and try to unravel the mysteries of her estranged sister, not least who the father is. Samson had a shock one night when an old fling of his arrived on his doorstep with a baby who she claimed was his. After absorbing the news, he attempts to meet her, only to find her no longer alive and a prickly sister holding a child who supposedly is his. I loved both of the main characters, and though there was a teeny bit of a conflict, it was minor. Instead, we were able to concentrate on the emotions of the journey they both travelled. The way Bennet navigates through the twelve chapters to a very satisfactory conclusion was perfect, and I was happy to read a book which was easy to read but filled with strong feelings, too.
Can I start by saying I have harped on about this book to several people already, and I only finished it yesterday night! A real feel good funny romantic comedy where we find our hapless heroine, Lydia on her way back from a holiday with friends to find she has brought back more than just a tan from Kefalonia! A tattoo with the name of a mysterious, but apparently ‘awesome’ man, leads her to finish a relationship that was going g nowhere, and head back to the Greek island, where she goes on a huge adventure to find this man. Lots of hiccups, but she finds friends, a job, and in the end, love! Really fun! Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK. One More Chapter for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Linda Corbett, I blame you for my newfound desire to rehome a guinea pig! Sorry, let me take a couple of steps back. I absolutely ADORED this book. So much so that I read it in a day. That’s not a huge feat for me, usually, but when it is this time of year and my day job takes every ounce of my energy, and reading is a joy, but a huge effort, too, I can take a lot longer to read, but I whizzed through this book, today. Jenna’s life is coasting. She is in a safe relationship, with a steady income and a roof over her head. Then her partner decides to jack his job in for a riskier alternative – buying storage containers and selling the contents in the hope of finding that priceless treasure. She helps him unload and sift through his first buy and finds a box of unlikely treasures, including a letter which leads her on a little adventure of her own. Through this letter, she meets Henry, who is looking for something that belonged to him, which she realises they have in that storage container. The story follows a shift in Jenna’s own character as she realises where she is now is not where she wants to be. She finds herself moving in with her sister Evie and partner, Kat, who live simply on a farm and run a guinea pig rescue centre that is facing the threat of closing. I don’t want to tell you more because there is so much to find as you peel back the layers of this story, from the effects of gambling to living with a disability and the trials and tribulations of love… obviously! Such a heart-warming read that will leave you with that fuzzy feeling inside! Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins, One More Chapter, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review,
A very topical story set in Hollywood, before the days of #MeToo, highlighting the nature of the entertainment business. The story follows our narrator, who is an intern in a TV network office, and details the sexual harassment and discrimination women faced, and still do, within the industry. Not only is she contending with competing for recognition within this company, but she is dealing with a loving but extremely controlling mother. Quite a tough read, in some aspects but some light moments, too. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Well, I am not quite sure what to write, here, apart from Wow! Okay, so I know I have to write a few more words than that, so here goes. When you read a blurb, and it leaves you feeling no clearer as to what you are about to read, but intrigued? That was my feeling upon starting this book. We start by meeting Isaac, our main character, who is at the lowest of low places, contemplating taking his own life by jumping off a bridge, when a loud shriek brings him to some sort of sense. Following this noise, he ends up discovering the egg in the title, and what followed is a heartwarming, sad, but filled with happy pockets, story about grief, and finding your support. I don’t think I can write much more about the story, without ruining it for someone, but it absolutely isn’t what I was expecting, and more than lived up to my expectations!
I thoroughly enjoyed Kitty Wilson’s previous book, so was thrilled to be given the chance to read her latest release. The Love Experiment is an easy-to-read contemporary romance book, which touches on several serious issues, such as abusive relationships, infertility and PCOS, as well as the fear of ‘coming out’ within, too. “He can’t date, she doesn’t date…but what happens when they fall in love?” Lily is an expert in all aspects of relationships. Such an expert that she is the Love Doctor with her own guidance podcast, on top of her day job as a real Dr. of relationships. Except she finds it extremely hard to commit, given her own medical history. As a sufferer of PCOS, she knows her chances of ever being a mum are extremely low. Jay just wants to find the one. In fact, he seems to view everyone he decided to date as possibly the one until they disappoint him by not living up to his expectations. He’s forced to take a break, in order to deal with some issues surrounding his younger sister’s relationship. and in doing so, vows chastity for six months. And you know what is going to happen… as soon as you make a decision like that, you know that certain someone is going to come galloping into your life… They are both lovely characters in their own right and have issues to contend with before they can see the wood for the trees. I loved Jay’s character. Such a kind, considerate man, with everyone’s feelings at the forefront of his mind. There were times I fancied shaking Lily to make her realise she should be going with her gut instinct. Thankfully I didn’t have to as the cast of side characters were there to do the very thing I wanted. Not least of all Keith, or High Jinx, Lily’s best friend and drag queen, who is still in the closet to his parents, and Cassie, a sassy sixteen-year-old, who only wants the best for her mentor, Jay. I whizzed through this in a day and it is definitely a feel-good read with some added layers of seriousness, providing food for thought. Many thanks to NetGalley, And Harper Collins, One More Chapter for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Every time, Nicola Marsh. Every time! You suck me into a story, you mess with my head, spinning my emotions and thoughts around as if you flung me in the tumble dryer, and then I finish, astounded at the ending. The Ex Between Us was no different. Two friends who have been through a lot over the years of their friendship, Jo and Abigail. Both are very different women, with differing upbringings, yet they support one another, through many ups and downs. Life is changing, as Abigail’s son, Rob heads off to college, and Jo is there to help her through the empty nesting she is experiencing. She meets a man, someone who seems almost too good to be true, the complete opposite of Rob’s father, but she feels happy. Then things start to happen. Little things at first, like plants being dug up but they build up, and not only to Abigail. Jo starts receiving spray-painted messages on her door and porch. I really don’t want to say much more because I don’t want to give away anything, but I can tell you this, I was constantly guessing, and second-guessing who the person was, who was messing with these friends’ heads. I did work it out, eventually, but not without a lot of umming and aahing, wondering, and confusion. Brilliant! Safe to say we never know anyone 100%… Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lydia has lost herself. After making herself the perfect wife, and devoting her time to being mum to Ollie, she’s found herself alone. With a divorce on the horizon and her ex sporting a new, younger model on his arm, she can think of nothing more than how to win him back. Enter stage left, that bucket list. See, i’s not hers, but Lily Bennnet’s list. Now, I won’t tell you the whys and the wherefores, but that list is in Lydia’s hands, and from afar, her daughter engineers a way for her to complete this strangers list, to feel more adventurous Enter stage right, Jake. The constantly smiling man who she ends up enlisting to help her. Only, he doesn’t know who she is. And, does she really know him? The story is one of despair, discovery, growth and acceptance. I loved the addition of Lydia’s family, with her Polish mother, and her almost silent, English father, and the smorgasbord of characters who make up their family of friends, I really enjoyed reading this! Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins, One More Chapter for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Releasing 9th September, 2022
So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!
I thought I’d try out a new ‘thing’ this week, after reading some lovely posts that my blog sis Willow has been writing, following prompts from Lauren and Maggie. This week it is Maggie who has set the questions.
Did you share a room with a sibling, or did you have a room of your own?
When we were younger, my brother and I shared a cosy little box room, with a bunk bed in it. I was on top and he was on the bottom, as the younger sibling. Obviousy, as we got older the sharing would have to swap. He was lucky enough to get his own room, as I moved out to a bigger room, but I ended up sharing with an older cousin who came to live with us for a few years, from Kenya, to continue her education. I may have had this larger room to myself for a short while, but it never lasted long, as another cousin came to stay, not long after. During the breaks in cousins who came to live with us, I would have that spare twin bed in my room, but it was the first place a guest was placed to sleep if they came over! I think university was the time I had my own room, finally, that no one else would be sharing!
2. Did you resist going to bed or did you go willingly?
I wasn’t too bad at going to bed. My brother was awful. However, whether I slept straight away, was another matter! I loved my bed, and still do, but I can while away hours, just reading into the night.
3. Did someone put you to bed, tuck you in, or read you a bedtime story?
When we were younger, my mum read stories to us. As I got older and learned to read myself, I would read my own book. But Mum and Pops always came and tucked us in and said goodnight.
4. Was there a religious component, like prayers, to your nighttime routine?
Yes, we would always recite a verse from the Guru Granth Sahib (we are Sikh) before bed, with Mum or Pops. I did it with my children, too.
5. Did you go to sleep immediately, or lie awake?
As I touched upon before, unless I was exhausted, I would read. When I was a little older I had a TV in my room, so sometimes I would watch programmes, first, then read, and then sleep.
6. Did you journal, read a book, talk on the phone or with your siblings, or watch television when you were supposed to be sleeping?
Everyone knew what a bookworm I was, even at a young age, so books were with me no matter where I was. I even had a torch under the cover to keep reading, after Mum had been round to tell us it was lights out time!
7. Did you ever sleepwalk?
No, I haven’t done that or talked in my sleep, and I am sure I would have been told, if I had, considering all the roommates I had!
8. Did you remember having dreams? If you dreamed, did you ever have bad dreams? Do you remember any dreams specifically?
There was a time when I used to have such vivid dreams that I would write what I remembered in a notebook I kept by the side of my bed. They were strange, long, very involved dreams that used to have so many aspects to them! When I was much younger, I remember there was a time I had a recurring bad dream about being left on a plane alone by my family. I would wake up screaming. It was a time there was strife going on in the wider family, and despite my parents trying to keep conversations from our ears, other members of the family weren’t so conscientious, and I think the overhead words were a trigger for this.
9. Were you afraid of the dark? Did you sleep with a nightlight or sneak into your sibling’s or parent’s room at night because you were afraid?
I am always so glad that I wasn’t one to be afraid of the dark. I loved it, in fact. What I hated were the awful polystyrene tiles on the ceiling, which meant that if a moth or a daddy-long legs managed to enter my room, I could hear them hitting the ceiling, and I would end up screaming out to my Pops to come and rescue me!
10. Did you have or attend sleepovers or slumber parties? Feel free to elaborate.
Having the huge family that we did, there were often sleepovers with them, or with cousins staying over (not the above ones, but other regular, live in this country cousins!) We would have midnight feasts and talk until late at night. I loved it! And I used to thoroughly enjoy staying at other peoples’ houses. I didn’t have school friends stay over, because we were quite far from the school, plus I think I was always worried that they would think our Indian household was a bit weird! Plus, half the time there wasn’t space! But I did like to stay over at theirs, so I could experience a true English family life for a night. It was an experience!
Well, that was fun! Shall I do it again, next week?
But I Smile Anyway... 