#BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #Review : Storm of War – Peter Gibbons @AuthorGibbons @BoldwoodBooks

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘Storm of War’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing my review, but first I have some information

About the Author :

Peter Gibbons is a financial advisor and author of the highly acclaimed Viking Blood and Blade trilogy. He comes to Boldwood with his new Saxon Warrior series, set around the 900 AD Viking invasion during the reign of King Athelred the Unready. The first title of the new series, Warrior and Protector, will be published in October 2022. He originates from Liverpool and now lives with his family in County Kildare.

Social Media Links:
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About the Book :

The fight for a torn Kingdom rests in the hands of a few brave men…

990AD.
King Aethelred II, who men will one day call The Unready, rules over a land divided by the shadowy spin of his mother Queen Ælfthryth and the sprawling power of the Church.
The Viking Warlord, Olaf Tryggvason smelling the Kingdoms weakness brings the vicious Jomsvikings to the Saxon coastline ravenous for war and plunder.
Together Lord Byrthnoth, Ealdorman of the East Saxons and Beornoth his Saxon Thegn lead a force of oath sworn Viking killers, every bit as brutal and war-skilled as the Norse invaders to protect the Kingdom against enemies both from within, and from the cruel seas. They are pushed to the very limits of their bravery and endurance in a desperate fight for the very existence of the Saxon Kingdom.
In a riveting story of trachery, betrayal, vengeance and war, can Beornoth defeat his enemies and protect the Kingdom from destruction?

Purchase Link

And now it’s finally time for my

I really enjoyed this second book in this series as it not only read as one big adventure, but also showed the in depth knowledge of the period of the author.
The descriptions of the places and people involved felt so realistic you got the feeling you’re there yourself.
What a brilliant storyline, full of action throughout, which kept my attention from start till finish.
Fabulous way to learn something about history for sure!
If you enjoyed the authors previous Viking books you will not be disappointed, believe me.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #PromoPost : Where The Water Flows – Romola Farr @RomolaFarr @merlinwardcom

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘Where The Water Flows’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing a

About the Author :

Romola Farr first trod the boards on the West End stage aged sixteen and continued to work for the next eighteen years in theatre, TV and film – and as a photographic model. A trip to Hollywood led to the sale of her first screenplay and a successful change of direction as a screenwriter and playwright. Bridge To Eternity was her debut novel, and Breaking through the Shadows and Where the Water Flows are standalone sequels. All three novels are set in the fictional town of Hawksmead.
Romola Farr is a nom de plume.

Twitter Romola Farr
Twitter Merlin Ward

About the Book :

It had been a long, hot summer followed by a very wet autumn. The River Hawk, lying to the north of a former little mill town, was in full flood but nobody imagined the catastrophe that lay ahead.
Not the elderly couple who created a beautiful memorial garden that would become a lake.
Not the opera singer who found a friend who would risk all to save her life.
Not the owner of Wax Polish who would battle to rescue her first love.
Not the new parents who would be overwhelmed and torn apart.
And certainly not two drama students whose lives would change forever.

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #Review : The Lonely Lake Killings (The Yorkshire Murders #2) – Wes Markin @BoldwoodBooks

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘The Lonely Lake Killings’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing my review, but first I have some information

About the Author :

Wes Markin is the bestselling author of the DCI Yorke crime novels, set in Salisbury. His new series for Boldwood stars the pragmatic detective DCI Emma Gardner who will be tackling the criminals of North Yorkshire.  Wes lives in Harrogate and the first book in the series The Yorkshire Murders will be published in November 2022.

Social Media Links:
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About the Book :

A lonely recluse. A missing girl and a community in fear.
When the body of a young local girl is found next to an isolated lake, the main suspect is the old recluse who has lived next to the lake for many years – especially when the young girl’s purse is found on the old man’s doorstep.
But DCI Emma Gardner and her partner DI Paul Riddick aren’t so sure. Why would the old hermit leave such an obvious clue? And who would want to set the old man up?
As they dig deeper into the murder they discover a community in fear, determined to keep hold of long buried secrets. And Riddick is convinced that his own dark past is somehow linked to this crime, too.
Gardner fears that she may never get the answers she needs, until a break leads her down a path she’d rather not face. One that runs directly to her own front door…

Purchase Link

And now it’s finally time for my

I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive when I started to read ‘The Lonely Lake Killings’ as it hadn’t been love at first sight with the previous book in the series.
However, I hadn’t need to worry as I almost immediately got the feeling that this installment was going to be a lot more consistent and easier to follow.
Don’t get me wrong, there were still things I, personally, thought the author could have left out or could have giving more attention to so the reader wouldn’t think of it as padding for the rest of the story.
I also still think that DI Paul Riddick is more than a very big lose canon and that his story is still all over the place, but somehow I do like him a lot better than DCI Emma Gardner, who’s, to me, not as understandable as him.
I really feel for this man and I want to see how his story develops further on, but I so want more cohesion throughout.
Still, it’s a nice detective story, with some interesting characters along the way, which I certainly recommend more than book 1, so I’m very keen to see if ‘third time’s a charm’ for me!

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #Review : King of Kings – M.J. Porter @coloursofunison @BoldwoodBooks

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘King of Kings’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing my review, but first I have some information

About the Author :

MJ Porter is the author of many historical novels set predominantly in Seventh to Eleventh-Century England, and in Viking Age Denmark. They were raised in the shadow of a building that they believed housed the bones of long-dead Kings of Mercia – so their writing destiny was set. The first novel in their new Anglo-Saxon series for Boldwood Son of Mercia was published in February 2022.

Social Media Links:
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BookBub

About the Book :

In the battle for power, there can be only one ruler.
AD 925
Athelstan is the king of the English, uniting the petty kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia, the Danish-held Five Boroughs and York following the sudden death of his father, King Edward.
His vision is to unite the realms of the Scots and the Welsh in a peace accord that will protect their borders from the marauding threat of the Norse Vikings.
Whilst seemingly craving peace and demanding loyalty with an imperium over every kingdom, Athelstan could dream of a much bigger prize.
But danger and betrayal surround his best intentions, namely from his overlooked stepbrother, Edwin, who conspires and vies for what he deems is his rightful place as England’s king.
As ever, powerful men who wish to rule do not wish to be ruled, and Constantin of the Scots, Owain of Strathclyde, and Ealdred of Bamburgh plot their revenge against the upstart English king, using any means necessary.
An epic story of kingsmanship that will set in motion the pivotal, bloody Battle of Brunanburh where allies have to be chosen wisely…

Purchase Link

And now it’s finally time for my

Being from Flanders myself I know some stuff about Athelstan and his predecessors/successors, but not a lot I must confess.
That’s why I was intrigued to start reading ‘King of Kings’ by M.J. Porter and learn more about the history of the English which always held my interest.
I admit that I was quite flabbergasted when I saw all the characters/names at the beginning of the book, but I needn’t to be worried as the author did a great job on telling who is who through the whole story.
By using multiple POVs M.J. Porter not only drives the readers on to read, but also makes them acquainted with all the players in this intricate chess game.
You get to know what they think, how they feel and how they see each other and more importantly how they see themselves!
A very well-written and well-researched book on the intrigues at court and how everything is played out, not only in battle, as in fact there’s not a lot of fighting going on in this part of the series, but more in words and invitations and strategies.
An interesting game to watch and of course read about and one I definitely want to see developing further as the ending left me wanting for the next installment right away.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#MiniBlogBlitz #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #GuestPost : Beguiling her Enemy Warrior – Lucy Morris @LMorris_Author @MillsandBoon @HarlequinBooks

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘Beguiling her Enemy Warrior’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing a guest post written by the author, but first I have some information

About the Author :

Lucy Morris has always been obsessed with myths and legends. Her books blend sweeping romance with vivid worldbuilding to whisk you away to another time and place filled with adventure. Expect passion, drama, and vibrant characters.
Lucy lives in Essex, UK, with her husband, two children, and two cats. She has a massively sweet tooth and loves Terry’s chocolate oranges and Irn-Bru. In her spare time, she likes to explore castles with her family, or drink bubbly with her friends.

Social Media Links:
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About the Book :

Kidnapped by the warrior
Tempted by the man…
Captured by the infamous Lord Rhys, a Welsh prince intent on revenge against her family, Viking healer, Helga, must keep her wits about her if she’s to be freed. Easier said than done when she desires him rather than fears him! Helga senses there’s good inside Rhys and feels compelled to reach his heart. First she must make him see there’s more to her than just his enemy…

Purchase Links:
Apple Books / Amazon
HarperCollins UK

And now it’s finally time for the

Beguiling her enemy warrior is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, set in the Welsh Dark Ages. It’s the third book in my shield maiden sisters trilogy, and follows the story of Helga the youngest sister of three Viking warrior women. Helga is captured by her family’s enemy, and ends up falling in love with her captor!
I wanted an ‘Excalibur’ feel with this book, combining the Welsh dragon legends with that of Norse mythology. The red dragon is the symbol of Wales and it has a far-reaching significance to the history of Wales and the royal family.
Vortigern, a Celtic king was searching for a place to build his castle, and decided on the hillside of Dina Emrys. However, a young boy (thought to be Merlin) warned him that two dragons lay sleeping beneath in an underground lake. When digging the foundations to the castle, Vortigern awoke the two dragons, one of which was red and the other white. The two dragons fought and the red dragon won. This was a prophesy for the coming of Arthur, whose father’s name was ‘pendragon’ (dragon’s head), and became the symbol of Welsh royalty throughout the ages.
I created my own Welsh dragon tale in this book as a nod to the legend…I can’t resist a story within a story, and I really loved adding snippets of Welsh mythology throughout the book.

Extract:

‘What does it mean? Cadair y Ddraig?’
‘You pronounced that well,’ he said with a smile, ‘It means Dragon’s Chair. It is said that long ago a dragon clawed out that ledge so that it could have a pleasant place to lay in the sunshine and sleep. Then, one particularly cold winter forced it to crawl deep into the heart of the mountain for warmth and, in the darkness, it forgot to wake. Eventually, its fire dimmed and its scales turned to rock. Sometimes, on very hot days you can hear it…snoring.’
Helga giggled through a yawn. ‘What does it do on all of your cold and rainy days?’
‘It growls, but only very softly. You see…it does not realise it is asleep.’
‘How sad,’ Helga whispered, all merriment gone from her voice.
‘How so?’
‘To not even realise you are asleep…to never be truly living… I hope his dreams are sweet.’ Her words drifted away as she succumbed to sleep herself, but they had pierced him like a knife.
To never be truly living…
Why did those words cut so deep?”

Helga and Rhys were the perfect characters for this story, as they come from two very different worlds, and there is plenty of family drama to add to the conflict of their romance.
Helga has always felt like the weakest link when it comes to her fierce mother and sisters. She has always been more content to stay behind the battlelines, and use her healing talents to help her community rather then fight like her two older sisters and mother.
After, writing Brynhild and Valda’s romances, I was keen to write about another kind of heroine. A softer, gentler character, who is strong and fierce in a different way. Researching about medieval medicine and herb lore, really opened my eyes to the untold history of ‘wise women’. The pillars of the community who cared for the health and wellbeing of those around them.
Being a woman is a dangerous life (some would argue it still is), but in medieval times childbirth and pregnancy was the number one killer of women. So, not only was Helga’s vocation important, it was essential for her community, and a skill that would have been passed down for generations.
Interestingly, one of the first medical books was written by a nun called Hildegard von Bingen in the middle ages who advocated for abortions if it saved the mother’s life, or was done in the early months of pregnancy. It suggests a kinder, more open-minded society than we might have originally considered.
In Helga, I tried to honour the many wise women throughout history who have tirelessly worked to protect the people of their community, not with sword and shield, but with knowledge and compassion.
Rhys and Helga transform their assumptions about themselves and each other throughout the book and that’s my favourite kind of romance.

#BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #PromoPost : Pretty Evil – Zoe Rosi @zoerosiauthor

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘Pretty Evil’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing a

About the Author :

Zoe Rosi has a background in journalism and copywriting. She worked as a reporter for local and national newspapers before moving into the fashion industry as a copywriter. Zoe had four romantic comedies published before writing her debut thriller, Pretty Evil. Working in fashion sparked the idea for the book, which Zoe describes as ‘The Devil Wears Prada meets American Psycho’. Someone’s Watching Me is Zoe’s second thriller.

Social Media Links:
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About the Book :

You’ve done a bad thing. She has you in her sights. Now you’re going to pay.
Meet Camilla Black: an affluent, respected, influential fashion magazine editor, who lives it up in her beautiful Mayfair apartment. But Camilla’s glamorous life is a lie. Behind her poised exterior beats the cold dark heart of a vigilante killer, a murderer hell-bent on wreaking vengeance upon bad men.
Camilla expects to get away with murder. She’s careful. And anyway, it’s worth the risk. She’s making the world a better place with each predator she kills. But when one of her victims’ bodies is unexpectedly found, his gruesome death is splashed all over the papers.
To make matters worse, she’s now being pursued by Detective Wheelan, a new addition to the Met with laser-sharp focus and a worrying habit of solving impossible crimes…
She knows she should stop, but she can’t. Some men just deserve to die. Will Camilla’s insatiable appetite for justice be her downfall, or can she outsmart the police?

Purchase Link

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BookBirthdayBlitz #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #PromoPost : Her Secret Past – Kerry Watts @kezzawattsbooks @bookouture

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘Her Secret Past’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing a

About the Author :

Kerry Watts was born and grew up in Perth where she still lives today. The daughter of a Rangers mad window cleaner and Daniel O’Donnell loving dinner lady. She began writing over twenty years ago after reading Isla Dewar’s book Giving up on Ordinary and decided she wanted to do that. Becoming a best selling author is a dream come true.
Authors who inspire her are anyone capable of creating a character who lives inside her head long after she has closed the book. Her favourite fictional character’s are Dexter Morgan, created by Jeff Lindsay as well as Hannibal Lechter created by Thomas Harris. She doesn’t have a favourite genre as a reader. Kerry will read anything. Written by anyone. If the blurb has a good feel about it she’s hooked.
When she’s not writing she loves to spend time following her other passions – dogs, particularly rescue mutts and horse racing. The sight of a thoroughbred race horse at full stretch has been known to move her to tears, not just lump in the throat stuff but full on blubbing. And for that she is unashamed.
She also had a small role in a film called The Rocket Post but decided acting wasn’t for her. She would rather create a character than play one. All of her books are brought to you through the super powers of Tetley tea.

Social Media Links:
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About the Book :

Jean Angus pours the last of the lukewarm tea into her chipped cup, shivering as she looks outside into the dark night. Her eyes are drawn to a slow movement not far from her cosy farmhouse. She’s not expecting visitors. And as the back door opens with a bang, she doesn’t even have time to shout for help.
On a dark winter night, the bodies of Malcolm and Jean Angus lie cold and still in a pool of blood in their kitchen. Detective Jessie Blake is called in to find out what happened to the reclusive pair.
Searching the couple’s property, Jessie learns about a vicious dispute with a nearby land owner, Rachel Ferguson, and when Jessie looks into Rachel further, she doesn’t expect what comes up. Rachel isn’t the person everyone thinks she is and a previous murder conviction just made her Jessie’s prime suspect.
The small Perthshire town begins to gossip about the double murder and Jessie’s own past comes back to haunt her, when her abusive ex-husband begins to interfere in her new life. As the town starts a witch hunt against Rachel, Jessie is under pressure to find out what really happened in the farmhouse that night. Because if it isn’t Rachel, then who is the murderer living among them, waiting to kill again?
If you like LJ Ross, Val McDermid and Helen H. Durrant, you’ll love this addictive new crime thriller from Kerry Watts. Her Secret Past will have you hooked from the start!

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US

Giveaway :

Win the Kindle copies of the 3 Detective Jessie Blake books (Open INT)
The books are: Heartlands, Her Missing Child & Her Secret Past by Kerry Watts.

*Terms and Conditions – Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#MiniBlogBlitz #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #GuestPost : Conveniently Wed to the Laird – Jeanine Englert @JeanineWrites @MillsandBoon @HarlequinBooks

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘Conveniently Wed to the Laird’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing a guest post written by the author, but first I have some information

About the Author :

Jeanine Englert’s love affair with mysteries and romance began with Nancy Drew, Murder She Wrote, and her Grandmother’s bookshelves full of romance novels. She is a VIVIAN® and Golden Heart® Finalist as well as a Silver Falchion, Maggie, and Daphne du Maurier Award Winner in historical romance and mystery. Her Scottish Highland historical and historical romantic suspense novels revolve around characters seeking self-acceptance and redemption. When she isn’t wrangling with her characters on the page, she can be found trying to convince her husband to watch her latest Masterpiece or BBC show obsession. She loves to talk about books, writing, her beloved rescue pups, as well as mysteries and romance with other readers.

Social Media Links:
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Website
GoodReads
BookBub
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About the Book :

The laird’s bridal bid…
Is love too high a price to pay?
When new laird, Ewan Stewart, comes across a wife for sale at a market, he outbids everyone to rescue her. He never intended for Catriona to become his bride, but a convenient marriage could secure his clan’s future and her freedom. They agree that their arrangement must stay free of love, yet Catriona’s bravery and fire intrigue him. Can Ewan resist falling for his wife—the one rule he must not break?

Purchase Link

And now it’s finally time for the

Thank you, Magic of Wor(l)ds, for hosting me today for a guest post on your blog! I’m so excited to be here to celebrate the release of my latest Harlequin Historical / Mills & Boon book, Conveniently Wed to the Laird, which is the last in the Falling for a Stewart series.
As a writer, I’m often asked about how I go about the business of writing my books, so I thought I’d share with you my very messy process today. Before you read, I have a disclaimer for you to take to heart: I believe every writer’s process is different, so embrace yours, however odd, wacky, or orderly it might be.
My books often start as a scene that comes to me out of nowhere. I can be washing dishes, taking a shower, or just about to fall asleep when the very first scene or chapter of the book plays like a movie in my head. I can see the characters, hear the dialogue, and feel like I am almost there with them. I generally write it out hastily on paper until I can get to my laptop, and that is how my books are born, so to speak.
After the initial scene, I do a smattering of basic plotting and brainstorming of what I know so far about the story. I hardly ever know how the book is going to end until I have finished it. And, yes, that makes me a pantser through and through. (Sorry, all of you, plotters! You probably fell out of your chair.) Then, I end up writing the book in a fit of stops and starts as I tend to rotate between writing, editing, and researching on any given day as my characters sort out their story in my head.
Then, and this will make the plotters in the room cringe the most: I write the chapters as they come to me and entirely out of order. I piece them together, do a great deal of editing, and gather feedback from my amazing critique partner of over ten years, Tanya Agler, who also writes for Harlequin under the Heartwarming line. In the last step of my first draft, I listen to my book from the end to the beginning. From there it is sent off to my lovely editor, Charlotte Ellis. She reads it and provides me feedback as well as suggestions for revision and always helps me make my book stronger, which I am so grateful for.
Thank you so much for having me on your blog today and for giving me the opportunity to share my messy writing process with you.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #QandAs : Out For Revenge – Tony Bassett @tonybassett1

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘Out For Revenge’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing an interview between the author and me, but first I have some information

About the Author :

I am a semi-retired journalist who was born in West Kent. While growing up, I spent hours reading and writing, and, from an early age, nursed an ambition to become first a journalist and then novelist. My theory was that, in order to write novels, one had to have life experiences to colour one’s writing and one could obtain those experiences through journalism.
I was fortunate enough to be named Time-Life Magazine Student Journalist of the Year in 1971 in a competition organised by the National Union of Students. At the time, I was editing the student newspaper at Hull University, where I gained a BA Honours degree in History and Political Studies.
After six years working on provincial newspapers in Sidcup, Worcester and Cardiff, I became a freelance journalist in London. For 24 years, I was a reporter on the staff of the Sunday People (now part of Reach plc, formerly Trinity Mirror). Over the years, I sold tens of thousands of stories to the national newspapers, including the Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, The Sun, Daily Star, Daily Telegraph and London Evening Standard. I helped cover the Jeremy Thorpe trial at the Old Bailey for the Evening Standard. I broke the news in a Sun newspaper exclusive in April 1989 that Bill Wyman, the Rolling Stones guitarist aged 52, was to marry 18-year-old Mandy Smith. I bought 200 blank MOT forms to expose a trade in fake certificates.
My speciality was tracking people down. For instance, I found evidence about Rod Stewart’s secret love child Sarah Streeter by tracing a retired adoption agent through a library ticket. On one occasion, I took an escaped gangster back to prison. Some of my stories can be read on my website (see below); others are generally available online. For thirty years, I was also employed as a birth and marriage researcher mainly for the Mail on Sunday, Sunday Mirror, Sunday People and The Sun.
I have a grown-up son and four grown-up daughters who all live in South Wales.

Social Media Links:
Website
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About the Book :

When notorious gangland boss Tadeusz Filipowski is released from prison, several people start looking over their shoulder.
A volatile character, not shy of picking fights, Filipowski plans to expand his drugs empire and put his competitors on a backfoot. That’s until he turns up dead. Very dead.
DS Sunita Roy of the Heart of England police is handed the case but it’s a challenge to find the killer of a man with so many enemies.
DCI Gavin Roscoe would lend more support but he is busy nailing down suspicions of corruption plaguing the force.
Soon, however, the investigations will bump into one another. And unless Roy and Roscoe can get to the bottom of the mystery, they could well become the next victims.
OUT FOR REVENGE is the fourth gripping standalone mystery in the Detectives Roy and Roscoe crime fiction series by Tony Bassett.

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US

And now it’s finally time for the

Hi

First of all thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions, I really appreciate it. Here we go! 🙂

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to discuss my books. I’m a Kent born writer who spent more than forty years working as a journalist in the Midlands, South Wales and London. For most of that time, I was a reporter for the Sunday People (part of Reach Plc), working both as a news reporter and for the investigations department. After becoming semi-retired, I at last found time to engage in my long-held ambition of writing crime fiction. There hasn’t been a moment in my life (since the age of nine) when I have not been involved in writing in some way or other.

Which books did/do you love to read as a child/now as a grown-up?
My favourite books while growing up were Richmal Crompton’s Just William series, Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels and Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Nowadays my favourite writers include Peter James, Val McDermid and Ian Rankin. My favourite book of all time is The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan.

Is there a writer whose brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?
Arthur Conan Doyle was a fascinating character whom I would have loved to have interviewed as a journalist. Since he died aged 71 in 1930, that’s obviously not possible. But I would have liked to have asked about how he came to write his detective novels, how much research he did, his sporting career, his political and justice campaigns and his interest in spiritualism.

If you could, which fictional character (from your own book(s) or someone else’s) would you like to invite for tea and why?
In an ideal world, I’d like to invite DCI Gavin Roscoe, one of the two main characters in my Midlands crime series, to tea and ask why he doesn’t promote his clever sergeant, DS Sunita Roy. She seems to be the one solving all the crimes while he occasionally gets in the way! But he wouldn’t accept my invitation, I’m fairly sure. He leads such a hectic life. Even when he’s at home in Queensbridge, his wife and two children keep him on his toes.

Do you have some rituals or habits whilst writing?
I like drinking cups of coffee while writing and I always try to stick to a regime of writing at least 1,000 words a day.

Where do you come up with your idea(s)? Do people in your life need to be worried? 😉
Many of my ideas come from the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had while working as a journalist. I’ve been smuggled into judge’s chambers at the Old Bailey to test their security. I once bought 200 blank MOT certificates to help expose a crime gang. I got Mandy Smith’s sister in Highgate to reveal to me details of Mandy’s plans to wed Rolling Stone Bill Wyman. I’ve been to armed sieges, celebrity weddings, and was in a magistrates’ court in West London when a Welshman took to the dock in a dazzling dragon costume. I’ve watched a group of students at Middlesex University being hypnotised by a dog and taken a fugitive gangster back to jail. So you could say I’ve seen a bit of life. My friends don’t need to be worried !

Are you a plotter or do you go with the flow, as a pantser?
I’m afraid I tend to go with the flow, flying by the seat of my pants. By the time I’ve reached Chapter Three, I try to produce a rough draft, showing the way I expect the novel to progress on a chapter by chapter basis. But this can be subject to drastic change as the writing process goes on and fresh ideas emerge. Like many authors, I find the plot is to a large extent driven by the characters.

Can you give novice writers some tips (do’s/don’ts)?
Get your friends to read your finished short story, book, script or poem. But be aware that, since they are your friends, they may not wish to upset you by giving too frank an appraisal. Learn from the works of other writers (but never copy directly). Join a writers’ group. Submit your finished masterpiece to a publisher that releases works similar to your own. Never give up.

What are your future plans as an author?
I’m hoping to continue with my series set in the Midlands, featuring detectives Roy and Roscoe. I have just finished writing the fifth book in the series. I also hope one day to get two unpublished books released. One is set in London and one in Sydney.

Last, but not least : Can you give my readers one teaser from your book, which is featured here on my blog, please?
Here is an extract from Chapter 3 of OUT FOR REVENGE in which DCI Gavin Roscoe’s superior officer briefs him about a corrupt detective.

Chief Superintendent Nicola Norris was sitting at her oak desk with the door wide open.
‘Is that you, Gavin?’ she asked as heavy footsteps echoed round the stairwell outside her second-floor office.
‘Yes, ma’am,’ he replied as he reached the landing, straightening his tie. He strode into her office, closing the door behind him.
‘Pull up a seat,’ she said, stroking her grey hair absentmindedly. ‘By the way, how’s your son, George?’
‘He was fine the last time I spoke to him, ma’am. He’s still learning the ropes, doing basic police training over in Warwick.’
‘Good,’ she said. ‘Look, Gavin, I’ve called you up here because, I’m afraid, I’ve received a worrying report about one of our detectives.’
Norris, who had been badly injured in a horse-riding accident a few years before, manoeuvred her wheelchair closer to her desk.
‘Disgraceful, but no big surprise. We had an inkling, didn’t we, ma’am?’ he said while sitting down on a small chair.
‘Yes,’ she said, peering over her reading glasses. ‘You don’t need reminding that some of the information I’m going to share with you must remain strictly between us.’
‘Of course.’
‘Your suspicions towards the end of last year have proved correct that one of our detectives has gone rogue. But it’s only this week we’ve received clear evidence of this.’
‘From a reliable source?’
‘A very reliable source. From my own goddaughter, who works on the support staff with Summerstoke police. We now know we’re dealing with a serious case of police corruption.’
He shrugged. ‘Unfortunately, there’s always been an element of it.’
‘Yes, I know, and whenever it rears its head, we take swift action. But this isn’t a case of a traffic officer turning a blind eye to his cousin’s driving offence or a constable taking a backhander from a pimp. This concerns a detective inspector at Summerstoke who, for all intents and purposes, is involved in running an OCG linked to the drugs trade.’
Roscoe folded his arms. The suggestion that an officer might be closely linked to an organised crime group was an abomination to him.
‘Deplorable, ma’am,’ he remarked.
‘Previously, as you know, Tom Vickers was examining whether Summerstoke CID had properly investigated the “body in the bath” murder case concerning the death of the artist Brendan O’Sullivan.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Things have moved on since then and we need to focus totally on this bad apple.’

Isn’t that a great reason to pick up the book and read it?!
Thanks once again, Tony Bassett, for this lovely interview!

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #Excerpt : Blood on the Tyne: Red Snow – Colin Garrow @colingarrow

– The Magic of Wor(l)ds is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free.
I’m grateful of receiving a free copy from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review of this book. –

Today I’m delighted to be on the ‘Blood on the Tyne: Red Snow’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I’ll be sharing an extract, but first I have some information

About the Author :

True-born Geordie Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland and has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor. He has also occasionally masqueraded as a pirate. Colin’s published books include the Watson Letters series, the Terry Bell Mysteries and the Rosie Robson Murder Mysteries. His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including: SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, The Grind, A3 Review, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. These days he lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland.

Social Media Links:
Website (Adults)
Website (Children)
The Watson Letters
Amazon Author Page
Twitter 
Smashwords 
Facebook
BookBub

About the Book :

A dead body. A hoard of forged banknotes. A gangster out for blood.
Newcastle, December 1955. Returning home after a weekend away, singer and amateur sleuth Rosie Robson discovers a man lying on a baggage trolley with his throat cut. After the police get involved, an attack on Rosie and her boss prompts Inspector Vic Walton to find a safe house for the pair. But the bad guys seem to be one step ahead of them and Rosie is forced to track down a possible witness to the murder in a bid to learn the truth. Can the canny crooner solve the mystery before a Newcastle gang boss catches up with her?
Set on Tyneside, Blood on the Tyne: Red Snow is book #3 in the Rosie Robson Murder Mysteries series.

Purchase Link

And now it’s finally time for the

After discovering a dead man on the platform at Newcastle Central Station, Rosie and her pal Cindy have called Detective Inspector Vic Walton:

The doctor turned up a few minutes later—a short podgy man in a dinner jacket and patent leather shoes you could see your face in. He spent a few minutes complaining about how he’d ruin his best suit crawling about on a filthy station platform. Eventually, he stooped to examine the corpse before instructing the two plods to lift the body free of the trolley and lay it across some sacking Vic had commandeered.
As they lifted the body, the dead man’s overcoat flapped open. Vic leaned forwards.
‘Got summat here,’ he said, extracting an item from the man’s inside pocket. Holding it up, he looked at the doctor. ‘The murder weapon, I believe.’
‘On the victim?’ muttered the doctor. ‘He slices the poor bugger with a cut-throat razor then pops the weapon into the man’s own pocket?’ He shook his head and gave a dismissive grunt. ‘I hardly think so, Inspector.’
Vic’s jaw clenched and I could see the medic had annoyed him. But he said nothing.
‘Ah ha,’ Summerton continued, turning the body over. Pulling free the dead man’s shirt, he lifted it up and pointed to a long wound. ‘Slashed across the back.’
‘Would that’ve killed him?’ I said.
The doctor swivelled his head around to stare up at me. ‘And who might you be?’
I resisted the temptation to trot out my usual retort to such questions (I might be the Queen of fucking Sheba, but I’m not), and told him my name.
‘I see.’ Summerton glanced up at Vic and gave him what looked like a knowing smile. It seemed like everyone knew about me and the inspector—even people I’d never met.
‘No, Miss Robson,’ he went on. ‘It didn’t kill him. I’d suggest it might have been an attempt to slow him down before the real damage, but…’ He pulled the corpse’s shirt free of the man’s trousers and examined the area around the bloody gash. ‘Nope. I’d suggest this might be a warning—tell us what you know, or we’ll do you in, sort of thing.’ He clambered to his feet, dusting his trousers down and swearing under his breath. ‘Expect I’ll have more to impart after the post-mortem, Inspector.’ And with that, he nodded at Vic, winked at me, and sauntered off.
‘Fuckin know-it-all,’ muttered Vic, watching him go. The doctor shoved his way through the gathering onlookers striving to push past a line of policemen guarding the foyer. ‘He can stick his suggestions up his arse.’
‘At least he wasn’t drunk,’ I said. ‘And he might be right about the stab wound.’
Vic made a hmphing noise. ‘It isn’t the stab wound Ah’m talkin about—it’s that bloody razor. If that belongs to Rodney Hattersley, Ah’m an uncle’s monkey.’
Carrying our bags, Cindy sauntered up behind me, put them down, and tapped me on the shoulder. ‘Are we goin, or what, pet?’
Giving her a glare, I said, ‘Why don’t you go and find a taxi? I’ll be there in a minute.’
Cindy slid her tongue along her lower lip, gave me a saucy smile and walked away, lugging her bags.
Vic rubbed a hand across his face. ‘Ah could’ve run ye’s home, ye know.’
‘I know.’
‘But ye’re not comin back to mine, are ye?’
I stared at the ground.
He sniffed. ‘No, it’s fine. Saw this comin a few weeks back. Ah might be a thick Geordie, but Ah’m not so daft Ah canna tell when Ah’m not wanted.’
‘It’s not that, Vic,’ I started, but the two plods had come back, and he turned to hear what they had to say.
After they’d walked off to organise transport for the corpse, I gave Vic’s sleeve a tug.
‘I just need a bit of time on my own, that’s all.’
He turned to look at me, his mouth a tight line. ‘Aye, right. Well, do me a favour, will ye? Don’t piss about with half-promises—if ye want to dump me, just say so.’
I coughed. ‘So, I’ll be at Cindy’s.’
Vic looked at me. His face seemed to have sagged and he blinked rapidly as if he might cry.
‘I’ll be off, then,’ I said. Still he said nothing, so, forcing myself to move, I walked away, feeling like I’d given Vic Walton a damn good kicking.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds