Category: Historical

#Interview with Michael Hughes about his play, The Last Bantam @TheLastBantam @GreensideVenue #EdFringe #Theatre #Play #TheLastBantam

The Last Bantam
Q&A with Michael Hughes

Conducted by Bookmarks and Stages – Louise Cannon

Do you know what a Bantam of the First World War is? Whether you do or not, Michael Hughes, writer and actor of The Last Bantam has a lot of fascinating information about them and what it is like to act this play out. He also has interesting things to say about audiences and what he wishes to do with the play after the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

I, recently had the privilege of interviewing Michael Hughes about his play, The Last Bantem. March downwards on the page to find out the fascinatingly detailed answers to my short, but loaded questions.

The play is on at The Green Venues, George Street, Edinburgh 12:45pm – 13:45pm up to and including Saturday 23rd August. Find the link after the interview for further details…

1 – What drew you to write a play about the First World War Bantams?

Good question! This is where I’d love to be able to say, ‘Well Louise, my grandfather was a bantam’. Sadly, I’d be lying to you if I said that (it would make a great story though!).
I was watching a video on YouTube of a former US special forces soldier interviewing another former special forces soldier. Both men were massively built. Huge shoulders, big arms, no necks. Very big men.

Now, my grandfather, uncle and two cousins served in the military and none o them looked like these guys. It got me thinking: ‘What’s the best size for a soldier?’

I did a little online research and found myself in a forum discussing this very thing. The initial consensus was ‘bigger is better’. Bigger men are stronger, they can carry more kit and they’re more intimidating to the enemy.
Then someone asked, ‘What about the Japanese?’. Someone else asked, ‘What about the Gurkhas?’ And another asked, ‘What about the Bantams?’

Everyone did a double-take at this point, including me. ‘Bantams? What are they?’ That’s when my journey began. I did some more research and discovered that Britain recruited thousands of men between 5′-5’3” during the Great War, those men were called ‘bantams’and there were books written about them!

I promptly hovered up everything I could find on the bantams, beginning with Sidney Allinson’s 1985 book, ‘The Bantams’

I was fascinated to learn about these men and, being a short man myself, inspired by their courage and tenacity in the face of not just physical danger, but also discrimination and prejudice on account of their height.
Regarded as ‘degenerate’ by some because of their short stature, they signed up in their tens of thousands to serve their country.

2 – The Last Bantam is based on real events. What emotions did you feel when creating and acting out the play?

I prefer to say, ‘inspired by real events’ rather than ‘based on’ actually. While there is documentary evidence for a great deal of what happens in my play, there’s a dollop of my imagination in there too!

Researching The Last Bantam, I felt indignation at the way these short men were treated and pride at their achievements.

Acting out the play, I feel a range of emotions, not always associated with the play itself. For example, the other day I felt simultaneously sorry for and irritated by someone who’s position in the room meant they couldn’t easily see my performance. They picked a seat at the end of a row and someone sat down directly in front of them. They could not see me without craning round the person in front. It was the fault of the poor seating layout, but it bothered me that someone who’d invested time and money to see my show could barely see it. I found myself thinking ‘Why don’t you move?!!!’ I even contemplated stopping the show to find great person a better seat, would you believe that? I didn’t of course, but if any of your readers find themselves in a poor seating position, they have my permission to move to a better one. Yes, your movement will be noticed and it will annoy me a little, but knowing you can’t see the show you paid for because of someone in front of you bothers me more.

Move!

There are other feelings I experience though which are entirely play-related. I try as much as I can, not to ‘act’ my character but to ‘be’ my character. When he’s irritated, I’m irritated, when he’s sad, or angry or scared, I’m sad or angry or scared. I summon and use my own feelings when I’m Patrick Michael Wolfe. It’s quite a rollercoaster!

3 – How did you research The Last Bantam?

I read everything I could, and there’s more out there than you might think. In addition to Sydney Allinson’s, ‘The Bantams’, there’s also books focussing on the Manchester bantams as well and the Cheshire Bantams and at least two books on the Battle of Bourlon Wood. I also drew heavily from Maurice Bacon’s, ‘The Blast of War’, a history of the 15th Bantam Battalion, Notts & Derby Regiment. My character, Patrick Michael Wolfe, is based in this battalion and it was hugely useful to know where precisely they were at various points in the war.

The Blast of War is written by Maurice Bacon. His father and grandfather both served in the same bantam battalion and meeting him last year to discuss his book was very special to me.

Interestingly, during the last couple of years there’s been a number of videos on YouTube about the bantams. There’s a very good one by a Youtuber called The History Guy and another called The History Chap. All these videos seem to have emerged over the last couple of years, much as my play has done. Could there be something in the air I wonder!

4 – You’ve taken great care in the detail of the uniform, right down to accessories, such as the watch. How did you source this and was it in easy or challenging process?

I decided right from the start that I wanted to look the part as much as possible. I’m no historian or costume commissar, but whether it’s a play, a tv series or a film, a poor costume undermines everything! If someone doesn’t look like the person they’re pretending to be, if they don’t meet our visual expectations, we find it harder to join them in the world they’re trying to create.

I originally tried sourcing actual British uniforms from the Great War and realised that not only could I not afford to do that, but a 100+ years old garment probably wouldn’t survive too many Edinburgh Fringes!

Instead I purchased reproduction uniform and kit, taking note of advice from re-reactors as to who provides the best quality. Quality was paramount. I wanted a costume I could use in the long term, not something that would fall apart after a few shows. A costume that didn’t just look right, but felt right too. You’d be surprised how many people want to physically touch the fabric of my costume. They want to feel the weight and the roughness of it.

I sourced most of my costume from Soldier of Fortune, an online militaria costume provider. Having purchased my costume I then had to distress it.

My character is meant to have spent to years fighting in France. His uniform should reflect that and it does. It’s dirty and stained and ripped and torn, with many amateurish in-the-field repairs. Holes are patched over and rips crudely stitched back together, as was done in action.

In some respects, the uniform is a metaphor for the man. It’s dirty, worn and damaged, but it’s still functional. It’s still in the fight. One look at the uniform and the audience knows, ‘This man’s been through it’.

Audiences are hugely impressed by my costume. They really appreciate the effort I’ve made to look as authentic as possible. The public appreciates it too and it’s a huge help when I’m flyering, promoting my show. It cuts through the noise of Edinburgh and it makes me smile to know that feature in hundreds of holiday photographs!

5 – The Last Bantam is a one man play, what does it feel like to be
carrying the whole play in your own and asking the audience to imagine the scene, since there is no scenery?

Carrying the play in my own doesn’t bother me at all. It’s rather liberating actually. I determine the rhythm and pace of it and I don’t have to worry about fellow actors missing their cues, forgetting their lines or falling out with each other. I was in a comedy show once in which my two fellow cast members had a spectacular falling-out and it almost scuppered the show!

Being a self-employed healthcare trainer has also prepared me to be a solo performer. The roles aren’t that different. I arrive at a place, get changed, engage with a group of strangers and leave. And I’ve been doing that 25 years!

6 – You were a copywriter many years ago, what or who inspired you to change career and take to the stage?

I’m actually very, very new to acting. After a career in advertising I became a nurse and have been a freelance healthcare trainer for over 25 years. I remain both a nurse and a trainer but I got into stand up comedy in 2015 doing the open mic circuit as a character comic. When I wrote the first draft of Bantam in 2023 I assumed I’d be performing it myself.

I’m retrospect, my assumption that it would be me might seem a little presumptuous, maybe even arrogant. After all, I had no acting training and had never done anything like this before in my life. But I’d spent 8 years doing character comedy and over 20 years addressing groups of strangers as a trainer. I knew I could learn my lines and deliver them.

Whether I could deliver them well…well that was for the audience to decide!

7 – What’s next for you and your play?

I need to focus on my day job! I’m a freelance teacher in care homes and my first priority when the Fringe is over is to drum up some training business!I

With regards to The Last Bantam,I’d love to tour it. There’s lots of small theatres in London I could take it to, and many farther afield too. It’s all a matter of logistics and economics. I can accept a loss doing the Edinburgh Fringe, but future shows will need to cover their costs.

I also plan on publishing The Last Bantam and would absolutely love to have the story made into other a tv series or a movie. I might get Danny DeVito in board! I wish I was doing this ten years ago. Back then the BBC produced several films and documentaries to commemorate the Great War.
It would have been the perfect time for the bantams!

8 – Where can people follow you On social media?

The Last Bantam can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can find more details on the Ed Fringe site here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-last-bantam

#Review of Scaramouche Jones performed by Thom Tuck by Bookmarks and Stages – Lou #ScaramoucheJones @turlygod #EdFringe #Hoots #Yurt #PottersRow #EdFringe25

Scaramouche Jones
Performed by Thom Tuck

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Scaramouche Jones is a 100 year old clown played by Thom Tuck, who you may know from the likes of Horrible Histories and Penny Dreadfuls. He tells the story on Millenium Eve, after he’s come off stage after a show. What unfolds is a fascinating journey through history and tragedy, with a bit of well-placed humour.

 
Thom Tuck brought a fabulously engaging informality to the show, which brought increased and wonderfully uniquely intense experience that takes you through historical events, some other clowns are also mentioned, which between that and the events of times gone-by creates an authentic play, even though Scaramouche Jones himself is made-up. As the story comes out, Thom Tuck makes you feel, deeply for what unfolds and catches your eye, creating an even deeper, meaningful experience, like he casts a spell on his audience, who lapped up all that they were being told.
 
If, for now, if it goes on tour, or in 10 years time, when he plans to bring it back to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, this is a show that fascinates and educates as he brings historical events to life and makes you feel all the emotions. Thom Tuck takes some traumatic events of the earth’s history and tells them in an original narrative on one hand and on the other hand, sitting at the juxtaposition, he has elements that will make you laugh. It’s all masterfully woven together to create a performance about a clown with a difference from all the clowns you’ve ever known. 
 
You can still catch it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Check it out here: Scaramouche Jones
 

#Extract of The Secret Daughter of Venice by JulietGreenwood @julietgreenwood @Stormbooks_co @rararesources #TheSecretDaughterOfVenice

The Secret Daughter of Venice
By Juliet Greenwood

Presented by the author and publisher, I have an extract to share with you of The Secret Daughter of Venice as part of a Random Resources Blog Tour.

The Secret Daughter of Venice

This extract comes from early on in the story when Kate, the heroine, retreats to her room in a faded Tudor mansion near Stratford-upon-Avonafter an argument with her father. Not only is he refusing to tell her anything about her past, or her true parentage, but is determined she will remain at home and marry a conveniently rich man to restore the family fortunes, rather than follow her heart and become a painter, and to find her lost mother.
Reaching her own room, Kate curled herself tight on the window seat. Outside, thelast of the light was beginning to fade from the landscape. A faint hint of woodsmokehung in the air, drifting up fromthe remains of cooking fires in Brierley-in-Arden, safein its hollow, while the breathy hoot of owls echoed across the surrounding undulationof woods and fields.Before the war, there had always been the distant glow of light from the lampsand candlesas night fell, but now the village was muffled in blackout darkness. Crouching, like all the villages throughout England and far beyond, waiting for thedeep drone of bombers overhead.Kate had painted the scene so often in her sketchbook in daylight hours thatshe could still see it in her mind’s eye. The walls of the kitchen garden, with its neatrows of vegetables and the tall wigwams of twigs and canes supporting theramblings of peas and beans between espaliered trees of peach and apple. Thefields beyond, once more turned into the growing of cabbages and potatoes, just as they had been during the last war. The war to end all wars, which had left so manyfathers and uncles, sons and brothers as no more than names on the memorial nextto the duck pond on Brierley’s village green.The house felt emptier than ever. Hollowed out without the creak of footstepsin its vastness, the distant murmur of voices emanating from the bedrooms as hersisters dreamed of their futures, or her brothers discussed some plan or other to takeoff in the Austin to walk in the Lakes, free from Papa’s eagle eye. She even missedWill, who as the son and heir, could not be contradicted. During his last return onleave from France, he had been particularly loud in joining the condemnation ofMussolini, for whom he had particular scorn. At least Hitler and Spain’s Franco wereproper soldiers, he had declared, not a fat vulgar little man like il Duce.

Closing the blackout curtains, she lit her candle, and turned her attention to the flyleaf of the leatherbound book of Shakespeare’s sonnets balanced on her knees. For Katerina. Not Kate, not Katherine. Her real name. She rolled the word around her mouth as she traced the swirl of the writing, spidery, faint, as if the writer barely had the strength to hold the pen. Katerina. The page wavered in front of her. That was her first memory of Arden House. A bewildered little girl with salt spray in her hair, abruptly torn from everything she knew, shivering in the silk dress made for the heatof a Mediterranean summer, her skin absorbing the penetrating damp of the booklined room. And the strange man who had brought her here, standing tall and severe, and so very old in a child’s eyes, instructing her to call him ‘Papa’. She was to speak only English, he’d told her, and be Katerina, the inconveniently foreign child no longer. ‘You are Kate,’ Leo Arden had said, with the severity of a school master instilling discipline in a class. ‘Kate Arden. You have no other name. It does not exist. It never existed. And you will look a damn fool if you try to say otherwise. You don’t want those who love you to be ashamed of you, do you?’
His blue eyes had sharpened at her silence, as the child’s instinct for survival had fought the rebellion within her soul. She had seen something flicker in their depths. Love? Guilt? Or, she had begun to wonder as she grew older, if it had been simply distaste. Regret, even. That first evening he had abruptly turned away towards the children, all older and bigger than her, crowding at the door, curious, but waiting for permission to step inside.‘ Say hello to your brothers and sisters,’ he had said, propelling her towards them. Katerina. On the window seat, Kate felt the silence of the house creep around her. Could there really be a message left for her in amongst the lines of verse, interspersed by the fantastical illustrations? She shivered, remembering the deep cold that had settled in her bones in her first terrified days at Arden House; and the feeling of absence–absence of familiar heat, of earth brittle with lack of moisture and yet rich with the scent of lemons and olive groves, rosemary and wild thyme. The absence, most of all, of love. The window rattled as a night breeze tore at the leaves turning towards their autumn brittleness and sent the rafters protesting in sympathy. Kate held the volume tighter, as the wind became the creaking of rigging in her mind, the frantic flapping ofa sail, the crash of waves againstthe hull of the boat taking her into the unknown. Then she was back there, in the terrace under the vines, her ears filled with childish screams–her screams–as she was dragged away, helpless, from the strong arms that loved her. The Secret Daughter of Venice. The paper is stiff and brittle with age as Kate unfolds it with trembling hands. She gasps at the pencil sketch of a rippling waterway, lined by tall buildings, curving towards the dome of a cathedral. She feels a connection deep in her heart.

Venice. England, 1941. When Kate Arden discovers a secret stash of drawings hidden in the pages of an old volume of poetry given to her as a baby, her breath catches. All her life, she has feltlike an outsider in her wealthy adoptive family, who refuse to answer any questions about her past. But the drawings spark a forgotten memory: a long journey by boat… warm arms that held her tight, and then let go.
Could these pictures unlock the secret of who she is? Why her mother left her? With war raging around the continent, she will brave everything to find out…
A gripping, emotional historical novel of love and art that will captivate fans of The Venice Sketch book, The Woman on the Bridge and The Nightingale.

About the Author

#Review By Lou of Chasing the Dragon – A Betancourt Mystery By Mark Wightman @mark_wightman @HobeckBooks #CrimeFiction #HistoricalCrimeFiction #BlogTour

Chasing The Dragon
By Mark Wightman

Review by Louise Cannon (Lou)

Rating: 5 out of 5.

After the success of Waking The Tiger – It was shortlisted for a Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger 2022. Finalist for the Ngaio Marsh Awards Best First Novel 2022. Longlisted for the Bloody Scotland McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2021 and shortlisted for the Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2021, along comes an incredible second book – Chasing the Dragon. Find out more in the blurb and my thoughts in my review below.

Blurb

                                                                                  Singapore, 1940

wp-1694510074249A local fisherman finds the body of a missing American archaeologist
Detective Inspector Betancourt of the Singapore Marine Police is first on the scene. Something doesn’t quite add up. He finds out that the archaeologist, Richard Fulbright, was close to deciphering the previously-untranslatable script on a pre-colonial relic known as the Singapore Stone. This was no accidental drowning.

Is there more to this case than archaeological rivalries?
Betancourt also discovers that Fulbright had been having an affair. He is sure he is onto something bigger than just academic infighting.

A government opium factory draws criminal interest.
In his investigations into the death, Betancourt finds his own life in danger, and now he has also put himself on the wrong side of British Military Intelligence, and he is unsure which set of opponents he fears the most…

Review

Time has moved on a year since the first book – Waking the Tiger, Chasing the Dragon is set in 1940’s Singapore. Detective Inspector Betancourt may not be quite in the division he wants to be working in, but he lands a very intriguing case. It turns out to be archaeology meets crime and illicit drugs.

Richard Fulbright was an archaeologist who was close to deciphering a script for the very first time. It would have been quite the coup, except mysteriously, he is discovered, drowned. This sets Betancourt and readers on a quest to discover what happened.

As the “digging around” looking for clues commences, there is an absolute skill that is shown with someone deciphering material on trousers. It’s pretty spectacular! Interesting attitudes towards the dead man’s nationality are interestingly revealed. A museum is also included in the investigation. As the investigation gathers pace, the tension and intrigue increases and has a great finish.

The premise of the book and the setting of both place and time makes for quite original, very interesting and highly refreshing reading. Amongst the crime, there is also a strong sense of Singapore within 1940 that aids in giving an immersive experience and a chance to learn something here and there, even though it is a work of fiction. Wightman weaves the historical with the thrill of chasing the threads of crime expertly well.
There is also an interesting author’s note.

Chasing The Dragon is another rather intricately plotted book, but one that is quite the page-turner that sparks curiosity. 

wp-1694509947090

#HappyNewYear #2023. Here are a number of #Fiction and #NonFiction Books in many genres I highly #Recommend from #2022 #BookRecommendations #BookReviews #BookWrap

I have reviewed many books in 2022 and what a privilege it has been too. Here are some that I highly recommend out of the many books I have reviewed in 2022. I also have included links to my full no spoiler reviews where you’ll also find the blurbs. The mix of crime fiction, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction, memoirs are in no particular order. Please also feel free to explore my blog for other great book reviews, author interviews and talks and theatre reviews.

The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures By Holly Hepburn – An antique shop, antiques, a mysterious puzzle box, a trip to Egypt, a mention of the Canarvon Family (think the real Downton Abbey), all wrapped up in a wonderful book full of splendid characters.
Holly Hepburn has a new book coming this year that I will also be reviewing.

Check out the blurb and my review in the link: The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures

Suicide Thursday By Will Carver explores this and the darker corners of society. It’s a compulsive read with intriguing characters – Mike, Jackie and Eli. Will Eli leave a hated job and get past writing chapter 1 of a novel? What is written in texts? Find out the answers to these and more in Suicide Thursday.

Link to blurb and review –Suicide Thursday

All About Evie By Matson Taylor is a humorous second book to the much talked about The Miseducation of Evie Epworth that was a Radio 2 book club pick. There’s much humour mixed with poignancy and sadness. Find out what happens at a sound check at Broadcasting House, her friend, Caroline and life’s mishaps and incidents. It’s highly engaging. Find the blurb and review in the link: All About Evie

Yes, I Killed Her By Harry Fisher s full of chilling suspense. The question isn’t who, but it is how. How did a murderer commit such a calculated crime. Is it as perfect as he thinks? Here is a link to the blurb and full review. Remember, I’m not going to disclose the answers to those questions. That’s for you to discover yourselves: Yes, I Killed Her

Verity Vanishes By A.B. Morgan is book 3 of The Quirk Files. The books can be read as part of the series or as standalone as the cases each complete by the end of the book. The Quirks are quirky private investigators.

There are secrets to uncover, including who was Verity, why has she vanished and why is a tv station so interested in this particular case? It’s intriguing with wit. See blurb and review in the link –Verity Vanishes

Touching, haunting and a darn good unputdownable read. It takes place between Glasgow and H.M. Polmont Prison in Central Scotland. It’s gripping getting to know about what revelations unfold in Ginger and Wendy’s personalities and what happens to them. It’s a book of obsession and friendship and more in this contemporary fictional book… Find out more in the link to the blurb and my full review: Ginger And Me

The Homes By J.B. Mylet is set in an orphanage village in Scotland. Follow the lives of Lesley, Jonesy and Eadie, all from their points of views. How safe is The Homes? Murder strikes and everything changes in this fast-paced, immersive page-turner. It’s fiction based on a true story. Find out more in the link: The Homes

Remember Me by Charity Norman is gripping and addictive as the layers build up to discover what has happened to Leah, who has disappeared.

The book also follows Felix, who has Alzheimer’s. It’s authentically and sensitively written. Discover the blurb and the rest of my thoughts in the link: Remember Me

Should I Tell You By Jill Mansell is enthralling in both setting and the relationships between all the characters. Meet Lachlan, a chef in high demand and Peggy, a formidable, yet fun woman who puts up a credible argument as to why he should follow her to Cornwall to cook his amazing food. Also meet Amber, Lachlan, Rafaelle and Vee as you step into idyllic scenery. Is all well though? What would you make of the mysterious letter? Find out more in my link about this beautiful, compelling book that perfectly captures the lives of its characters, who are concealing truths. Should I Tell You

White Christmas on Winter Street has all the festive feel-good vibes you can want. Unearth the treasures in Corner House in Middledip. It’s a rather moving book as Heather returns to discover new friends and old. Find out more in the link: White Christmas on Winter Street

The Little Wartime Library By Kate Thompson is about a courageous librarian who took Bethnal Green Library underground during World War 2. It is fascinating and is fiction based on fact. Lots of research was done, including asking librarians, including me, many questions that then formed the basis of the central character. The Little Wartime Library

The Locked Away Life by Drew Davies is about 2 people who are seemingly poles apart. 1 is becoming practically a recluse and increasingly elderly, the other, much younger in need of a job, which is how they meet. Little do they know they need each other more than they thought they would. It’s a heartwarming story. Find out more in the link: The Locked AwayLife

Love Untold by Ruth Jones is uplifting, emotional and endearing, It crosses the generations from a teenager right up to a 90 year old. It’s well observed in all the complexities of life and interactions.
Discover more such as the blurb and my review in the link. Love Untold

The Cliff House by Chris Brookmyre puts readers on an island. There’s a hen party set on a Scottish island. In some ways it’s a bit like And Then There We’re None by Agatha Christie, but there are also many differences.

There are frictions amongst the guests and things take a sinister turn. It’s a well-observed book in the way relationships are between the characters and what happens when people are on a remote island. Everyone has a secret and no one is safe. Find out more in the blurb and the rest of my thoughts in the review: The Cliff House

Cat Lady By Dawn O’Porter is very humorous but also very poignant and thought provoking. Within the book, wrapped in the cuteness of a cat, there is a great human story too and both together makes this quite different and compelling. There are 5 parts to Cat Lady – Mother, Career Woman, Animal, Wife, Cat Lady. Follow Mia and Tristan through the ups and downs of life. Mia is especially more than you would perhaps assume she is… Here is the link to the blurb and full review: Cat Lady

Thrown is a debut novel by Sara Cox. It’s heartwarming and uplifting at a pottery class. It’s about community pulling together and friendships forming. There are elements that may well tug at your heartstrings. Here is the link to the blurb and review: Thrown

The Cruise by Catherine Cooper takes place on the most luxurious cruise-liner. The type that would be a holiday of a lifetime. Something mysterious happens and it is compelling to travel around to try to fit together all the pieces to discover how they all fit together and some truths. Here is the link to the blurb and full review. The Cruise

Keeping A Christmas Promise By Jo Thomas is about 4 friends who have known each other for 25 years. Tragedy happens to one of them, meaning it is up to 3 of them to keep their bucketlist promise- to see the northern lights at Christmas. With themes of friendship, mortality and strength to carry on in the face of adversity and community, it’s an entertaining, heartwarming book. Here is the link to the blurb and full review. Keeping A Christmas Promise

The Echoes of Love By Jenny Ashcroft transports readers to the 1930’s to the 1940’s and then to 1970’s. It takes readers into the depths of love and war and how it reverberates years later. The book is set between Portsmouth in the UK and Crete. It is a story of war and love. A story unfolding at the BBC Broadcasting House. It is fascinating, poignant and beautifully written. Here is the link to my original review and the blurb. The Echoes of Love

Cooking the Book by various authors published by Hobeck Books also raised money for the Trussell Trust. It’s various short stories, each taking on a different sub-genres of crime fiction. Each also has a recipe you can create by each author. Here is the link to all the details Cooking The Books

The Language of Food is fiction based on fact. It takes reader into the life of a little known woman, by many, called Eliza Acton. She changed the course of cookery forever and when today’s cooks come across her, they are inspired by her story and style and have been influenced greatly by her. Annabel Abbs now opens up her life in this very interesting book. Here is the link to discover more: The Language of Food

Create Your Own Indoor Green by Joe Swift who is also an expert gardener on Gardeners World and various other programmes. The book is an easy step by step guide to indoor plants. It quite literally has everything you need to know, whether you’re getting started or already have indoor plants as there’s always more knowledge to be gained. There are handy hints and tips as well as growing and caring for them. I actually bought this for a friend after reviewing it and she is delighted. Find out the blurb and review in the link: Joe’s Create Your Own Indoor Green

Women Like Us By Amanda Prowse, is a memoir where she sheds light and insight into her life, which many women will be able to relate to or understand, perhaps more than they may first expect. It’s a highly interesting read.
Women Like Us

One Night on The Island introduces readers to Cleo. She works for the magazine – Women Today and has an unusual assignment to do. Directed by her boss, Ali, the assignment is to marry herself (or self-coupling or sologamy) on a remote island. She has a few reservations to say the least. It’s an entertaining story with lots of heart and warmth. One Night On the Island

Mothers and Daughters By Erica James is a compelling story of family life and revelations. Families can be more complex than what they may first appear to be in this sweeping family drama. Mothers and Daughters

Marion Crawford, a bright, ambitious young teacher, is ready to make her mark on the world. Until a twist of fate changes the course of her life forever…
This mixes fact and fiction with Marion and the UK Royal Family in a fascinating way, about a woman not everyone knows much about. The Good Servant

Wolf Pack By Will Dean is a Scandi-Noir.

Tuva Moodyson has a case on her hands to solve with Thord and Chief Björn.
Elsa Nyberg is reported as being missing and chillingly, Rose Farm has quite the history of deadly things happening there, involving a family. It’s a gripping page-turner. Here is the link to the full review and blurb. Wolf Pack

The Empire By Michael Ball is exquisitely theatrical, after all, that is his background. It takes readers back in time to the glitz and glamour of 1922, where you’ll meet Jack Tredwell and a whole host of other cast. There are secrets and the future of the theatre itself is in jeopardy. It’s a page turner! Here’s my link to the blurb and rest of the review The Empire

#Interview #QA By Lou with @kathylwheeler, an author of Gaming Hell Christmas Vol 2 @rararesources #BlogTour #Regency #HistoricalRomance #HistoricalFiction #Christmas #ChristmasRead

Interview/Q&A with Kathy L. Wheeler about her and Amanda Cabe’s book Gaming Hell Christmas (vol.2)
Conducted by Louise Cannon (Lou) – Bookmarks and Stages 

CEF7F0A3-B18C-435A-B16F-CDF7C202DE00

Recently I had the great pleasure of conducting an interview/Q&A session with Kathy L. Wheeler, an author of Gaming Hell Christmas, volume two. There are 2 mysteries set in fashionable Regency, London, one by Amanda Cabe, the other by Kathy L. Wheeler.
Readers, after discovering the blurb, can find out from Kathy herself, what to expect from the book, her inspiration and find out whether she would live in the regency period or not, rule breaking and Christmas, all in 6 questions and answers. Her answers are illuminating and there’s no holding back…
Thanks first to Kathy L. Wheeler for taking part and allowing me to interview you for my blog and as part of Rachel’s Random Resources blog tour, to whom I thank for inviting me on to close the blog tour.
Without further ado, onto discover the delights of the book and what was said by the author…

GAMING HELL CHRISTMAS – VOLUME 2: Mysteries abound at London’s most fashionable Hell.

The Thief Who Stole Christmas – Amanda McCabe
A man who has never broken the rules, and a woman who just might break his heart! But Christmas is always a time for second chances…

As one of Miss Greensley’s Girls, a member of the exclusive club la Sous Rose, and famous author Lady L, Victoria Lanford moves easily through Society ballrooms. Few people know how her unhappy childhood and anxiety led her to pickpocketing (yet, she did return the jewels)! When she comes face-to-face with old flame Rhys Neville, Earl of Hammond, she knows the kind-hearted, straight-laced, devilishly handsome lord is not for her—especially once the past comes back to haunt them. Why, then, can’t she stop thinking about their kisses?

The Kerse Who Saved Christmas – Kathy L Wheeler
Kerse: He, of the no nonsense approach, is stymied by She, a woman considered long past prime marriageability who needs a keeper more than he requires a wife. Yet the dreamy-eyed, impractical, and much too optimistic Philomena still manages to steal his heart despite her unrealistic beliefs and trust in fortune tellers.

  1. What can readers expect from your book?

         Readers can expect a fun group of characters who attended school together from a young age.
Each young woman is her own person and craves their own independence and love story, which Amanda and I strive to provide.

 

  1. You have a man who has never broken the rules before. If you were to break a rule, what would it be and why?

    This is an easy question for us in the twenty-first century compared to the 18th and 19th centuries where things were much more stringent for women. Even men were held to a higher standard. I think those of us who write historical romance are always having our characters “break the rules”. It’s just a matter of degree and what they do when they get caught.

 

  1. Your book is historical romance? What is your favourite time period to write about it and would you want to live in it yourself?

    I love writing the Regency era romance. Would I want to live in that period? Hell, no. Not without a ton of money and great resources to good water and decent medical care.

 

  1. Who inspired you to write?

    I think I was mostly inspired to write by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I’m a huge NFL fan and she wrote the Chicago Stars series. I once met her and asked if she watched (like me). Her answer was a resounding no! I was shocked! And thought, yeah, I could write. Of course, she is miles beyond me, above me, etc. etc.

5.    What research into historical exclusive clubs did you need to do and have you ever been to one in present times?

Mostly, it comes from reading the period. It was a fun idea we came up with. Nothing about La Sous Rose would be legit in the period, but it was still fun.

6.      How do you like to celebrate Christmas?

My husband and I moved to Western Washington about six years ago. We would spend Christmas at his family’s, but they were real big on my family attending when they were in town—sad but true. Since we’ve moved to Washington, we spend the holidays with my family where there are always extra people to be found.

Happy Holidays!

Kathy L Wheeler

 

A481ACE5-B767-40DD-A447-35B63EC3BB16