Guest Post with Jenny Kane

This week I am delighted to welcome author, Jenny Kane, onto the blog. I'm always in awe of her work ethic and the number of books she has written alongside teaching amazing writing courses and workshops. Her latest novel, Misty Mornings at the Potting Shed, was published by Aria on September 14th. 

Jenny, welcome! Can you tell us a bit about your new book?

Misty Mornings at The Potting Shed is the third book in the bestselling, #thepottinghshed series.

It was so much fun going back to The Potting Shed – a garden centre in Devon - to continue the adventures of sisters, Maddie and Sabi Willand, and their friends Ed, Jo, and Sara.

After the winter story, Frost Falls at The Potting Shed, when Maddie and her sister Sabi, take on their late father’s small plant-growing nursery, and begin to expand it into a garden centre, came the springtime adventure – Bluebell Season’s at The Potting Shed – when Jo arrives with his bright orange camper van, full of coffee and cake.

Now, autumn has arrived, and as with many of my novels, Misty Mornings… delivers many challenges to the characters within its pages. From the problems that come with having relatives with dementia, to the practical difficulties of long-distance relationships, Maddie and the gang must face every day head on if they want their business to continue to be a success.  

Here’s little taster from the very beginning of the story…

SEPTEMBER

Flicking a switch, Maddie flooded the garden centre’s shop with light.

‘Sometimes I forget that this used to be the downstairs of my home. Other days I walk in and immediately picture Dad and me sitting on the sofa, right where the houseplant table is.’

Ed smiled at his girlfriend. ‘He’d love it that so many of the locals visit The Potting Shed these days.’

‘He really would.’ A warming glow of satisfaction filled Maddie as she nodded towards the till. ‘Are you okay sorting the shop float if I go and make sure Jo has enough change in the café?’

‘No problem.’ Ed took a pile of five-pound notes from Maddie and flicked them through his fingers.

‘Great. Once we’re open, I’ll man this till until Sabi has finished walking Florrie, then I’ll go and help Jo in the café.’

‘Do you want me to be on carry-to-the-car duty in between watering the polytunnels this morning?’

‘Please.’

‘After that, if it’s quiet, I thought I’d give the bluebell garden a bit of a tidy. It’s not messy as such but…’ Ed pulled a face.

‘It’s gone a bit straggly.’

‘The lack of bluebells doesn’t help either.’

‘Drawback of it being September.’ Maddie plucked a dead leaf off a nearby cyclamen. ‘I considered adding in a few shrubs, but somehow…’

‘You ran out of time?’

‘Don’t I always.’

‘There’s just so much to do.’ Ed grinned. ‘Maybe you should advertise for another member of staff? Sara’s proving a fabulous addition to The Potting Shed, but she only works part-time.’

‘In truth, I could do with that, and another full-time person.’ Maddie dropped the dead leaf into the nearest waste bin. ‘But we aren’t yet that comfortable budget wise.’

‘Sabi still insisting you pay one loan off at a time before you take on another big expense?’

‘Yes, and I’m grateful to her for it. It’s so much less fraught knowing my sister has a grip on the finances. Means I can get on with the gardening and people stuff, without waking up in the middle of the night stressing about bank managers and spreadsheets.’

‘Good job you have me working for free at the weekends then, isn’t it.’

Maddie slipped an arm around Ed’s waist. ‘You can just rest you know; you’ve had a hectic week lawyering. I love that you help here, but I don’t take it for granted. You might want to go walking on Exmoor, or simply put your feet up.’

‘Don’t be silly.’ Ed shook his head. ‘I love it. And it’s a welcome balm after a week in a cut-throat office.’

‘Cut-throat?’ Maddie saw the briefest flash of unease in Ed’s eyes. ‘You’ve never described your new job that way before.’

Ed brushed the comment aside. ‘Maybe cut-throat is a bit much, but the company I work for in Bristol is a very different type of legal business to Ronald’s laid-back old-fashioned solicitors’ office in Exeter. He was very much customer first.’

‘Thank goodness!’...

Thank you, Jenny. That has certainly whetted my appetite to learn more of the story.

Blurb

Don't miss out on the third lovely book in the brand-new series by #1 Kindle bestselling author Jenny Kane.

Welcome back to The Potting Shed! As Maddie and Sabi re-open the doors of their family-run garden centre. Business is booming, and it's time to give back to the community that has kept The Potting Shed afloat, by opening the Forget-Me-Not dementia café.

But, as the doors to the café open, Sabi is offered the chance of a lifetime, that could take her away from The Potting Shed for weeks, café manager Jo's frail, elderly mother is taken ill, and Maddie's partner, Ed, takes a job in a faraway city just when Maddie needs him more than ever. A new member of staff is desperately required – who will join Sara, Jo and Ivan as the busy autumn season fast approaches? 

If you would like to read Misty Mornings at The Potting Shed, it is available from all good retailers, including:

Amazon UK, Amazon US, Kobo, Nook and Waterstones as an eBook or paperback.

You can also preorder the story in audio format: Amazon UK, Amazon US.

 

Bio

From the comfort of her cafe corner in Mid Devon, award-winning author, Jenny Kane, wrote the contemporary women’s fiction and romance novels, Misty Mornings at The Potting Shed, (Aria, 2023), Bluebell Season at The Potting Shed, (Aria 2023,), Frost Falls at The Potting Shed, (Aria, 2022), Winter Fires at Mill Grange, (Aria, 2021), Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange, (Aria 2021), Autumn Leaves at Mill Grange, (Aria, 2020), Midsummer Dreams at Mill Grange (Aria, 2020), A Cornish Escape (2^nd edition, HeadlineAccent, 2020),  A Cornish Wedding (2^nd edition, HeadlineAccent, 2020), Romancing Robin Hood (2^nd edition, Littwitz Press, 2018),  Another Glass of Champagne (HeadlineAccent, 2016), and Another Cup of Coffee (HeadlineAccent, 2013).

Jenny has also written 3 novella-length sequels to her Another Cup of.....books:  Another Cup of Christmas (Accent Press, 2013), Christmas in the Cotswolds (Accent, 2014), and Christmas at the Castle (Accent, 2016).

Jenny is also the author of quirky children’s picture books There’s a Cow in the Flat (Hushpuppy, 2014) and Ben’s Biscuit Tin (Hushpuppy, 2015).

Under the pen name, Jennifer Ash, Jenny has also written The Folville Chronicles (The Outlaw’s Ransom, The Winter Outlaw, Edward’s Outlaw, Outlaw Justice - published by Littwitz Press, 2016-2020), The Power of Three (Spiteful Puppet, 2020) and The Meeting Place (Spiteful Puppet, 2019). She has also created several audio scripts for ITV’s popular 1980’s television show, Robin of Sherwood. (2017 – ongoing)

Jenny Kane is the writer-in-residence for Tiverton Costa in Devon. She co-runs the creative writing business, Imagine. Jenny teaches a wide range of creative writing workshops including her popular ‘Novel in a Year’ course. (www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk)

All of Jennifer Ash’s and Jenny Kane’s news can be found at www.jennykane.co.uk

@JenAshHistory

@JennyKaneAuthor

@Imagine_Writing

Jennifer Ash https://www.facebook.com/jenniferashhistorical/

Jenny Kane https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011235488766

Imagine www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk

As Kay Jaybee (erotica- over 18’s only) you can find her at www.kayjaybee.me.uk

Thank you for reading. Misty Mornings at the Potting Shed is part of a series. What is it that makes writing and reading a series so popular? I'd love it if you could leave a comment. Thanks.

You may also follow me on:

Twitter/ X - @JanBaynham

Facebook - Jan Baynham Writer

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To find out more about me and my writing, please visit MY AMAZON PAGE. 

Guest Post with Georgia Hill 

This week I am very pleased to welcome author, Georgia Hill, to the blog. Her latest novel, New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage, was published on September 19th by Bloodhound Books.

Georgia, welcome. I know that like me, setting plays an important part when writing so I'm looking forward to hearing about where your novels are set. Over to you!

Huge thanks for inviting me onto your blog, Jan. I started out with good intentions but got a bit side-tracked. As you will see if you read on …

I’m a small-town girl. I grew up in the small market town of Stourbridge, once in Worcestershire, now in the West Midlands. I loved that it had a border of countryside around it delineating it from elsewhere. It gave the place a definite identity, I suppose. 

(As I’ve been writing this on a Sunday afternoon with Radio 2 playing in the background, someone raised in Stourbridge and of my generation has just written into Johnny Walker’s Jukebox Slot. The woman was my age, had my voice and requested one of my all-time favourite songs – Home Thoughts From Abroad by Worcestershire singer-songwriter, Clifford T Ward. We definitely shared memories! Owen Owen, the department store, and occasional sightings of rock legend, Robert Plant who went to school in the town. I’ll never forget spotting him, returning as the conquering hero in the 70s, emerging from a pink Cadillac and flinging his long hair back!)

This triggered other memories. My little hometown once proudly boasted a weekly market, three cinemas, Mark and Moody where I spent my pocket money on vinyl, a vibrant high street and lots of excellent pubs. I haven’t been back for ages but suspect things are a little different nowadays! For ten headily exciting years I lived in London. I’ve also lived in Malvern Wells a historic Victorian water cure town and in several tiny villages. Now, once again, I live in a small town. This one, though, has a sea front as its southernmost border. I love books set in small communities, I love to read them and I love to write them. Moving from the city to the country or a tightly-knit community is a recurring theme in my books. Can’t imagine why!

Back in the day, one lesson I taught was about how settlements grow over time. Using squared paper, the children drew in the natural geographical features, a river or hill say, and then added plastic counting cubes (if you’re a teacher or parent you’ll know exactly what I mean). We began with red cubes for a Roman town putting in the bathhouse and barracks, yellow for medieval adding a market hall, blue for Victorian with factories and mills, terraced houses and railways, orange for modern day development with its out-of-town shopping malls and housing estates. You get the picture. I loved building up the imaginary communities. Yes, it was simplistic, but it gave us all a clear idea of how towns have a chronology and, if you look closely, you can still see it. Always a good tip; look up above the modern-day shop fronts!

Of course, once you’ve created your settlement, you then have to name it. I love maps and regional variations of names fascinate me. Dorset is a county rich in fantastic place names. It’s been invaded by most and the place names reflect its rich history. Who could resist Corfe Mullen, Sturminster Marshall or Winterborne Zelston? It’s also a county which loves its double-barrelled place names!

Berecombe, where I’ve based ten novels, is an entirely fictional Devon seaside town and is based on Lyme Regis. Which is in Dorset. But only just! The name came to me after a little research. Combe always says Devon to me (it means a hollow in the hills) there’s the village of Beer, and also a hamlet called Beercrocombe in Somerset. To me, Berecombe sounds absolutely as if it’s a real place in Devon. Readers have often asked me where it is. For a writer a seaside town has a wealth of plot opportunities. They have a high transitory population, often a small closely knitted ‘born and bred’ community and lots of scope for newcomers moving in to stir things ups a bit.

When I had to invent a whole new town for a new series of books, I decided to look further east for inspiration and set the books in west Dorset. Originally the setting was to be a small market town in mid Dorset but when the hero’s story emerged, I realised I needed, once again, to set it by the seaside. Jago, my lovely grief-stricken hero, yearns to volunteer for the RNLI but the aftermath of a family tragedy is holding him back. He’s also an artist who’s lost his mojo. The glossy sands and wide seascapes of Lullbury Bay set it alight again.

Lullbury Bay has a strong resemblance to Lyme but has bits of Beaminster, West Bay and arty Bridport mixed in. It’s bigger than Berecombe which gives me more scope for plots, has a harbour, a vibrant high street with galleries and independent traders, a bookshop with a community café, a florist’s, a grammar school, a soon to be awarded Michelin starred restaurant, an ancient church, public gardens and a bowling green, an art college and an extremely steep hill nicknamed God-Almighty Hill as that’s all you can gasp out once you’ve reached the top. It’s even still has a post office and bank - well, I am writing fiction! There’s a ruined castle too. It features hardly at all in the first two books in the series but it’s there should I need it. It’s just the sort of small town I’d love to live in. And, by writing my books, I sort of do!

I love creating my imaginary worlds. I don’t think I’ve ever really outgrown that geography lesson with the squared paper and counting cubes …

If you’re intrigued by Lullbury Bay and want to spend some time there, New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage was published this September, with the second in the series coming out next February.

Here’s a little about it:

A contemporary Christmassy romance, full of cheesy Christmas music and mince pies, it features my favourite hero!

The little town of Lullbury Bay goes all out for Christmas and teacher Honor Martin loves it. After a bad break up she’s settled into the simple pleasures of seaside life and Christmas is the high point of her year. Glass artist Jago Pengethley, however, doesn’t share her enthusiasm. A new arrival in town, he’s here with his mother and sister to start anew after a devastating family tragedy. He doesn’t want to celebrate Christmas ever again. But, to help his sister replace bad memories with good ones, he accompanies her to all the various wild and wacky festivities Lullbury Bay offers. They keep bumping into Honor and, as Jago gets to know her better, might she be the one to teach him how to love Christmas again?

Thank you, Georgia. I love how you've created your fictional town based on real places and especially how you researched a suitable place name.

About the writer:

Georgia Hill writes warm-hearted and uplifting contemporary and dual narrative romances about love, the power and joy in being an eccentric oldie and finding yourself and your community. There's always a dog. It's usually a naughty spaniel of which, unfortunately, she has had much experience. She lives near the sea with her beloved dogs and her husband (also beloved) and loves the books of Jane Austen, collecting elephants and Strictly Come Dancing. She's also a complete museum geek and finds inspiration for her books in the folklore and history of the many places in which she's lived. She's worked in theatre, for a charity and as a teacher and educational consultant before finally acknowledging that making things up was what she really wanted to do, She's been happily creating heroines, intriguing men and page-turning stories ever since.

You can find more about Georgia here:

Twitter/X @georgiawrites

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/georgiahill

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/georgiahill5681

Website www.georgiahill.co.uk

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/georgiawrites

Buying links for New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage:

geni.us/ChristmasTreeCottage

mybook.to/Lullbury1

Thank you for reading. As a writer, do you use real places as your setting or, like Georgia, do you have a fictional location based on real places? As a reader do you like to recognise places where the book is set? I'd love to read your comments. Thanks.

You may also follow me on:

Twitter/X - @JanBaynham

Facebook - Jan Baynham Writer

Instagram - janbaynham

For more about me and my writing, please visit:

MY AMAZON PAGE

My latest novel is The Secret Sister. 

 Guest Post with Anni Rose

Today I'm delighted to welcome author, Anni Rose, back to the blog. Recipe for Mr Banksy, Anni's fifth novel in her Recipe for Love series, was published on September 19th by Choc Lit Publishing, an imprint of JOFFE BOOKS and I've invited her to tell us more about the story behind her book. 

Over to you, Anni!

Thank you, Jan, for inviting me on to your blog today to talk about Recipe for Mr Banksy. I know that you’re a Welsh cake lady, but I’ve brought Toffee Crisps, they’re Robbie’s favourites, although I’m quite partial to them too. Toffee, marshmallow, and rice crispies - what’s not to like - my grandmother’s recipe. Robbie is an important part of Recipe for Mr Banksy, he was partly inspired by this image in Penge. He’s as fascinated by graffiti as I am, which is why this book has been so much fun for me to write.

So, Recipe for Mr Banksy is beauty therapist meets a graffiti artist, or in the words of my elevator pitch – beauty therapist with apostrophe issues meets disaffected doctor over a stolen can of paint. No, that wasn’t something the publishers used on the blurb! This book felt like a real labour of love. My tribute to graffiti artists all round the world and maybe one in particular! 

One of my favourite graffiti for ages had to be the PEAS on the M25 bridge near Uxbridge/Watford. I can’t remember not seeing PEAS on journeys round the M25, but then one December I was driving up to see some friends in Suffolk for the New Year and it had been amended to read, Give Peas a Chance, which made me smile all the way to Suffolk and every time I saw it afterwards.  

My favourite images are those with humour in them. 

Often, you have to keep your eyes open to spot some works, like this one, a miniature wheat paste, by Pablo Delgado, which when you realise the bricks in the wall behind it are probably what - two to three inches high at the most? You can see why his works are not always easy to spot. 

But if you have difficulty spotting them, then you’re probably going to miss the chewing gum artist completely. Someone who brings his art to discarded chewing gum, usually underfoot.

On the other scale, the lovely Dan Kitchener does very colourful, complete walls, his wetlook images are among my favourites. 

Thankfully, nowadays graffiti is becoming much more accepted with many towns having regular street art festivals, while other towns produce walking tours to celebrate their graffiti, which I think is fabulous.

And of course, there is Banksy. My sister and I spent my birthday weekend driving up and back to Glasgow recently to see his Cut and Run exhibition where he showed a lot of his old stencils. He said about the exhibition, ‘These are the stencils I use to paint graffiti. I’ve kept them hidden away for years mindful they could be used as evidence in a charge of criminal damage. However, that moment seems to have passed, so now I’m exhibiting them in a gallery as works of art. I’m not sure which is the greater crime.’

We posed for a Polaroid photo while we were there next to the picture of the wall at the Bridge Street Primary School. It was well worth the journey; a fabulous exhibition and I hope he’ll go on producing work for years to come. 

Sorry, I’ve gone on a bit, haven’t I, but thank you for having me on your blog today, it’s been really fun.

Not at all, Anni. I'm sure readers will have been as interested as I have been to read about your fascination with graffiti. I shall be looking more closely now when I see examples of this art form on our streets. 

Blurb

Daisy’s love life needs a makeover . . .

Beauty therapist Daisy is having one of those days.

She’s just ended things with her boyfriend. Coming home to a huge ‘Sold’ sign planted in their front lawn and hearing him planning to move them into a caravan is the last straw.

To top it off, her greedy landlord, who also happens to be her ex’s best friend, is threatening to ruin her business.

So it’s no surprise a spelling mistake in the butcher’s window is enough to push her over the edge. And fixing it with a can of spray paint from a passing graffiti artist only makes things worse.

The graffiti artist is actually trainee doctor Jackson. Street art helps him to relax when he’s not at his stressful job.

Jackson doesn’t know what to make of the impulsive Daisy, but he can’t get her out of his head.

As Daisy fights to save her business, fate seems to delight in throwing her and Jackson together.

And boy do they make a good team . . . But can a passionate beauty therapist and a sensible doctor really have a future?

 Anni Rose Biography

 Anni was born and raised in Berkshire, she emigrated to Wiltshire eight years ago, where she now lives with her husband, sister and two dogs.

As a child, she loved writing fiction, producing reams of stories, most thankfully lost over the years.

On leaving school, the need to earn a living sort of got in the way of any creative ambitions and she became an accountant where her only published work apart from regular financial reports was the employees’ handbook.

A local writing course and an encouraging group of writing friends re-ignited the fiction flame many years later and she went on to win or be shortlisted in a number of writing competitions and had short stories published in Writers Forum, My Weekly and Sophie King’s ‘How to Write your Life Story’.

These days she would describe her writing as contemporary romances with a healthy dollop of humour thrown in. She’s a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and was delighted to have been signed by Choc Lit. in 2020.

Away from writing, she can usually be found either walking the dogs, on horseback, behind a camera, or enjoying one of her husband’s curries or sister’s bakery treats.

Social Media

Twitter: @AnniRoseAuthor

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AnniRoseAuthor

Website: https://anniroseauthor.co.uk

Instagram: anniroseauthor

Buying links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Recipe-Mr-Banksy-gorgeously-uplifting-ebook/dp/B0CF62GY4F/

Thank you for reading. Have you spotted an example of street art that's made you stop and smile or think about the meaning behind it?

You may also follow me on:

Twitter: @JanBaynham

Facebook: Jan Baynham Writer

Blog: Jan's Journey into Writing

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For more about me, my latest novel, The Secret Sister, and my other books, please visit my AMAZON page. Thank you. 

 The Secret Sister is Published

My fourth novel was launched into the world last Thursday 31st August and I have been delighted with the early reviews and messages I've received already. I thoroughly enjoyed writing the stories of Sara and Claudia and the fact that readers are enjoying it too means a lot to me. As always, Mr Imposter Syndrome was ever present in the days building up to publication day as I worried about what readers would think!

As with each of my previous novels, I enjoyed giving prospective readers a flavour of the new book by posting 'count-down' excerpts and snippets accompanied with an appropriate photo. These appeared to have gone down well with readers and I like to think they piqued their interest to download the novel. For those of you who may have missed them, I've expanded on a few that attracted the most interest and given the links for the others: 

14 Days to Go 

Carlo Rosso lay back on his bunk, drew on his cigarette and blew out circles of smoke as he exhaled. The noise of fellow prisoners talking echoed in the air, which smelled of damp and mould… ‘So, this is where I’m going to spend the last years of the war.’ Miles away from his mother and from Sicily — the country he loved so much.'

13 Days to Go, 12 Days to Go, 11 Days to Go, 10 Days to Go, 9 Days to Go, 

8 days to Go

'The wedding breakfast was held at the village hall in Dolwen. Nell and Peggy had decorated
the room with the bunting left over from the VE Day parties, and friends had pooled their food coupons together to supply the sandwiches and cakes. Sara smiled when she saw the large, elaborate wedding cake placed on a square table in the corner. No one would guess how small the fruit cake was hidden inside the cardboard cover she and Menna had decorated with plaster and painted to look like a professionally iced wedding cake.’

7 Days to Go,

6 Days to Go - 'Halfway along the street was a busy trattoria with delicious smells of freshly ground coffee wafting in Claudia’s direction. She smiled when she remembered her father turning his nose up at the Camp coffee her mam made him with hot milk. “Real coffee comes from roasted beans, not a bottle with a funny blue label, Sara,” he used to tease her. Spaghetti didn’t come in tins either, according to him.’ 

5 Days to Go, 

4 Days to Go 

‘Claudia took her time on the steep walk back up to the main town, stopping to browse the little shops selling handmade local crafts and jewellery, which lined the cobbled streets. On the steps of some of the shops were colourful ceramic pots containing scarlet geraniums, and the balconies above displayed more pots with showy plants.’

3 Days to Go

‘On the wall were what looked like children’s drawings of aeroplanes sketched in charcoal.

“Different kinds of fighter bombers, even a parachute. Imagine being a child and having to spend your days (in these caves).” Alessandro’s voice was sombre. ‘No fresh air, no playing on the beach, just squashed in here with hundreds of people you did not even know. Poor bambini.”’

2 Days to Go, 1 Day to Go. 

On publication day itself, I celebrated with an Italian meal at a local trattoria with my husband for a celebratory lunch. The meal was superb - an Aperol Spritz aperitivo before Sicilian arancini to start, followed by ravioli, then Sicilian lemon tart. The digestivo had to be a limoncello as Claudia would have tasted for the first time in the novel.

A huge thank you to all who have downloaded and read The Secret Sister already. I'd love to hear what you think about it.

It was very exciting to receive the beautiful paperbacks that have arrived ready for the official launch next week.

You may order the ebook and the paperback HERE.

'This is a beautifully written story where we are taken from the POW camps in Wales to breathtaking Sicily. A family saga that deals with heartache, romance and mystery . A real page turner you won't be disappointed.'

Thank you for reading. You may also follow me on:

Twitter @JanBaynham

Facebook Jan Baynham Writer

Instagram janbaynham

For more about me and all my books, please visit my AMAZON page.

 Guest Post with Sue McDonagh

Today I'm delighted to welcome my very good friend and writing buddy, Sue McDonagh, back to the blog. Sue and I go back a long way and met in a writing group before either of us was published. And here we are now with Sue's fantastic fifth novel, The Sea Sisters Swimming Club, coming out tomorrow two days before my fourth. We are both published by JOFFE BOOKS under their Choc Lit imprint.

Sue, welcome back. I'm very excited about your new book on your behalf. Not only does it look fabulous with another of your own cover designs, but I've had the privilege of reading an ARC and can tell readers they're in for another Sue McDonagh treat. I'm going to let you tell readers about the story behind the novel. Over to you!

Thanks, Jan. They say you should write what you know. When I first started planning this novel, my heroine, Fran was going to be stabbed while on duty. Fate has a way of taking a hand though, and gifted me a six-week research period that changed the book, and my life. In November 2021, I woke in the middle of the night with a heavy, weighted feeling in my chest. Indigestion, I decided. I’d had a busy day, eaten badly and rushed what I had eaten in front of a Zoom meeting. Totally my own fault. I propped myself up on pillows and dozed off eventually. 

The next morning, I jumped into a minibus with half a dozen swimming mates, to head off to
near Aberystwyth to film a Visit Wales advert, in the sea. I felt ropey all day, rubbing my chest constantly. Looking back, I don’t quite know how I forced myself to walk around the shops, have a meal with everyone, walk back to our guest house – very, very slowly – and then get up for a long day's filming in the North Sea, in my swimsuit.

When I got home, pain engulfed me after a cuppa and a slice of toast. Still not alerted by an erratic heart-rate that went from 45 to 145, I didn’t even go to hospital until the following day, after a retired nurse friend forced the issue. So convinced was I by my self-diagnosed indigestion, I didn’t even take a phone charger, let alone pack a bag. I didn’t see my own bed for six weeks.

When the lovely cardiac consultant asked me what I’d been doing during my not one, but two heart attacks, which had damaged my heart and would need extensive open heart surgery, I watched his eyes roll ever so slightly as I told him I’d been swimming. In the sea. For six and a half hours. In my bathers.

‘It’s a good thing you’re fit,’ he said, at last. ‘You’ll be here for at least a fortnight. Get someone to bring a bag in for you.’

‘So – definitely not indigestion, then?’ I remember asking, weakly. I don’t think he bothered to reply.

It was a scary prospect. Two of my heart valves had simply blown apart. I’d had no warning beforehand, no genetic heart issues, although I’d had advanced ovarian cancer in my twenties. The staff in my cardiac ward were absolutely lovely. I was fitted with a heart monitor, the size of half a brick, and I had nowhere to put it.

‘Stick it down your pants,’ one of the other patients told me. Brilliant idea. Until I went to the loo and forgot all about it. I saved it just as it almost disappeared down the pan. The staff rushed to shout at me through the bathroom door as I’d pulled all the leads off myself and sent the monitor at the nurse's station haywire.

They were out in force a few days later when, determined to have a shower, I collapsed, unconscious in the bathroom with a massive gastric bleed that I knew nothing about. I came round with my bed space rammed full of staff, and the doctor folding away those paddles that bring you back to life. I have no idea whether they actually used them.

I looked round at them all, and said, ‘Sorry everyone. But at least I smell nice.’ Ever the entertainer… 🙈 My nurse friend told me they’d rather have me smelly than dead 🤣

After four weeks, seven units of blood and veins that collapsed after a scant hour or two, I think they were pleased to see me off the premises to the hospital where I’d finally be having surgery. I like to think that I brightened their days, occasionally. Especially the evening they changed the battery in the heart monitor and water poured out of it.

‘Have you had another shower?’

‘Me? No,’ I lied, unconvincingly, while my fellow patients outed me loudly. What can I say? I hate being grubby! Perhaps this is why I swim…

I gave Fran, my heroine, all my hospital experiences - although I don’t mention them in any detail. It made sorting out my often chaotic timelines easier, as I simply used my own calendar.

The Sea Sisters Swimming Club became a sort of therapy for me – writing took me away from the house when I didn’t feel well enough to walk much, and allowed me to think through issues like the terrible, livid scar that ran so obviously from neck to navel. I have many scars, from my cancer, and two hip replacements, but nobody sees those. This one is clearly visible in every top I own – and it’s a reminder of what happened every time I look in the mirror. Now, eighteen months later, it’s barely noticeable, even in a swimsuit, and I see it as a survivor's mark. A blessing, and a tribute to the skill of my cardiac team. I dedicated the book to them. Thank you again.

The Sea Sisters Swimming Club is a comedy, which might seem strange for such a terrifying experience, but hopefully, you already see the opportunities for humour that arose during my stay in hospital. I laughed so much as I wrote it, and I hope you enjoy it too.

Available to Pre-Order in digital and paperback, it’s released on 29^th August, 2023. I can’t wait to see it out there!

A huge thank you to Jan for hosting me on her blog 😘

It's a pleasure, Sue. I remember the message you sent cancelling our meet-up for coffee, cake and writing chat. 'I've had a heart attack... well, two actually!' To see your amazing recovery and to know this new novel is a result of your writing 'therapy' has been wonderful. I wish you good luck with The Sea Sisters Swimming Club. I'm sure its sales will soar!

Buying links: https://amzn.eu/d/b41VFgS

Social Media links:

Facebook author page https://www.facebook.com/SueMcDonaghWriter/

Twitter https://twitter.com/SueMcDonaghLit

Threads https://www.threads.net/@mcdonagh.sue

BLURB

Fifty-year-old police officer Fran Doherty thought she had a good few years left in her. But if a heart attack while dancing the night away at a disco in a sequin dress isn't a sign to slow down, then she doesn't know what is . . . 

Fran's waved good-bye to the force and hello to her pension. but who is she without her job? She decides to get away from it all in Llanbryn, an idyllic seaside village in Wales. it beats feeling sorry for herself and watching Homes Under the Hammer all day.

Fran's soon taken under the wing of the Sea Sisters, a group of inspirational women of all ages and sizes who swim in the ocean. They challenge her to move on from the past and face her life-long fear of the sea.

And the strapping Wyn watches her eye. He appears to be the local troublemaker, but perhaps Fran's got the wrong end of the stick . . .

The closer she gets to Wyn, the more she's unable to deny the feelings he brings out in her. And Llanbryn feels more like home with every passing day.

Fran feels more alive than she has in years, but Wyn has his own emotional scars. maybe they can help each other?

Thank you for reading. If you are writer, has writing ever acted as therapy for you? I'd love it if you shared your experience in the comments below. Thanks.

You may follow me on :

Twitter @JanBaynham

Facebook Jan Baynham Writer Page

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You will find more about me and my novels on my AMAZON page.

STOP PRESS:

THE SECRET SISTER is available to pre-order for 99p. on Amazon and is currently available on NetGalley.

Publication day Thursday 31st August.

Please CLICK HERE.

 RNA Conference 2023

It's now a week since I returned from the RNA Conference 2023. It was the first I'd been to since the conference in Lancaster in 2019 and the first one I'd been to in London. And what a success it was! 

Five members of the Cariad Chapter left Cardiff Central Station early on Friday 11th August, only to find that the lovely Christina who writes as Ella Matthews had been sitting a few seats behind us, having got on the train in Swansea. In what seemed like no time we were all leaving Paddington by Tube and making our way to Imperial College in South Kensington where the Conference was going to be held. After dropping off our luggage (a largish case on my part!), we made our way to the Sir Alexander Fleming Building. From then on, it was all systems go with so much packed into the two days. 

I think what most people get from the Conference may be divided into three parts:

- the learning and finding out more about the craft and business of writing

- the opportunity to submit to industry professionals and have an appraisal of your writing. When things go really well, you may be invited to send your whole manuscript to the publisher or agent thereby avoiding being in the proverbial slush pile.

- the socialising and reacquainting with other writers you've met at previous conferences or are familiar with online, and making new friends

The Conference was organised differently this year There had been a wealth of information beforehand so that as delegates we were well prepared for what to expect. Although you could choose any, to help us decide, the talks and workshops were divided into three streams. Stream 1 was designed to be most suitable for newbies and aspiring writers; Stream 2 was most suitable for those authors who are more experienced/on the publishing ladder and looking to improve themselves; Stream 3 choices were most suitable for 'old dogs wanting to learn new tricks'. The sessions were led by experienced published authors or industry professionals. I attended two excellent practical workshops, Scrivener for Beginners by Vicki Beeby and Introduction to Canva by Jeevani Charika, and although I'm not a techie, I'm so glad I did. I just need to keep practising now. Create a Connection: Newsletters by Katie Sadler was just what I needed, as next on my marketing list is to build a newsletter.

Out of the other seven sessions I attended, Writing Dual Timelines, a talk by Kath McGurl, will prove to be most useful for me, I think. It was informative as well as giving tips and advice about how to link and weave two stories together and the order in which you write both stories. The final talk I attended before the close on Sunday was Brainstorming Your Book, by Fiona Lucas. I'd heard her speak before and she was as inspiring as ever.

The social side of the Conference was more inclusive this year. The organisers had ensured that anyone who was attending for the first time or who didn't know anybody didn't feel isolated or left out. It was so good to catch up with other writers and chat with authors I had not met before.  After dinner on the Friday night, a Hopeless Romantics Quiz was organised. It was very enjoyable but it proved that I knew very little! The social highlight of the weekend was The Gala Party. Whereas in the past it was a formal dinner, at this Conference it took the form of a barbecue followed by a disco. The excellent DJ made sure the dance floor was never empty. And we danced until we dropped! 

Sally

Before the music started, there were presentations for The Elizabeth Goudge Trophy for the best opening chapter of a novel with the theme of 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'. We were delighted that the winner was our lovely fellow Joffe/Choc Lit author, Sally Jenkins. The Joan Hessayon Award, given to the best debut novelist whose manuscript had gone through the RNA's New Writers' Scheme, was won by another Joffe writer, Katy Turner. Huge congratulations, Katy. A clean sweep for Joffe on the night! Our RNA Cariad Chapter member, Angela Sims, was also a contender.

Cariad Members with Angela

Joffe/Choc Lit Authors outside Hotel 190

It was good to meet two editors from my new publisher, Joffe Books, in person. With my fourth novel imminent, I'd had a considerable amount of dealings with Emma and Jasmine online, email and Zoom, but nothing beats spending time with them face to face during Saturday. They invited those of us who are now Joffe/Choic Lit authors to join them at the smart Hotel 190 for pre-Conference drinks.

I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, learned loads and met lots of lovely writers. I can't wait to go again next year!

Thank you for reading. You may follow me on:

Twitter @JanBaynham

Facebook: Jan Baynham Writer

Instagram: janbaynham

You will find more about me on my AMAZON page.

STOP PRESS: 

THE SECRET SISTER is available to pre-order for 99p. on Amazon and is currently on NetGalley. 

Publication day Thursday 31st August

Please CLICK HERE