Kudos for the Hengist series

Glass of red, anyone?

So what do you do after suffering the emotional wringer of a weekend promo? Yep, the title's a huge clue - or is it just the glass that's huge?

And the universe was on my side, with the sun beating down, enticing me to step away from the sizzling keyboard.

Trouble is, you can only twirl the glass, drink in the beauty of an English country garden and listen to birdsong for so long ...

Then it's business as normal. Out comes the ipod (3 day's worth of mostly rock with a touch of folksy Pirates and the occasional Buble) and my microsoft pencil. Yep, this summer I've reverted back to writing longhand because at least then I'm getting some sun and fresh air. Funnily enough, the tan is coming on nicely - the sun is still hot enough when I finish work at 4pm to burn, as confirmed by a fifty-pence-sized spot by my left armpit where the sun-screen missed.

Only trouble is, between 10th May and 12th June, I scribbled 60 pages - at around 550 words per page, this meant about 33k words. I took a long weekend in Wales and managed to type up around 20k of them, but since then I've written another 18k - it's one of those Forth Bridge scenarios.

So I'm not exactly asking it to rain, but while it's sunny I cannot resist the pull of the fresh air. And when this is the view above your notebook, who can blame me?

Anyone know of a reliable voice-to-text app?

Seriously? In THREE countries?

There were definitely feathers involved before my head hit the ground.
All day long, working to seal a garage ceiling against the insidious petrol fumes invading me Da's bathroom, I was away from my laptop. Then when I got home, t'internet is on a go-slow.
But when I checked through the websites, it seems the world and his wife have been downloading for England. And America, Canada, Gemany, Australia, France, India and even the Netherlands.
And here's the result. How Fantastic is that? You could knock me down with a feather!

Download Fox Among Wolves for FREE 26th/27th-June 2015

For 48 hours starting at midnight (Like, NOW), you can download Fox Among Wolves for FREE in the US  (that's around 8am on Friday in the UK) 

Yep, that's right, for this entertaining bestselling story, you pay nothing, nada, nil, nichts, naught, rien, zip, zilch. In any country in the world.

A blackmail plot unearths her cousin's dark secret

and a brutal ex-soldier wants something she is not prepared to give.

Ginny is the proverbial rose between two thorns,

dark and brooding vs friendly charm, which one is the traitor?

With a man-mountain unconscious on her sofa,

a suspicious doctor, and a cowboy riding shotgun, who can she trust?

There was no doubt about Ginny's worst fear ...

alone with six men who'd just ogled her naked body, it was a no brainer.

Slater at Rock-bottom price

Blimey, I couldn't compete with this headline for pure corn, so I've left it in there.
The deal is, for today and tomorrow, Jacky Gray's Stonehenge adventure is FREE to download in UK, US and lots of other places too - apparently it's being downloaded in Germany and Japan!
This press release tells you more about the story:

Interesting about all that Summer Solstice stuff - and good timing - gives you a week to read it before you plan your own little ritual to the longest day of the year. I like the idea of jumping over a bonfire ...

Fox gets Physical

Yep, around 22nd May, the first paperback version of Fox among Wolves became available. A fully-fledged, real-live, you-can-actually-hold-it-in-your-hand, book. So there's Fox, all ready to go, and what did I do about it? Precisely nothing, that's what.

No Fanfare. No Bunting. No Worldwide Press Release.

Not so much as a tweet (well, you all know I don't tweet).

Thankfully, one of the lovely wWw Ladies put a fb post about it, so it didn't pass by completely unnoticed.
No excuse really, just a general malaise. Being holed up in a different country writing several chapters of the sequel Big Bad Wolf kinda had something to do with it. Who knew how shocking some of these characters could be? I'm having so much fun as they are all starting to show their true colours. Who knew that...

NO SPOILERS HERE, RO!!!

Ooops. You're just gonna have to wait. Hopefully during my next holiday (this time in a hot, sunny country) in September, I'll be able to finish it so we might even get the kindle copy in time for Christmas. That would be awesome.

Tee Hee.

Rockin' the Bestsellers Charts

Every Picture tells a story. I'm hoping these will give you the full story.

May 2015 - Rockin' like a ... newsletter.

Phew. What a busy month May turned out to be. Hot on the heels of the "welcome" newsletter, I released the first "official" one, with a diary showing planned releases for the World Wise Writers (and friends).
Here is a sneak preview, you can read the full thing and if you are interested, you can subscribe.
My favourite is the picture of all the awesome wWw books.

Click here for links to buy books in UK/US

Pandora hits the bestsellers lists

For those of you who think you know about Pandora, I suggest you read this and see if you still think so. Miss Domanski's take on this ancient tale feels so right, I feel as though I were there. Check it out - (here's the UK link) and if you like it, let her know with a comment. Here's the back of book blurb. So cool.

"An ancient box. An age-old evil. An inescapable fate. 

Mirissa Colson thought she’d already fulfilled her destiny to save the world when she defeated the demi-god, Daedric. But when strange atmospheric conditions cause the ancient key she wears around her neck to go molten, she finds there’s a lot more work to be done. Pandora’s Box has been opened, and it contains far more than just illness and strife. It’s been the five-thousand-year prison for Eris, a goddess determined to eradicate humankind. 

Aided by the Omega Group—a secret preternatural agency formed to keep the world safe from supernatural threats—Mirissa faces her most formidable foe yet. She might be the most powerful Amazon to ever walk the earth, but taking on the Greek gods themselves could prove beyond even her capabilities. 

Mankind is counting on her to win, but either way, Mirissa loses."

And here's the bestseller listing - you gotta include this bit of kudos - it's all good.

Rockin' like a ... newsletter

Yay, it finally happened. I've been promising to do this for months, ever since the awesome Andrea Domanski put out hers back in March.

Now it's all tried and tested, I'm hoping to publish every month with a list of all the fabulous hot new releases, deals and promotions from the lovely World Wise Writers and a couple of other authors I've been following.

Click on the link to subscribe to this FREE newsletter.

A Beltane Bestseller

The Archer Book Trailer - watch it on Youtube

Jacky Gray's book Archer, the first book in the Hengist series, is set on Beltane (May 1st). So what better day to re-release it?
The universe seemed to agree as it hit the top spot in 2 bestsellers lists the next day.
For the coupla weeks, it's on offer, in the UK for 99p, in the US for $0.99
.

Cool covers from Rebecca Sterling

My Soul Gently Weeps

Hannah Sullivan has just published this incredibly moving story of her experience of the kind of thing no parent should ever have to go through - the death of a child. But no part of this story is depressing or mawkish - this is one of the most uplifting tales of courage I have ever read.
I strongly recommend you hop over to Amazon now and get your copy - at a mere $3.49 in the US and £2.33 in the UK, this is well worth every penny.

Here's the blurb:
Suppose you have a teacher who knows the secret of life. A teacher who can show you what it takes to live to the fullest, to love until your heart bleeds out—to have it all, and then to let it all go. Now, suppose your teacher is only five weeks old.

When the Sullivans are told their unborn child has a congenital heart defect, they have no idea where the news will lead them. Their dreams of bedtime cuddles and soft baby coos give way to the incessant beeping of hospital machinery and the sharp smell of antiseptic. With two young children in tow, the uprooted family takes an unexpected journey discovering the truth of love, sorrow, and ultimately, the gift of life.

This true story—comprised of journal entries, letters, and emails—is the legacy of one small boy’s lifetime. Just one thing. You may need to have a tissue (or twenty) handy.

And just in case you're still not convinced, this book is selling like hotcakes:

Which one gets your vote?

Ok, so I've been mucking around with some Book Trailers. Which one gets your vote?
Please leave a comment to say which one you like best (and why).

Yay! Wolf in Sheep's Clothing hit the UK Bestsellers

Looks Pretty good, huh? 23's an awesome number to be going in at.

• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #14,454 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
• #23 in Kindle Store > Books > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Fantasy
• #54 in Kindle Store > Books > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Action & Adventure

These Press Release Headlines just get cornier ...

You can read the full article here, but this piccie gives you the gist of it. And every word true. How exciting is this?

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing - is live

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
- cover by Rebecca Sterling

Hostage #2:Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

This thought-provoking story is available on Amazon UK for 99p and Amazon US for 99cents from April 1st-13th
Here's the tag line:
A fragile mum clashes with an irreverent man-mountain under hazardous circumstances in this edgy romance.

When you've read it, I'd really appreciate a comment. Ta J


This book doesn't pull any punches, dealing with some hard-hitting issues like incest, rape and eating disorders. Not the nicest topics to research, nor to write about. What I'm hoping is that if you have had any experience with these issues and think I have not been accurate or fair, you will let me know, in the first instance, by leaving a comment here.

Hostage #2 - the teaser

So, after 10 days of little hints, here's the full thing. Not long now.

... unlikely heroes are revealed, but will they prevail?

When Reg's factory is held hostage to terrorists

... to turn geeky Wyn into a Welsh Jack Reacher

It takes being kidnapped at gunpoint

... this undercover mission looks doomed to fail