Blog Tour ~ Street Cat Blues by Alison O'Leary

Jaffareadstoo is honoured to be starting off the Street Cat Blues Blog Tour

Crooked Cat Books
2018

My thanks to the author, publisher and Random Things Tours for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of this blog tour

What's it all about ...

A quiet life for Aubrey? After spending several months banged up in Sunny Banks rescue centre, Aubrey, a large tabby cat, has finally found his forever home with Molly and Jeremy Goodman, and life is looking good. However, all that changes when a serial killer begins to target elderly victims in the neighbourhood. Aubrey wasn’t particularly upset by the death of some of the previous victims, including Miss Jenkins whom Aubrey recalls as a vinegar-lipped bitch of an old woman who enjoyed throwing stones at cats, but Mr Telling was different. Mr Telling was a mate…

Here's what I thought about it...

I often wonder what my two orange cats see and do when they go out for the night. That they patrol the area, with whiskers twitching and paws gently tumbling along footpaths and driveways, is all part of the secret world of cats.

In Street Cat Blues we meet Aubrey, a slightly overweight rescue cat, who hopes that he has found a permanent home with his new owners, Molly and Jeremy, but as every street cat knows, it’s always wise to have a backup plan and Mr Telling was Aubrey’s back up plan, that is until something dreadful happened to this kindly, old gentleman.

I knew I was going to like Aubrey from the very first paragraph when he slipped beneath a parked car and covered in grease and dust he waited and observed the comings and goings at Mr Telling's house across the street. 

The author writes well, and keeps the momentum of the mystery alive in several threads which don’t all involve cats and feline participation and yet, it is with Aubrey and his pals where the real heart of the story lies. She has created in Aubrey such a force of nature that you can’t help but become involved as he, and his associate cats, particularly, the hapless Moses, who I loved second only to Aubrey, start to delve a little deeper into the ensuing mystery. That Aubrey is as clever as he is wise comes across in this charming cosy crime debut.

I really enjoyed solving this murder/mystery alongside Aubrey and his pals, their feline point of view is a refreshing change in a world of gritty crime and I’m sure given the right set of circumstances, Aubrey and his adventures could become a great book series.

About the Author

Alison was born in London and spent her teenaged years in Hertfordshire. She has also lived in Somerset and Gloucestershire. After studying Law she decided to teach rather than go into practice and for many years taught Criminal Law to adults and young people. Since moving to the south coast, Alison has been involved in qualification and assessment development for major awarding bodies. When not writing, she enjoys crosswords, walking by the sea and playing Scrabble on her iPad – which she always sets to beginner level because, hey, why take chances? Alison lives with her husband John and cat Archie.

Twitter @alisonoleary81 #StreetCatBlues

@crookedcatbooks

#RandomThingsTours

Hist Fic Saturday ~ The Road to Newgate by Kate Braithwaite

On Hist Fic Saturday

Let's go back to ... England, 1678

Crooked Cat Books
16 July 2018

Huge thanks to the author and publishers  for my copy of this book

What price justice?

London 1678.

Historical fiction has the ability to take you to a place long ago, back to a time that isn't your own, with customs, traditions and legends which have been set down in history books. Mostly, I know a little about the time and place I find myself in, but not always, and so in The Road to Newgate, it's been a real treat to spend time with a story I didn't know too much about, that of the infamous preacher, Titus Oates.

The Road to Newgate is a vivid description of this unsettled time and is told through the eyes of  three fictional characters who were caught up in the events as they happened. Nathaniel Thompson, writer and Licenser of the Presses, his wife Anne, and their friend, William Smith, all help to bring the story to life in a realistic way and intertwining real historical figures with that of fictional characters also gives an authentic edge to what was happening.  

The story covers the tumultuous events which began in 1678 during the reign of Charles II and although England has had some stability during his 18 year reign, there is always intrigue and insurrection just waiting to happen. Religious discord, particularly from those who would have England return to Catholicism, is a constant threat, and so when the preacher, Titus Oates incites panic with news of a new Popish threat which threatens to kill the King, the meeting houses and coffee shops on the streets of London are decidedly twitchy.The city comes gloriously alive, so that you can hear the angry shouts, feel the danger and despair, and, as you traipse through seventeenth century London, the scented rag you hold your nose does little to disguise the dirt and squalor of this teeming city.

The author does this type of historical fiction so well, cleverly blending fact with fiction, danger with intrigue and all the necessary emotion along the way. The mystery at the heart of the novel is handled well and I whilst it sounds strange to have enjoyed time in the hell hole that was Newgate Prison. The author's vivid descriptions of the place makes you feel that you have actually been incarcerated within its walls, on execution day, with the dubious aroma of boiling flesh filling your nostrils.

The Road to Newgate is an atmospheric insight into a turbulent and dangerous time. The author has done a commendable job in bringing place, people and historical detail to glorious life.

About the Author

About the Author

Kate Braithwaite grew up in Edinburgh but now lives with her family in Pennsylvania. The Road To Newgate is her second novel. 

Website

Twitter @ KMBraithaite 

Facebook

The Road to Newgate is available to buy from Amazon UK  and other good book stores.

The Author in my spotlight is ...Helen Irene Young

I am delighted to introduce today's Author in the Spotlight 

Helen Irene Young 

Author of 

Crooked Cat
25 April 2017

Hi Helen and welcome to Jaffareadstoo....Where did you get the first flash of inspiration for The May Queen?

A photograph of my grandmother aged about ten at Fairford carnival. On the back someone has written Irene as spring, carnival 1935. First prize awarded by David Niven. In the image she is squinting at the sun behind the photographer, she looks shy, but her smile is warm and inviting. I think that’s what made her win. She had a quiet strength. It’s something I knew I had to write about. It’s something I knew May would have had too.

Without giving too much away – what can you tell us about the story?

It’s a coming-of-age tale of one girls search for love and belonging. As a young girl May lives in Ma’s shadow, bearing the brunt of her fierce temper but always at her side. Things change when war comes. May makes a new life for herself in London and although branching out by herself, she is still Ma’s girl. It is only later, when she returns to the past and her small town, that she is able to re-evaluate her place in it as someone new.   

The May Queen is your debut novel, have there been any challenges in getting the book to publication and if so, how did you overcome them?

Many! But that’s the fun isn’t it? The biggest challenge was finding the inner strength to continue. I had agents ask to see the full manuscript but then tell me it wasn’t for them. I had Indies ask too, only to say the same. My good friend Karen Hamilton (whose book is publishing next year with new imprint Wildfire) told me to write down any positive comments I received, because it’s so easy to focus on the negative and forget the good. That was sound advice. I have always been quite headstrong though and I think it worked to my advantage when dealing with rejection. I knew I’d never give up.

Whilst you are writing you must live with your characters. How did you feel about them when the book was finished? Did they turn out as expected?

They worked out better than I expected, for me at least. I adored May and her friends. Ma was the most difficult to write because she had aspects of my own mother and grandmother who both died some years back. It was hard going back to that. It made it very personal. I was happy to close the book on May though in the end. I left her in a good place. It was like saying goodbye to an old friend who’s gone to live in a faraway land – bittersweet but beautiful

Which character in the story did you identify with the most?

May, of course. She was me, but wasn’t. She made me laugh and cry. Seriously, she did actually make me cry. I remember in one scene towards the end I started crying as I was writing. I think it was relief more than anything that I was taking her on the absolutely correct journey. I really went there.

Are you a plotter...or ...a start writing and see where it takes you, sort of writer? 

Plot is all. It doesn’t have to be locked in because things will change as you move through the narrative, but for me, you absolutely must have an idea of where you’re heading. On the Faber Academy course, Richard Skinner said that a narrative is like a river, sometimes it flows fast and others not, but beneath the surface there are always obstacles (rocks, unseen curves) that determine its pace. That’s something I think of often when I’m plotting. You have a responsibility to keep the river moving; otherwise you’ll end up in stagnant water.

Do you write the type of books you like to read and which authors have influenced you?

Always. You are only as good a writer as the books you have read and then, only on a fine day with a fair wind behind you. I swear by regular doses of Anton Chekov, Thomas Mann, Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Hardy, Virginia Woolf, Henry Green, Elizabeth Taylor and Irène Némirovsky. They’re masters of the everyday and on the whole, share an ability to turn a phrase with the lightest of touches.

What’s next ?

Where rather! Bogotá, Colombia, 1948 and a broken architect trying to build something new. My narrative centres on an event (El Bogotazo) that changed the country forever and is told through the eyes of British architect, Luke Vosey. I’ve had the absolute best time writing this novel and getting to know my second home (I have family there). I only hope others will enjoy it too.

About the Author

Helen Irene Young is the author of The May Queen (published by Crooked Cat) and a digital editor. She attended the Faber Novel Writing course and splits her time between London, Wiltshire and Colombia, when she can get there. The May Queen is her first novel.

Visit Helen's website by clicking here

Follow on Twitter @helenireneyoung

Huge thanks to Helen for sharing her thoughts about her novel, The May Queen with us today. It's been a real pleasure to have your company today.

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What did I think about it ..

The consequences of family secrets, and of those events which are sometimes best left buried, is the focus for this family drama which uses as its focal point the troubled years of the Second World War.

When the book opens, in the summer of 1935, we are introduced to May, and her family. Her father works as a gardener at the local manor house, May’s mother is a rather brusque sort of figure and Sophie, May’s older sister has brought disgrace upon the family. May is a young adolescent, just on the cusp of young womanhood and her burgeoning relationship with Christopher, the young son of the manor owner, forms the basis for much of the early part of the novel.

The author has written a considerate and thoughtful coming-of-age story which follows May through the formative events which shape her life during the years of the war, and which will see May grow into maturity and understanding. The story is divided into three distinct sections and the author has done a good job in making each section easy to follow and enjoy.

The author writes well, I enjoyed her turn of phrase and the way she allowed the story to develop at its own pace. Nicely presented with an interesting cover, this is a debut novel by an author who I am sure will go on to develop her writing skills in each successive story.

Best Read With...A glass of home made lemonade and a slice , or two, of cake...

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Review ~ Remarkable Things by Deirdre Palmer

Crooked Cat Publishing
5 May 2015

When Gus Albourne inherits a pretty village property from his Aunt Augusta, he interested to know why he is the sole beneficiary and as he searches for answers, he finds that unspoken secrets about his own life start to emerge.

Millie Hope is desperate to find her missing daughter, Karen, and when a family tragedy disturbs the equilibrium; her search for Karen becomes even more urgent. In a roundabout sort of way, Gus and Millie’s lives start to come together and even though they share confidences, their growing attraction is hampered by the secrets they are both adept at keeping rather too well hidden.

What then follows is an interesting and well written look at the vagaries of modern life and of all too often we become hampered by the secrets of the past. The story drew me in from the beginning and I found that I had immense sympathy for both Gus and Millie. They are both likeable protagonists and as their stories starts to unravel, you can’t help but become emotionally attached to both of them, and hope that things work out for them.

There is no doubt that the author has a keen eye for detail. Her writing is confident and assured and will I am sure, appeal to those who enjoy well written contemporary fiction. It’s a perfect book to curl up with, preferably on a sunny afternoon in the garden, but equally as enthralling on cosy evening by the fire.

I really enjoyed Remarkable Things and look forward to more books by this talented author.

Available now for pre-order on Amazon and to be published on the 5 May 2015

 by 

Crooked Cat Publishing.

Follow the author of twitter DLPalmer_Writer

About the Author

My thanks to to Deirdre for sharing her book with Jaffareadstoo in advance of its publication

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