Blog Tour ~ The A-Z of Everything by Debbie Johnson

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to host today's stop on The A-Z of Everything Blog Tour 

Harper Collins
2017

What's it all about..

P is for Paris where it all began. J is for Jealousy where it all came undone. But the most important letter is F. F is for Forgiveness, the hardest of all.

Sisters Poppy and Rose used to be as close as two sisters could be, but it’s been over a decade since they last spoke. Until they both receive a call that tells them their mother has gone – without ever having the chance to see her daughters reunited.

Andrea, though, wasn’t the kind of woman to let a little thing like death stand in the way of her plans. Knowing her daughters better than they know themselves, she has left behind one very special last gift – the A-Z of Everything

My thoughts about it...

When their mother dies, Poppy and Rose need to come together, not just to grieve the loss of the mother they both adored, but also to set aside differences which have seen the sisters estranged for the last ten or so years. Andrea has loved her daughters to the exclusion of everything else and this love is not lessened by her death, so in order to bring the sisters closer, Andrea, cleverly and rather poignantly, in the days before her death and with the help of her friend, Lewis, devised an A- Z of thought provoking tasks, which must be completed by Poppy and Rose in the days after the funeral,with, one hopes, enlightening consequences.

Losing a parent is never easy and the author's sensitive portrayal of all the different emotions expressed during such a sad time is done in a really thought provoking way. Each sister copes in their own inimitable style but it is when the two women finally come together where the story really starts to come alive.

I really enjoyed travelling through the alphabet with Poppy and Rose. The trials and tribulations they meet along the way really help to make this story such  a joy to read. I enjoyed The A-Z  of Everything written as it is with this author's remarkable skill for always getting right into the very heart of what makes people tick. There's a genuine warmth to the story but also a realistic warning that we must never take life for granted and in the overall scheme of things it's always better to settle differences rather than let them fester and niggle away for too many years.

The A-Z of Everything is Debbie Johnson writing at her absolute best and it's definitely one of my favourite stories this year.

About the Author

Debbie Johnson is a best-selling author who lives and works in Liverpool, where she divides her time between writing, caring for a small tribe of children and animals, and not doing the housework.

She worked as a journalist for many years, until she decided it would be more fun to make up her own stories than to tell other people’s. After trying her hand at pretty much every genre of writing other than Westerns and spy dramas, she has settled on women’s fiction that seems to make people laugh and make people cry, often at the same time.

Her books include The Birthday That Changed Everything, Pippa’s Cornish Dream, and Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe, all published by HarperCollins. She also ghost-wrote model and presenter Abbey Clancy’s debut novel, Remember My Name.

Follow her on twitter @debbiemjohnson, or at www.facebook.com/debbiejohnsonauthor – but be warned, she mainly talks about dogs.

Blog Tour runs until the 7th July so do visit the other stops for more content

My thanks to the author and also to Felicity at Harper Collins for the invitation to be part of this blog tour and for my review copy of The A-Z of Everything.

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Close to Home...Debbie Johnson

As a book reviewer I have made contact with authors from all across the globe and feel immensely privileged to be able to share some amazing work. However, there is always something rather special when a book comes to my attention which has been written by an author in my part of the North of England. So with this in mind I have great pleasure in featuring some of those authors who are literally close to my home. Over the next few Saturdays, and hopefully beyond, I will be sharing the work of a very talented bunch of Northern authors and discovering just what being a Northerner means to them both in terms of inspiration and also in their writing.

Today I welcome North West Writer


Debbie Johnson

Hi Debbie, welcome back to Jaffareadstoo - Tell us a little about yourself and what got you started as an author?

I’m 47 and a half, married with three kids aged between 9 and 19, and the proud dog mum to a pair of elderly and flatulent pooches – one black lab and one Golden Retriever. I’m originally from the Midlands (Stoke on Trent to be precise) but have lived in Liverpool for the last 25 years, which is terrifying now I put it into words! I moved here after university with my then-boyfriend, and ended up getting a job at the local newspaper, the Liverpool Echo. In what feels like about five minutes, I’d laid down roots – kids, work, schools, friends, extended family.

I took redundancy from my job in 2005 after the birth of my second child, and went freelance, doing journalism, PR and copywriting. Like most journalists, I’d always wanted to write a book – and the year I was 40 I finally got around to it! I entered a contest called the Harry Bowling Prize for New Writing, and amazingly won it. I’d like to say the rest is history, but it’s taken years to get where I am now – which isn’t even that far! There were a lot of rejections, a lot of failures, and a lot of frustrations. It’s not a career for the faint-hearted. Obviously, it’s not like working down a pit or anything – but you have to be resilient, I’d say.

I’m now published with HarperCollins, and write what I suppose I’d describe as warm-hearted fiction – there might not always be romance, but there will always be humour, and soul, and sometimes tears. Usually a dog as well!

Your books are written in North West England, but not always set in the North West – how have the people and its landscape shaped your stories?

My earliest books were set in Liverpool. There was a supernatural crime thriller called Fear No Evil which was published digitally by an imprint of Avon – it’s still out there! It’s not set the world alight sales-wise but has great reviews, and I have to say it’s still one of my all-time favourite pieces of work. The central character is a Liverpool-based private detective, and she’s awesome – smart, funny, kind, tough. A lot of the charm of the book, for me, is the way it reflects Liverpool in all its glory – the good, the bad and the ugly.

I also wrote two urban fantasy books set here – Dark Vision and Dark Touch – which were published by Ebury. That was a gift: which better modern UK city to use as a setting for vampires, magicians, and ancient Celtic Gods? I really enjoyed playing with the location, tapping into the Irish heritage here, and also making the Liver Birds come to life and fly away!

 

Liverpool is a fascinating place – an endless source of amusement, inspiration and yes, sometimes despair. I would love to write more books set here – though I often sneak it in. For example, in The Birthday That Changed Everything, the lead character is originally from Liverpool, and in my upcoming book The A-Z of Everything (there’s clearly an Everything link – I’ll call the next one Everything you Ever Wanted to Know About Everything!), one of the leads went to university here and ended up staying, so quite a few of the scenes are Liverpool-based.

As a writer based in the North West, does this present any problems in terms of marketing and promoting your books and if so, how do you overcome them?

I don’t think it does, apart from a social and networking perspective – the parties and events are, inevitably, in London, as are most of the publishers and agents. But more and more we market ourselves online, which is geographically blind.

If you were pitching the North West as an ideal place to live, work and write – how would you sell it and what makes it so special?

I think for me it’s the diversity. You have these magnificent cities – Liverpool and Manchester – that are teeming with life and energy; so historic and architecturally quite beautiful. There is always a buzz, always something going on, wonderful museums and galleries and music. Plus, you know, great places for a night out! But not very far away you have access to some of the most stunning landscapes in the world – the Lake District, the coastline, places like the Trough of Bowland and the Yorkshire Dales (though technically I am aware that’s not the NW!). You can experience so many different versions of life in the North West – the solitary and the natural; the coastal and the mountainous, the thrillingly urban.

Plus, here in Liverpool,we’re basically only a two hour train journey away from London – so you get the best of both worlds!

Writing is a solitary business - how do you interact with other authors?

I am lucky enough to have some close ‘virtual’ friends – other authors I email or chat to on the phone, who understand the experience. But as well as that, we’re actually blessed with being the home territory for a lot of people I can meet up with in real life – at book launches, nights out, etc, there are writers I see a lot of. Jane Costello is one of my best friends (we worked together at the Liverpool Echo for many years), and there are also some other lovely people here. We didn’t actually realise how many of us there were until we all met at a mutual friend’s launch, and since then have stayed in touch and organised dinners etc.

How supportive are local communities to your writing, and are there ever any opportunities for book shops, local reading groups, or libraries to be involved in promoting your work?

I have had some signings at one of my local bookshops, and also taken part in a few events at the Waterstones in Liverpool. In all honesty I am a bit of a recluse, and tend to live like a hermit crab between school runs – I am sure there is a lot more I could do in terms of local outreach!

And finally, if someone is new to your work, which book do you think they should start with?

That’s a tough one as I have written so many different styles! If you like crime and Liverpool, go for Fear No Evil. If you like fantasy and Liverpool, go for Dark Vision. If you like women’s fiction with a lot of heart, go for the Comfort Food Cafe series. If you like very rude comedies with a hefty dose of sex and swearing, try the Birthday That Changed Everything! My next one – the A-Z – is slightly different again, and is really a story about love, grief and redemption within a family that has fallen apart.

  

Huge thanks to Debbie for spending time as my guest today.

I hope that you've enjoyed reading more about Debbie's writing life in this

 Close to Home Feature

Comin next week : June Taylor

**Out today ** ~ Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson

**Happy Paperback Publication Day** 

Harper Impulse
16 June 3016

A bit of blurb:

The Comfort Food Café is perched on a windswept clifftop at what feels like the edge of the world, serving up the most delicious cream teas; beautifully baked breads, and carefully crafted cupcakes. For tourists and locals alike, the ramshackle cafe overlooking the beach is a beacon of laughter, companionship, and security – a place like no other; a place that offers friendship as a daily special, and where a hearty welcome is always on the menu.

For widowed mum-of-two Laura Walker, the decision to uproot her teenaged children and make the trek from Manchester to Dorset for the summer isn’t one she takes lightly, and it’s certainly not winning her any awards from her kids, Nate and Lizzie. Even her own parents think she’s gone mad.

But following the death of her beloved husband David two years earlier, Laura knows that it’s time to move on. To find a way to live without him, instead of just surviving. To find her new place in the world, and to fill the gap that he’s left in all their lives.

Her new job at the café, and the hilarious people she meets there, give Laura the chance she needs to make new friends; to learn to be herself again, and – just possibly – to learn to love again as well.

For her, the Comfort Food Café doesn’t just serve food – it serves a second chance to live her life to the full…

My thoughts:

There's always something really lovely about reading a Debbie Johnson summer inspired novel. From the moment you enter the story you just know that you will be taken into a warm and wonderful world, peopled with lots of fascinating characters.

Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe is every bit as delicious as its cover suggests.

Laura Walker decides to uproot her children and move from Manchester to Dorset in a decision which she hasn't taken lightly, but which doesn't sit well with fourteen year old Lizzie and twelve year old Nate. And as Jimbo the elderly Labrador snuffles and snores his way down to Dorset, and Lizzie and Nate squabble in the back of the car, Laura find herself questioning her decision to relocate.

But a fresh start is what is needed, and after Laura's husband David died two years ago, Laura knows that deep down life must go on. Taking on the challenge of a new home and job isn't going to be easy but when Laura takes on the role of cook at the Comfort Food Cafe, she little realises just how much the Comfort Food cafe will transform her life.

What I loved about this story and indeed all of Debbie Johnson's novels is the ease of writing. Reading one of her stories is like having a chat with your best friend, its about learning of the good and bad in their lives and of putting the world to rights over a large latte, something we all do for time to time. The characters very soon become as familiar as friends and so become so immersed in the story that you don't notice the pages flying by.

As always the story is warm and witty, with a wry look at life which is peppered with tons of common sense. I especially loved the Comfort Food Cafe recipes at the end of the book, especially the Lime and Ginger Lovely and the Dorset Apple Cake which I fully intend to try out for myself.


So for me, it's an ideal read Summer read, just perfect for a warm afternoon by a swimming pool or tucked away on a blanket in your local park, preferably with something cool and delicious close to hand...




Best Read with....an Ice Cream Sundae loaded with scoops of delicious strawberry and vanilla ice cream and a tall glass of sticky Cream Soda, loaded with ice....

About the Author

Visit Debbie on her website

Find her on Facebook

Follow her on Twitter @debbiemjohnson

Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe is Published by Harper Impulse today

Find it on Amazon UK

Thanks to Felicity at Harper for my review copy and to Kerry for the invitation to be part of this event.

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Review ~ The Birthday That Changed Everything by Debbie Johnson

Harper Impulse
28th January 2016

Sally Summers' fortieth birthday is fast approaching and whilst she didn't really expect much from her husband of seventeen years, she hoped that in some small way he would surprise her. Happily searching the internet looking for her own birthday present from him and wondering whether to choose a new Dyson or Botox, she was largely unprepared when an email from her husband landed in her in-box. Choosing to surprise her in quite an unexpected way, her husband's email informs her that he is leaving her and the kids in order to find himself. That he chooses to 'find himself' with a nineteen year old lap dancer is not accepted lightly.  

What then follows is a wry look at what happens when a relationship breaks down, of the anger and disbelief ,and yes, it must be said, of the appalling sadness. The trauma of starting again when really Sally just wants to curl up and die and of her trying to keep the peace between two unruly teenagers, whose own angst ridden problems are also the source of some irritation, forms the basis of the story.

A holiday in Turkey, at The Blue Bay resort seems like the perfect place for Sally to nurse her broken heart and which, she hopes, will help to take her mind of what's happening in her private life.  The characters Sally meets up with at The Blue Bay Resort are a quirky and entertaining bunch but it is in Sally's burgeoning friendship with James, a single dad with more than enough problems of his own, where the heart of the books lies.

As always, the author delivers an entertaining read, her stories never disappoint and whilst there are some laugh out loud moments which are very funny, there are also some really searching looks into modern day family life which are quite enlightening. And by spanning the story over the course of a couple of years, and over other holidays at The Blue Bay resort, we get the full effect of Sally's metamorphosis. I really enjoyed seeing how the story played out and the way the author handles Sally's gradual reawakening as a person in her own right, as someone who no longer hides in the shadows,  is really well done. As the story progresses, you can't help but warm to Sally and hope that all goes well for her.

Best read with ...huge slices of pepperoni pizza and a large glass of ice cold gin, easy on the tonic.

About the author

Find Debbie on her website
Find her on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter @debbiemjohnson
Amazon UK

The Birthday That Changed Everything is published tomorrow on the 28th January 

My thanks to the author for sharing her book with me and to Felicity at Harper for providing me with my review copy of this book

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Review ~ Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper by Debbie Johnson

Harper Impulse
November 2015

Last Christmas, I spent time in the company of Debbie Johnson and her charming seasonal read, Cold Feet at Christmas, so I am delighted to once again start off my Christmas reading list with this charming sequel, which reminds us of what's happened to Leah and Rob, who we met in Cold Feet whilst at the same time introducing us to Marco and Maggie, two people who seem to be destined to cross paths, right from the start.

What I enjoy most about these stories is the wonderful way the characters come alive; they jump off the page, often larger than life, filled with all sorts of angst like the majority of us and yet, there is also a charming vulnerability makes them seem, oh, so real. Maggie and Marco are complex people; there is an underlying sadness to both of them, making them seem susceptible to all sorts of hurt. It becomes interesting to see just how the relationship between them will play out after a less than auspicious start.

There are no great surprises in the story; it’s a light, easy read with some genuine laugh out loud moments that kept me entertained, and that’s ultimately what I want from a seasonal read. I want feel good factors, I want men in Christmas jumpers and I want to finish the story with a lovely warm glow of bonhomie, and I’m delighted to say that’s just what I got from Never Kiss a Man in Christmas Jumper.

Best read with Honey and Almond hot chocolate and a salted caramel cookie..

About the Author



Find Debbie on her website
Find her on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter @debbiemjohnson
Amazon UK

My thanks to Debbie for sharing her book with me and to Felicity at Harper Impulse for sending my review copy of Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper.

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Debbie Johnson's Itty Bitty Christmas

Wishing you a merry Christmas

from

Debbie Johnson

What’s your earliest Christmas Memory?

Getting a very impressive looking rocking horse for Christmas – and then a much older boy who lived over the road having a go and snapping it in half! I think I was about three at the time. I’ve never forgiven him. Seriously. If I saw him now, I’d punch him on the nose.

Do you have any special Christmas Traditions?

Wearing new onsesies to open the presents in is a more recent more! Plus we always go to one particular Christmas tree shop, every year, to get the tree and let the children choose a new decoration each – we’ve been going for so long, the staff always say ‘see you next year guys!’ as we leave! 

What’s your favourite festive carol or song?

Last Christmas by Wham! is guaranteed to work for me. I got my heart broken to it at the school disco some time last century – light years ago, back in the days when people were wearing ra-ra skirts the first time round, but I still remember it so vividly. My first boy-related meltdown – of course there were many more to come...for the same reasons (boys/heartbreak/drunken Bridget Jones’ style singing into a wine bottle) Happy New Year by Abba.

Do you have a favourite festive film?

I LOVE Bad Santa. I know it’s ever so rude, but there is actually a lovely theme of redemption and forgiveness in there. Along with the swearing, dwarf abuse, inappropriate sex and Billy Bib Thornton being fantastically churlish. Choosing this film – rather than, say, It’s A Wonderful Life - probably makes me a very bad person.

What’s your favourite festive read ?

Bridget Jones’s Diary. When you are single, and don’t want to be, all your friends in couples drive you mad. I have known people start relationships just so they could have a boyfriend for Christmas, even if they don’t like them that much. The way poor Bridget suffers through the turkey curry buffet. Everything about it is just very warm, very funny.

Are you organised or do you leave everything until the last minute ?

Horrifically, scarily organised. Everything is bought and put away by the beginning of November. I force my children to write their letter to Father Christmas in October, so they can’t keep adding new things during the Bombard The Parents With TV Ads season. Cruel, but very useful! I’m sure they’ll figure it out when they are older, and add it to the list of things they hate me for. I start wrapping on Dec 1. And yes – I know you probably hate me now. It’s a burden I must bear bravely – and it’s all a symptom of the fact that I love Christmas sooooo much!

Christmas Tree – real or artificial?

I grew up with artificial ones, so I view those fondly – but for the last 15 years or so, real. I’d have regarded that as the ultimate in posh when I was a kid! The smell is gorgeous.

Tinsel or Glitter?

Tinsel, and that stuff you throw over the tree in shiny handfuls that you spend the next few weeks sweeping up – lametta, I think?

Gingerbread Latte or Orange spiced Hot Chocolate?

Can I have both? No? Meanie! Okay, gingerbread latte – but I’m coming back later with a wig and a fake nose so you don’t recognise me when I get the hot choc too...

Mince Pie or Yule Log?

Yule Log. More chocolate involved.

Christmas Dinner – Traditional Turkey or something Different?

Traditional turkey, thank you.

Christmas Tipple – Bucks Fizz/Mulled Wine or something stronger?

I’m actually a beer girl – a Guinness will do nicely! Though I traditionally start the New Year with Jools Holland and a bottle of gin.

A fun game of after dinner charades or more chocolates and the television?

Games, games, games! My brother-in-law is fantastic and always comes up with crazy games – like doing animal impressions, making things out of tin foil, having a post-it note on your forehead with the name of a famous person on it and asking questions ‘til you guess it...such fun, as Miranda’s mother might say!

Running out on your wedding shouldn’t be this much fun!

A remote Scottish castle on a snowy Christmas Eve. A handsome husband-to-be. A dress to die for. It should have been the happiest day of Leah Harvey’s life – but the fairytale wedding turns sour when she finds her fiancé halfway up the bridesmaid’s skirt just hours before the ceremony!

Fleeing the scene in a blizzard, Leah ends up stranded at the nearest cottage, where she collapses into the arms of its inhabitant – a man so handsome she thinks she must have died and gone to heaven!

And when Rob Cavelli suddenly finds himself with an armful of soaking wet, freezing cold, and absolutely gorgeous bride on the run, he’s more than happy to welcome her into his snowbound cottage this Christmas

My review of Cold Feet at Christmas can be found here

Debbie is kindly offering one copy of Cold Feet at Christmas to one lucky UK winner of this great giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Huge thanks to Debbie 
for sharing her Christmas with us.
and to Amy at Harper Fiction for her help with this guest post.

Jaffa and I wish you all a very Happy Christmas.

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