Blog Tour ~ Skin Deep by Laura Wilkinson

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be hosting today's stop on the Skin Deep Blog Tour

 

What's it all about ...

Art student and former model Diana has always been admired for her beauty, but what use are good looks when you want to shine for your talent? Insecure and desperate for inspiration, Diana needs a muse.

Facially disfigured four-year-old Cal lives a life largely hidden from the world. But he was born to be looked at and he needs love too. A chance encounter changes everything and Cal becomes Diana’s muse. But as Diana’s reputation develops and Cal grows up, their relationship implodes.

Both struggle to be accepted for what lies within.

Is it possible to find acceptance in a society where what's on the outside counts for so much?

What did I think about it ...

Former model, Diana is a young art student when she first meets four year old Cal who is locked away in his own private world, hidden from view by his drug addled parents because of a facial disfigurement. Diana finds inspiration for her art in Cal and using him as her muse, she not only produces some spectacular artwork but she also fall in love with Cal.

As Diana and Cal's lives intertwine we find some comfort in that two quite damaged souls are able to find some sort of resolution with each other, and yet, damaged as they are, their combined stories make such a fascinating story. I think the author has done a really good job of allowing us a glimpse into the life affirming idea that we are all worth so much more than what we see, superficially, on the surface, and that by exploring people, quite literally, skin deep, we gain so much more of an insight into their character.

Taking the concept of beauty and the beast, and turning it on its head, is really interesting idea and I think that the author has done a good job of allowing the story to evolve without ever resorting to over-sentimentality. The characterisation is good; I loved Cal from the beginning, and yet, I wasn’t very sure about Diana, her motives in caring so much for the boy were commendable and yet, there were times when I felt that she was just as guilty of manipulating him for her own success as perhaps others were for seeing only his disfigurement, and not the person inside.

Skin Deep is an interesting novel, with a well written thoughtful insight into what makes us, despite our defects, continually search for an elusive perfection.

Best Read With ...Coffee and thick slices of buttered toast...


About the Author

Find Laura on her Facebook page

Follow on Twitter @ScorpioScribble

Visit her Amazon UK page

My thanks to the author and also to Accent Press for the invitation to be part of this blog tour.

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Review ~ Redemption Song by Laura Wilkinson

Accent Press
2016

After a catastrophic event, Saffron retreats to the peaceful Welsh town of Coed Mawr. There she learns to shield herself from further hurt and in doing so, the impenetrable barrier which surrounds her seems insurmountable. Living with her mother, Rain, is never going to be easy, as both women have sorrows which they would rather not explore. There is much to understand between mother and daughter, made all the more complex by Rain’s role as the local Baptist minister and by the secrets which exist between them. And then, into the mix comes Joe, a man with enough secrets of his own, a loner, who starts to take an interest in Saffron, which then opens up a whole different web of intrigue.

After an initial slow start, the novel gradually expands into a perceptive look at the minutiae of lives irretrievably damaged by circumstances. The story is well controlled and the characters, whilst not always likeable, have a realistic edge to them which helps to carry the story along. I think that the author has done a fine job in looking at what makes people act in the way they do. The ambiguity of all of their lives is well explored, and there are some interesting turn of events, which help to maintain interest throughout the story.

So, all in all, I found this to be a good read, with a character driven plot and more than enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until the end.

Best Read with….Croissants, buttery and warm from the oven and a dark roast coffee, thick with cream..

About the author

Visit her Facebook page

Twitter @ScorpioScribble

Amazon UK

Find a guest post by the author here

My thanks to Laura Wilkinson for sharing her novel with me.

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Blog Tour ~ Redemption Song by Laura Wilkinson

Jaffareadstoo is thrilled to host today's stop on the

Redemption Song Blog Tour

Please welcome  Laura Wilkinson

Author of Redemption Song

Hi Laura, I'm delighted to welcome you to Jaffareadstoo and thank you so much for sharing your love of red heads with us !!

For the Love of Ginger...

Other than a common thread of love, my three novels are diverse; touching on themes as broad as identity, parenthood, self-discovery, forgiveness and hope. Along with love, there is another factor which links all three: red-headed leads. There’s strawberry blond Jack (think young Robert Redford) in Bloodmining, ginger Yorkshire lass Mandy in Public Battles, Private Wars, and now there’s Saffron in Redemption Song, though at the story’s outset she has dyed her hair a dark brown. Why the proliferation of gingers? And what do readers expect from a hero or heroine with red tresses?

The why is straightforward to answer. Though it is rare worldwide (under 2%) all my family have red hair, apart from me, and I have two ginger sons. We even had a ginger tom cat, Hudson, when I was young. Jaffa reminds me of him. Family members cover the spectrum from a rich, chocolatey auburn to an orangey strawberry blonde, and I love them all and their unusual locks. Their hair has been a source of pleasure but, I’m afraid to say, mostly pain, so I like to wave the ginger flag vicariously. It’s homage to people I love, though I’ll stress that hair colour is the only thing my characters have in common with my family.

Red-headed leads are more prolific in children’s fiction – Anne of Green Gables, Ron Weasley, Just William’s side-kick and Pippi Longstocking immediately spring to mind – but they are harder to find in adult literature. One of my favourites is the eponymous heroine in Susan Fletcher’s brilliant debut Eve Green. So what do readers expect from red-headed characters? Fiery, feisty, passionate, hot-headed and quirky? Possibly, though I believe the modern reader is more discerning. Smarter. Not all flame-haired people have a quick temper – Homeland’s Brody strikes me as remarkably level-headed – and they are as easily temptresses (Rita Hayworth, anyone?) as quirky mavericks. It is a mistake to assume stereotypical behaviours on the basis of hair colour, and although appearance can define us, it need not. Myriad influences mould character.

So miner’s wife Mandy and doctor-in-training Saffron are female, young, and ginger, but they have little else in common. At 23 Mandy is married with four children; Saffron is footloose, if not fancy free – she’s anything but fancy free, weighed down as she is by tragedy and a dark secret, though she’s a fighter and regains a sense of hope through love. But because red hair makes such a statement, their attitudes towards their hair is significant. Mandy underestimates herself as much as she does the beauty of her hair and until she begins to value herself, she hates it. Saffron’s dyed hair reflects the darkness she feels inside herself. It is a character’s attitude to life, love, and their appearance, which shows us their mettle, not their actual appearance. And both Mandy and Saffron’s attitude towards their hair speaks volumes – at least, I hope so!

My next novel – Skin Deep – set for release in early 2017 doesn’t have a red-headed hero or heroine so marks a departure for me. In the meantime, I’m shouting ‘Up the Gingers!’ metaphorically via the lovely, fragile Saffron.

Thanks so much for having me over at your wonderful blog, Jo and Jaffa.

You're so welcome Laura - it's been a real pleasure to be part of your blog tour.

About The Author

Laura has written three novels. Her third, Redemption Song, is published on 28^th January 2016 by Accent Press. A fourth is due in early 2017.

If you lost everything in one night, what would you do?

Saffron is studying for a promising career in medicine until a horrific accident changes her life for ever. Needing to escape London, she moves to the Welsh coast to live with her mother. Saffron hates the small town existence and feels trapped until she meets Joe, another outsider. Despite initial misgivings, they grow closer to each other as they realise they have a lot in common. Like Saffron, Joe has a complicated past…one that’s creeping up on his present. Can Joe escape his demons for long enough to live a normal life – and can Saffron reveal the truth about what really happened on that fateful night? Love is the one thing they need most, but will they – can they – risk it?

Redemption Song is a captivating, insightful look at what happens when everything goes wrong – and the process of putting the pieces back together again.

To buy the e-book: https://Mybook.to/RedemptionSong

To buy the paperback: http://mybook.to/RedemptionWilkinson

If you’d like more information about Laura and her work visit:

laura-wilkinson.co.uk

Twitter @ScorpioScribble

Facebook: Laura Wilkinson Author

Pinterest

Goodreads

Instagram

Huge thanks to Laura for her lovely guest post - Jaffa is delighted with the shout out to gingers!!

Do visit the other stops on this exciting blog tour.

28th January - 11th February

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