Author Helena Fairfax and Bargain Books

There are some good e-books on sale over the next few days, if you’re looking for a new read. One that I’m very much looking forward to reading is the new novel from Helena Fairfax, Felicity at the Cross Hotel. This has had excellent reviews and I can guarantee that Helena is a wonderful author, with feel-good stories and characters. Here is a little about the book (great cover!) – can’t wait to see what happens!

Felicity at the Cross Hotel

A romantic hotel in the Lake District. The Cross Hotel is the perfect getaway. Or is it?

Felicity Everdene needs a break from the family business. Driving through the Lake District to the Cross Hotel, past the shining lake and the mountains, everything seems perfect. But Felicity soon discovers all is not well at the Cross Hotel …

Patrick Cross left the village of Emmside years ago never intending to return, but his father has left him the family’s hotel in his will, and now he’s forced to come back. With a missing barmaid, a grumpy chef, and the hotel losing money, the arrival of Felicity Everdene from the notorious Everdene family only adds to Patrick’s troubles.

With so much to overcome, can Felicity and Patrick bring happiness to the Cross Hotel … and find happiness for themselves?

Felicity at the Cross Hotel is only 99p (99c) until 31^st August! You can buy it from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

All new subscribers to Helena's newsletter receive a free novella. You can subscribe here: 

http://eepurl.com/cR_m71

You can also connect with Helena on her website; Facebook, Twitter; Pinterest and Instagram.

Helena Fairfax is a British author who was born in Uganda and came to England as a child. She's grown used to the cold now, and these days she lives in an old Victorian mill town in the north of England, right next door to the windswept Yorkshire moors. She walks this romantic landscape every day with her rescue dog, finding it the perfect place to dream up her heroes and her happy endings. Helena's novels have been shortlisted for several awards, including the Exeter Novel Prize, the Global Ebook Awards, and the I Heart Indie Awards.

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One of my own publishers, Crooked Cat Books, is having a sale from 28^th to 31^st August when most of their vast array of great books are only 99p (99c)! My Scottish dual-timeline novel, The Highland Lass, is included if you haven’t already read it. It has amassed lots of 5-star reviews for which I’m very grateful – here are snippets of reviews below!

“This is an accomplished novel, where the dual romances are deftly and sympathetically handled.”

“The vivid descriptions of the locations took me there and I could see the landscapes/cityscapes unfold before my eyes.”

“The snippets of Burns’ poetry and the fictionalised account of his lesser known romance with Highland Mary set this book apart from your average romance and added poignancy to the plot.”

“A most enjoyable read with lovely character descriptions, history, and present day all beautifully intertwined.”

The Highland Lass is available on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Recipe for Success

It's now the time of year I most enjoy - summer is almost over, the schools are all back and the shops are quieter! The great excitement here was granddaughter's first day of school. Where have the years gone? It's also one of the best times to get organised - making plans and trying new hobbies perhaps. We're planning to get back to at least a weekly swim and of course, I'm looking forward to knuckling down to proper writing again.

Meanwhile, I've still been getting out and about at weekends, something the husband and I hope to continue as long as possible. The Recipe for Success of the post title was on the wall in what is one of the prettiest cafes and sweet shops I've come across, appropriately called Once Upon a Time - yet another attraction at South Queensferry. The wallpaper has scenes from Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  and the whole shop is a delight, as well as being child-friendly of course.

In case it's not easy to read, the Recipe is as follows:

For best results dream big

2 cups of effort; 1 cup of kindness; 1 handful of curiosity; 3 tablespoons of honesty; 2 cups of teamwork; 2 cups of imagination; 1 cup of excitement; 1 handful of fairness; 1 sprinkle of pride in your work. It ends:
*Note: Success is always better when shared, so pass it around!

I was also at the Society of Authors (in Scotland) AGM and lunch in Edinburgh last week which is always an enjoyable occasion, not least to catch up with old and new friends. It was held in the elegant Bonhams Hotel this year and the two course lunch was simple yet delicious. The photo below is me with two of my writing buddies, Joan and Myra - one of the young waitresses insisted on taking it just before we left!

 

Many of us are excited about the weekend conference the SoAiS has organised for the first time, ScotsWrite, which is taking place in September this year in a wonderful hotel just north of Glasgow. The programme is excellent, partly thanks to a generous grant from Creative Scotland and includes Joanne Harris (Chocolat), online guru Joanna Penn and Charlie Higson, as well as other fabulous speakers and events, plus a ceilidh after the Gala Dinner on the Saturday evening (hope I can still manage to dance by then).

Needless to say daughter and I, plus several of my writing friends, are going and I'm very much hoping to be inspired by it all. It's open to non-members now too and there might be a few places left if anyone wants to investigate! You can find the details and programme on the Society of Authors in Scotland website.

Rosemary

Out and About

It's been a while since I posted anything and can't believe how quickly the summer is rushing through - though I always look forward to autumn! We've had a lovely few days with sister-in-law and her husband visiting us from Wales and it's a great opportunity to get out each day to explore and sample coffee shops and restaurants in between the sights.

We're so used to having all the seasons on one day here that we just dress for any eventuality and it stayed dry for some of the time at least. Although we can venture further afield next time, this visit was all about seeing us, the new house, family and easy to reach places of interest. Needless to say, much chatting and eating had to be slotted in.

I'm so concerned with taking photos of the scenery and so on that I tend to forget to take more of the people. Our wee granddaughter loved the attention of another aunty and uncle on their day out with us and drew a special picture of the day as a souvenir for them. Children always add such fun to an outing and we enjoyed watching a seal that kept popping its head out of the water to nosey around. Unfortunately I didn't fetch the camera quickly enough to snap it.

Now that we're getting back to normal, apart from a few small things to fix in the house, I need to get back into work mode very soon - in between lunch with a friend yesterday and the Society of Authors in Scotland AGM and lunch next week! Does anyone else find it hard to concentrate at this time of year?

Rosemary