Friday Feature Author Interview with Elsie Cooper: A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis

Book Description

1940: Weeks after the evacuation of Dunkirk, Germany is poised to invade a near-defenseless Britain. To safeguard the Crown Jewels from the Nazis, Winston Churchill devises a daring gamble to have them shipped overseas. The priceless artifacts will be secretly removed from the Tower of London and driven north to Scotland by two operatives posing as a young married couple, to be taken from there to Canada.

Caitrin Colline—a Welsh coalminer’s daughter and an ardent socialist—will play the wife of Lord Marlton, Hector Neville-Percy. A less likely couple is at first difficult to imagine. Yet Caitrin’s bold, streetwise confidence and sharp wits complement Hector’s social ease and connections, essential to a second part of their mission: uncovering Nazi sympathizers within the highest ranks of Britain’s aristocracy.

Battling enemies within and without, Caitrin wonders if anyone in their circle can be trusted—even her partner. And when unexpected events catapult her into a life-or-death chase across the continent, the morale of a nation and the fate of Europe itself in the balance.

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Elise’s Thoughts

A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis is a thriller and mystery all in one book, a spy novel set in England during WWII.

In 1940 there is a fear of German infiltrators throughout England.  To safeguard the Crown Jewels from the Nazis, Winston Churchill devises a daring gamble to have them shipped overseas. The priceless artifacts will be secretly removed from the Tower of London and driven north to Scotland by two operatives posing as a young married couple, to be taken from there to Canada.

He recruits Hector, Lord Neville-Percy of Marlton, and police constable Caitrin Colline, a “Welsh firebrand, antiroyalist, and future destroyer of England’s aristocracy,” to act as a squabbling married couple driving a hay wagon where the jewels are hidden. Interestingly they have clashing backgrounds and personalities, since they are from different classes.

The heroine Catrine Colline is working for “512,” an undercover outfit. 512 is fictional, but it bears a strong resemblance to Churchill’s SOE (Special Operations Executive), also an undercover operation. She is a woman no one can mess with. Caitrin’s bold, streetwise, confident, and sharp wits complement Hector’s social ease and connections, essential to a second part of their mission: uncovering Nazi sympathizers within the highest ranks of Britain’s aristocracy, who also happen to be anti-Semitic.

The plot is a good adventure story with likeable characters that readers will root for. 

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

David Lewis: What gave me the idea is how the British hid the jewels 20 feet deep under Windsor Castle and they sent all the Bank of England’s bullion to Canada. I thought if they could transfer the bullion why not the Crown Jewels? This is the first one in the series.

EC:  Was Caitrin based on anyone?

DL: My main character is based on my mother.  She comes from a Welsh coal mining town, one of fourteen children. At the age of fourteen she was sent away to work in a hotel.  I wanted to give my mother a cool and adventurous life.

EC: How would you describe Caitrin?

DL: Caitrin is direct, bold, confident, observant, and a force of nature.  She is also funny, persistent, independent, and determined. She is not so much anti-aristocracy but a socialist who wanted to bring down the landed gentry.  Her goal was to make life more equal for the common man.

EC:  How would you describe Hector?

DL: Hector is from a powerful aristocratic family, but not rich.  He is honest and currently in Special Operations. He is a little bit of a lost soul because of taxes.

EC:  What about their relationship?

DL: He admires her confidence and wishes he had it. They infuriated each other.  Neither one of them can get past their class, stopping the attraction between them. They spark off each other.  They do respect each other.

EC:  Is it true there were German infiltrators?

DL: Churchill was afraid of all the German infiltrators, but MI5 and MI6 were remarkable in sweeping them up. There is this book quote by an English aristocrat, “We English should be building bridges with the Germans. They are our true brothers, not the French or the Poles.” I have always been fascinated by him.  I wanted to make him seen as human, not a legend. Throughout the series he starts to be directly in the adventures. 

EC:  You explore the anti-Semitic sentiment regarding the Jews?

DL: The Aristocracy was also anti-Jew.  All the remarks in the book about the Jews by the aristocracy are true.  For example a book quote, “I lost a fortune to that filthy Jew.  Hitler is right. We should drive the Jews out. They’re nothing but money-grubbing leeches who have latched onto our society.” This is a running theme throughout the whole series.

EC: What about your next book?

DL: The next book, titled Beacon in The Night, is out next year.  It is also based on a true story.  The Germans wanted to drop bombs on historical cities and sites in England. They did it by having an agent on the ground placing a beacon in the buildings where the Germans could bomb with incredible precision. Caitrin and Hector’s job is to find the beacons and the person placing them.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Feature Post and Book Review: The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron

Book Description

Inspired by real accounts of the Forgotten Blitz bombings, The British Booksellers highlights the courage of those whose lives were forever changed by war—and the stories that bind us in the fight for what matters most.

A tenant farmer’s son had no business daring to dream of a future with an earl’s daughter, but that couldn’t keep Amos Darby from his secret friendship with Charlotte Terrington…until the reality of the Great War sobered youthful dreams. Now decades later, he bears the brutal scars of battles fought in the trenches and their futures that were stolen away. His return home doesn’t come with tender reunions, but with the hollow fulfillment of opening a bookshop on his own and retreating as a recluse within its walls.

When the future Earl of Harcourt chose Charlotte to be his wife, she knew she was destined for a loveless match. Though her heart had chosen another long ago, she pledges her future even as her husband goes to war. Twenty-five years later, Charlotte remains a war widow who divides her days between her late husband’s declining estate and operating a quaint Coventry bookshop—Eden Books, lovingly named after her grown daughter. And Amos is nothing more than the rival bookseller across the lane.

As war with Hitler looms, Eden is determined to preserve her father’s legacy. So when an American solicitor arrives threatening a lawsuit that could destroy everything they’ve worked so hard to preserve, mother and daughter prepare to fight back. But with devastation wrought by the Luftwaffe’s local blitz terrorizing the skies, battling bookshops—and lost loves, Amos and Charlotte—must put aside their differences and fight together to help Coventry survive.

From deep in the trenches of the Great War to the storied English countryside and the devastating Coventry Blitz of World War II, The British Booksellers explores the unbreakable bonds that unite us through love, loss, and the enduring solace that can be found between the pages of a book.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/180351949-the-british-booksellers?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=L7LIUaF4zb&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE BRITISH BOOKSELLERS by Kristy Cambron is an epic historical fiction that follows a tenant farmer to bookseller and an earl’s daughter from their innocent childhood friendship and dreams to adulthood with social restrictions and class boundaries. This is a standalone novel spanning 1910 through 1940 in dual timelines that intertwine seamlessly throughout.

The 1910 timeline is the past in this story and introduces a young tenant farmer, Amos Darby and his unlikely friendship with Charlotte Terrington, the earl’s daughter. They share a love of literature and dream of owning a bookstore. When Charlotte is engaged to the Earl of Harcourt, Amos knows his dreams are just that, dreams. He goes off to fight in the trenches of France during WWI and comes back a man troubled not only with his nightmares of the front, but also a secret he keeps from Charlotte about her husband who was killed in action.

The 1940 timeline has Chalotte and her daughter, Eden struggling to keep up the estate and their bookshop which is right across the lane in Coventry and in competition Amos’ bookshop. When an American lawyer shows up threatening the estate, Eden is determined to fight with everything she has to preserve her father’s legacy. As the German blitz on England begins Charlotte and Amos put their differences aside and work together and aid their neighbors as they can. All their lives are on the line as the German Luftwaffe plans their largest blitz to date on Coventry.

This book covers so many situations and emotions. Changing times not only between the classes, but also in the liberation of women are intertwined with the horrors of not one, but two World Wars and the loss of life both at home and away. Amos and Charlotte’s love story is heartbreaking as well as triumphant and beautifully written. Eden’s sub-plot romance displays the generational differences and changes. The terrible Coventry blitz, land girls, and battle fatigue (which we now know as PTSD) are all pieces of history in this story of love, loss, survival and triumph in two bleak times in English history.

I highly recommend this dual timeline historical fiction saga.

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About the Author

KRISTY CAMBRON is a vintage-inspired storyteller writing from the space where beauty, art, and history intersect. She’s a Christy Award-winning author of historical fiction, including her bestselling novels, THE BUTTERFLY AND THE VIOLIN and THE PARIS DRESSMAKER, as well as nonfiction titles. She also serves as Vice President and literary agent with Gardner Literary.

Her work has been named to Cosmopolitan Best Historical Fiction Novels, Publishers Weekly Religion & Spirituality TOP 10, Library Journal’s Best Books, and she received a Christy Award for her novel THE PAINTED CASTLE. Her work has been featured at Once Upon a Book Club Box, Frolic, Book Club Girl, BookBub, Country Woman magazine, and (in)Courage.

Kristy holds a degree in art history/research writing and spent fifteen years in education and leadership development for a Fortune 100 corporation, partnering with such companies as the Disney Institute, IBM/Kenexa, and Gallup before stepping away to pursue her passion for storytelling. Kristy lives in Indiana with her husband and three basketball-loving sons, where she can probably be bribed with a peppermint mocha latte and a good read.

Social Media Links

Website: https://kristycambron.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCambronAuthor/

Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/KCambronAuthor/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kristy-cambron

Book Tour/Feature Post and Mini Book Review: But One Life: The Story of Nathan Hale by Samantha Wilcoxson

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for BUT ONE LIFE: The Story of Nathan Hale by Samantha Wilcoxson on this Coffee and Thorn Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my mini book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

“If I had ten thousand lives, I would lay them all down.”

In the early 1770’s, Nathan Hale is a young philosophy student at Yale. There, he, his brother, and their friend, Ben Tallmadge, are busying themselves with intellectual debate and occasional mischief.

Only too soon, their patriotic ideals of revolution and liberty would be put to the test. Forced to choose between love and duty, young Nathan has to face the harsh personal cost of deeply held beliefs as he leaves to become Washington’s spy.

In this powerful novel of friendship and sacrifice, Samantha Wilcoxson paints a vivid portrait of a young man’s principled passion and dedication to his ideals, turning the legend into flesh and blood.

This is the touching and thought-provoking story of how an ordinary boy grew into an extraordinary man – an American hero.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199202877-but-one-life?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=aMcGb9PNdS&rank=3

Book Information

.Purchase link: https://mybook.to/But1Life

  • Genre:  Historical biography
  • Print length: 169 pages
  • Age range: This is an adult book but would be suitable for mature older teens
  • Amazon Rating: 4.5*

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My Book Review

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

BUT ONE LIFE: The Story of Nathan Hale by Samantha Wilcoxson is a biographical historical fiction about the short life of American revolutionary idealist and patriot, Nathan Hale. This story is told in the first person which lends itself to the addition of personal religious beliefs as well as his belief in the revolutionary cause.

This tale begins when Nathan goes off to study at Yale College with his closest older brother, Enoch. While in college, Soon Nathan begins to form and stand up for his own beliefs through political and philosophical debates. At a time of revolutionary fervor, many tenants of religious beliefs tie in with the cause, also. Feeling the British oppression and with the convincing of one of his best friends from Yale, Nathan joins the revolutionary cause, but is soon captured and considered a spy. The British sentence for captured spies is to be hung.

This story covers Nathan Hale’s life from approximately 14 years of age to his execution at 21 years of age. I found the beginning of the story, recounting his years at Yale, to be interesting but slow paced and it also took me awhile to become accustomed to the prose which is written as if the reader is in 1700’s. As the story got into revolutionary politics and Nathan’s part in the war the pace picked up dramatically and I was more invested. In school, we were taught Hale was a symbol of patriotism and self-sacrifice and this story brings the young idealistic and religious man to life instead of a myth.

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About the Author

Samantha Wilcoxson is an author of emotive biographical fiction and strives to help readers connect with history’s unsung heroes. She also writes nonfiction for Pen & Sword History. Samantha loves sharing trips to historic places with her family and spending time by the lake with a glass of wine. Her most recent work is Women of the American Revolution, which explores the lives of 18th century women, and she is currently working on a biography of James Alexander Hamilton.

Social Media Links

Blog Tour/ Feature Post and Book Review: Holliday by Matthew Di Paoli

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review of HOLLIDAY by Matthew Di Paoli on this AME Blog Tour.

Below you will find a book synopsis, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Synopsis

Holliday follows the infamous 1880s gambler, dentist, and gunslinger, Doc Holliday. From the outset, Doc has been diagnosed with tuberculosis and is told to head to drier climates and imbibe to prolong his life. He has also heard of a spring located somewhere along the frontier that could cure him—what he believes to be the mythical Fountain of Youth. 

The novel portrays Holliday as a rock star, a living legend, increasingly hounded by paparazzi, enamored by death, cards, booze, and women. Doc is a mixture of Clint Eastwood and Jim Morrison, and though he is able to help his friend, Wyatt Earp, exact revenge, his condition worsens, traveling from Arizona to Denver, and finally dying in a sanatorium in Colorado with his boots off. A slow and unfitting end for such a bombastic outlaw.


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/184163597-holliday?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=2ybY3HPYGE&rank=5

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

Holliday by Matthew Di Paoli is a dark and gritty realistic look at an often-mythologized gambler, gunslinger, and outlaw from the Old West. This book follows his life as he travels from town to town in the West looking for a mythical body of water to cure his tuberculosis, help his friend exact revenge in Tombstone, and ultimately die in Colorado.

Born in Georgia, John Henry Holliday became a dentist, but was soon diagnosed with tuberculosis which claimed his mother when he was younger. The doctor told him to head to the southwest for the drier climate which should help his breathing. He soon developed a fatalism which led him to drink continually, gamble for a living and cohabitate off and on with a barroom prostitute.

The papers build up his reputation as the number of men he kills increases. His Southern charm and education are opposite to his ruthlessness and hair-triggered temper when he is drunk, which is most of the time. When his friend, Wyatt Earp needs his help to avenge his brothers, he uses his skills to assist. The tuberculosis cannot be stopped though and he ends up spending his few remaining years in Colorado.

This is an engaging and complex look behind the myth of Doc Holliday that pulled me into the story even as parts were difficult to read. Mr. Di Paoli’s writing is atmospheric and made me feel as if I was in the dirt, grit, stink, and heat of the Old West where everything was handled with a gun. Doc’s story is complicated by his own knowledge of his inevitable death, his wish to be loved and yet his inability to live a normal life he once believed in for himself. There are graphic scenes of gunfights, knife fights, action and blood which add to the realism. This is a clear-eyed look at a complicated man from a violent time who is romanticized in other books and on screen.

I highly recommend this enthralling western historical fiction.

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About the Author

Matthew Di Paoli has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize three times including 2020. He has won the Wilbur & Niso Smith Adventure Writing Prize, the Prism Review, two Elizabeth’s, and Momaya Review Short Story Contests. Matthew earned his MFA in Fiction at Columbia University. He has been published in Boulevard, Fjords, Post Road, and Cleaver, among others. He is also the author of Killstanbul with El Balazo Press.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.matthewdipaoli.com/about

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewDiPaoli

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruggedemu/

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Winter Child by Carly Schabowski

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE WINTER CHILD by Carly Schabowski on this Bookouture Books-On Tour blog post.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

Poland, 1943: ‘Please don’t do this!’ Her shrill cry pierces the night air, the screams breaking the silence of the falling snow. But the man she calls to does not turn, vanishing into the darkness with a child clasped in his arms…

Present day: Irena has waited a lifetime for this moment. At last, she has the chance to confront the man who has haunted her dreams for the last fifty years.

Despite the warmth of the day, a shiver runs down her spine as she stares at the house. Inside is the person she hasn’t seen since that terrible night in Poland, in the snow, all those years ago. Having spent so much of her life searching, soon she will face the man who broke her heart, leaving her with nothing but shattered pieces.

Moving towards the door, she takes a deep breath. This is her final chance to avenge what the Nazis did to those she loved during the war. But as she reaches a trembling hand towards the handle, her breath coming in shallow gasps, she suddenly stops.

She has imagined this moment for most of her life, but is she prepared for revenge to cost her everything? And even if she is, will she recover from the truth she is about to uncover?

This gripping and emotional wartime novel tells a moving story of courage, hope and the endurance of the human spirit, even in the darkness of the World War 2.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209168737-the-winter-child?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=KilKWKTHpS&rank=5

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE WINTER CHILD by Carly Schabowski is an emotionally intense WWII historical fiction told in dual timelines primarily by the main protagonist who is a young girl in 1940’s occupied Poland and then a grown woman seeking revenge in 1994 Argentina. While this book is difficult to read at times due to the inclusion of scenes of wartime rape and abuse, it is not gratuitous and necessary to the plot.

Poland 1940’s: Irena works in the local hotel in the kitchen to make money to help support her parents, but she is terrified of the Gestapo troops that have taken over the town. When one of the servers drops a plate on the head of the local Gestapo, Irena is forced to replace her. Richter makes her his personal server and more…

Irena has a child, but one winter night her baby is taken, and she vows to stop at nothing to get revenge.

Argentina 1994: Five decades later, after the death of her husband, Irena is searching for the man of her nightmares to finally fulfill her vow.

This is a story that had me on an emotional roller coaster. For the first time, the second portion of the title states “A heartbreaking and unputdownable World War 2 historical novel” was true. Irena is such a strong character that suffers so much loss and trauma during the war and yet it does not destroy her. There are some plot surprises that made this story and ending unique from other WWII historical fiction books I have read.

I highly recommend this WWII historical fiction.

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Author Bio

Carly is the USA Today bestseller of historical fiction novels The Ringmaster’s Daughter, The Watchmaker of Dachau, The Rainbow and The Note.

She lives in a tiny cottage in Oxfordshire,  with barely enough room to swing a cat. Yet, she has managed to dwell in such a hobbit-type abode for some years with her two dogs, who keep her company as she reads, writes, eats chips, and drinks the occasional gin.

Her interest in WWII history spans from a familial connection, and inspired her to complete a PhD regarding the author’s responsibility to historical fiction. Whilst an achievement, she gained 20 lbs., and became a hermit. 

Social Media Links

Twitter: twitter.com/@carlyschab11

Instagram: https://instagram.com/@carlyschabowskiauthor

Newsletter sign up: https://www.bookouture.com/carly-schabowski

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://ow.ly/i4LP50RAyhL

Apple: https://ow.ly/k5aQ50RAyhM

Kobo: https://ow.ly/KuN050RAyhI

Google: https://ow.ly/xZKM50RAyhK

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Sicilian Secret by Angela Petch

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE SICILIAN SECRET by Angela Petch on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour book tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

Italy, 1943. With war raging across the rugged cliffs and turquoise waters of his beloved Sicily, Savio’s pen scrawls desperately across the page. His letter must be sent in secret – or his life will be in terrible danger…

England, present day. Paige is devastated when her reclusive but beloved Aunt Florence dies – the only family she’s ever known. Inheriting her crumbling cottage, Paige finds an unfinished note. ‘I am sorry, Paige. It’s time to tell you everything. It all began in Sicily…’

Beside the note is a faded envelope – addressed to a woman called Joy – with an Italian postage stamp from 1943. The letter inside is made up of Roman numerals and snippets of sentences written in Italian. But who is Joy? Was someone sending a coded message? Paige is desperate to piece together the truth. But she soon discovers it will change everything she’s ever believed about her aunt, and her family history.

1943. Lady Joy Harrison may have grown up in a manor house, but she’s determined to fight for what’s right and use her fluent Italian to help the Allies. Breaking code on a long night shift, Joy reads a secret message that makes her whole body shake. A dark-eyed young man she once loved is in terrible danger on the shores of Sicily. Was the message sent by him? And will she ever see him again – or will the war tear them apart for good?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210235667-the-sicilian-secret?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=lPlvqI4CTC&rank=4

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE SICILIAN SECRET by Angela Petch is a captivating dual timeline historical fiction with protagonists in both the 1970’s and 1940’s that had me engrossed from beginning to end. This is a new-to-me author, and I will be checking out her back catalogue that I am surprised I have not read before.

In the 1940’s timeline, Lady Joy Harrison is determined to help in the war effort. When she trains for secret service, she meets an unlikely confidant. Savio is British born, but because of his Sicilian parents, they are gathered up and incarcerated. He is now training for service also. They fall in love but are separated without notice. Joy is sent to and works at Bletchley Park and Savio is sent to be a part of the invasion by the allies on Sicily.

 In the 1970’s timeline, Paige is devastated when her Aunt Flo, the person who raised her, is killed in a traffic accident. As she is cleaning her aunt’s room, she discovers a box left for her with a mysterious amulet and an unfinished note telling her she has a secret to tell her, but it is unfinished. There is also a cryptic message in some sort of code and post marked from Sicily. After being shocked by what she learns at home in England, she is off to Sicily to hopefully discover more.

I loved this story so much even when I was crying. This author was able to emotionally connect me with all the protagonists in each timeline. I also liked that the plot was written in a way that was not only believable but also plausible. The research is obvious and extensive, from the internment camps on the Isle of Mann to the allied campaign in Sicily. All the plotlines intertwine and seamlessly reveal the plot secrets and heartbreaks. This is a historical fiction story that has everything I enjoy reading in this genre of book and it is beautifully written.

I highly recommend this beautiful and emotional historical fiction story.

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Author Bio

Author bio:

I’m an award winning writer of fiction – and the occasional poem.

Every summer I move to Tuscany for six months where my husband and I own a renovated watermill which we let out. When not exploring our unspoilt corner of the Apennines, I disappear to my writing desk at the top of our converted stable.

In my Italian handbag or hiking rucksack I always make sure to store notebook and pen to jot down ideas.

The winter months are spent in Sussex where most of our family live. When I’m not helping out with grandchildren, I catch up with writer friends.

Social Media Links

Website: https://angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com/?fbclid=IwAR3BvI72dioapF_Nf7Ad74ZhkTWvGBrqZcjq5NoGREVb24D7srv5ZmyDOcU

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Angela_Petch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angela_maurice/

Newsletter: https://www.bookouture.com/angela-petch

Purchase Link

https://geni.us/B0CYQTW8KKsocial