Release Date: 28th May 2018
Series: Coming Back to Cornwall #2 (can be read as a standalone)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
 
When things seem too good to be true, they usually are.
Alice is finding her feet managing the Sail Loft Hotel when Sam is presented with an offer he can’t refuse. The bad news is, if he says yes, he will have to leave Cornwall.
Sam’s visits home see him split in his loyalties between his daughter Sophie, and spending time with Alice. Sophie’s mother, Kate, seems to be doing her best to make things difficult.
Meanwhile, Alice’s friend Julie is also facing a long-distance relationship as her new partner, and Sam’s best friend, Luke, is working in London. With no children to think of, and plenty of disposable income (on Luke’s part at least), life should be more simple but Julie has yet to find a long-term job and Luke is still getting over the recent death of his mother.
Can these fledgling relationships pass the long-distance test, and can Julie and Alice make life in Cornwall work for them now that the summer sun has gone?
 
 
EXTRACT

“Oh.” I feel like my stomach has dropped to the floor. I try to look happy. “But that is brilliant, isn’t it? It’s an amazing opportunity, it’s perfect for you.”
“Alice,” Sam says quietly and I look at him. “It’s not perfect, is it? Because it would mean being away from you.”
He’s been offered sponsorship through university, including a year’s practical experience partway through the course, and guaranteed employment afterwards. His exam results were some of the best in the country for his chosen course, Applied Marine Biology, and he’s actually been head-hunted by a brilliant conservation society. It’s more wonderful news, on top of everything else. Only the course they want him to do isn’t at Plymouth, it’s at Bangor, in North Wales.
414 miles away via the quickest route (seven hours, ten minutes). 389 miles via the A30 (seven hours, thirty-two minutes), five changes on the train (eight hours, fifty-eight minutes).
“You have to do it,” I say, “you have to. It’s too good an opportunity to turn down.”
I am saying the right words but I am willing him to say no, he won’t, he doesn’t want to. We have been apart for ten years, and back together again for a matter of weeks. I can’t bear the thought that we will be separated again. But I know that this decision needs to be his. He looks at me, his blue eyes serious and holding my gaze. I look away first, scared that I might cry.
“I don’t know,” he says. “I don’t know.”
“Number fifty-three!” The lady behind the counter calls out cheerfully.
“This is us,” I say, “I’ll go and get it.” I am grateful for the opportunity to break this moment. “Do you want any sauce?” I ask, trying to match the cafe lady’s tone.
“Alice…” Sam says but I am on my feet, walking towards the counter with a smile on my face while inside my heart is breaking. I know that he has to go.
 
BUY LINKS
AMAZON UK - https://goo.gl/neeV9A
AMAZON US - https://goo.gl/9YkSC8
​

Katharine E. Smith is a writer, editor and publisher. An avid reader of contemporary writers such as Kate Atkinson, David Nicholls and Anne Tyler, Katharine’s aim is to write books she would like to read herself. She has three novels to her name, and one non-fiction guide, written with fellow indie authors in mind.
Katharine runs Heddon Publishing from her home in Shropshire, which she shares with her husband and their two children.
 
Facebook: http://facebook.com/smithkatharinee
Twitter: http://Twitter.com/KatharineESmtih
Website: www.katharineesmith.com
​

Time to feature one of my fabulous author friends on my blog again. Behold this beauty!

Mauri, the second book of Abhaya collection by Saiswaroopa Iyer is set to release on 9th June 2018 on Amazon Kindle Store. Set in the times of Mahabharata, the books explore lesser known stories of the timeless epic of India from the perspectives of strong female protagonists. The opening Title, Abhaya, was released on Kindle store in November 2015 and has received praise from acclaimed authors and reviewers.
​
"Abhaya allows us to delve into the world of our ancestors and Gods through the route of great storytelling and a brilliant narrative. A thoroughly enjoyable read" - Amish Tripathi

About Mauri

She wanted to kill the man who others called a God.
Love is but an obstacle in her path.
With her father’s death shattering her world, Mauri is torn away from everything she had once loved. Anger replacing every emotion within her, she seeks only one thing. To kill her father’s killer. Even if the man is none less than Krishna Vaasudeva, the man who people worshipped as a God! Someone stands in the way, reining in her bitterness when she is the least prepared for it. The Rakshasa Prince Ghatotkacha! But by the time love sprouts within her, Mauri has gone too far in her thirst for vengeance.
Can Mauri save herself and Ghatotkacha before the consequences of her own actions can destroy both their worlds?
​
​
Excerpt

The smile on Ghatotkacha’s face faded the moment he saw the figure that had appeared atop the wall. Unknown to him, his fists curled over his club and heart fought against the searing pain of the memory. The memory of betrayal. His intensified gaze and a placid forehead contrasted each other. No more of this. Not now!
Mauri saw him. Like he commanded a new surge of energy after their last meeting. Mauri had little in her defence. And she had other things on her mind before she could take an interest in defending herself. In fact, she had no wish to defend her past actions. Face it! But her predicament sorely needed external help and his demeanour did not leave much hope. Mauri steeled her heart and inhaled. She was going to need all her energies for this!
She forced a smile onto her lips and looked at him, trying to summon her old self. “So, we have visitors!” she thundered, glancing at his small band of Rakshasa followers. “But I regret to inform you that the temple is closed to pilgrims indefinitely.”
“Closed to pilgrims, open to monstrous rogues and their heartless little minions.” Ghatotkacha retorted. “Perhaps there needs to be a change.”
Her guilt notwithstanding, Mauri was not going to brook being called names, much less, being called a minion to a crafty coward like Alambusha. Still, his pain when he uttered the word ‘heartless’ did not go unnoticed by her. Her frown narrowed, fighting back any traces of regret. In vain though. “Change comes at a price, Rakshasa Prince, sorry, King. Though I must say the population under your command has dwindled too much for one to still consider you a king.” She could see his annoyance mounting. Something amused her about it. “So tell me what you can pay, Ghatotkacha!”
Ghatotkacha threw his head up and shrugged looking around. “I would have loved to play a game of word parlay. Except this is no stage and there is no audience to enjoy the exchange.” His eyes betrayed impatience. “I come to keep a promise. A promise of protection that was given to this sacred place under the rule of my uncle, Emperor Yudhishtira. My demand is clear, daughter of late commander Mura. Open the gates, surrender the rogue Rakshasa traitors to me. Open up this temple of the Supreme Goddess to those who deserve to see Her.”
“I asked for a price you could pay and you repeat the demand. By the Goddess, someone needs to grow up!” Mauri sneered back and leaned against a pole, feigning nonchalance. This was all going nowhere—her show of hostility, his mounting anger, Dhatri’s life in danger, and Alambusha preferring to hide inside the inner circle. She needed to break away. She struck upon a frantic plan, praying all Gods for its success. “There seems to be only one language you understand. Defeat me, and you can have a free pass inside.”
​

​Formerly an analyst with a Venture capital firm, Saiswaroopa currently writes Puranic fiction, with a focus on lesser known heroines of Ancient India. Mauri is her third work of fiction after Abhaya and Avishi. Her interests include Carnatic Music, Philosophy, History and Literature of India. She won a state level gold medal from TTD in rendering Annamacharya Kritis. She holds an MBA from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.

Series: The Charlotte Richmond Mysteries Book 1
Genre: Historical cosy mystery
Release Date: This edition Feb 2018 First Ed:2008
Publisher: Williams & Whiting Publishing
 
Outwardly a grieving young Victorian widow, Charlotte Richmond is concealing some scandalous secrets when she arrives at Finchbourne Manor to start a new life with her husband's family. The wealthy Richmonds must never discover that her husband's recent death in the Indian Mutiny came as a great relief. Nor must they hear about the rumors circulating in the army regarding his scandalous behavior. His death has also been the subject of speculation and Charlotte must take care not to spill any secrets. Above all she must make certain that nobody in her new life hears of her own adventurous upbringing in Australia. When the past catches up with Charlotte, she begins to fear for her own life.
 
 
Extract: MURDER   MOST   WELCOME

LATE SPRING 1858 - in the South of England

Chapter 1
​
As she laid out the body, Charlotte Richmond made two surprising discoveries.
     The first of these led her to suspect that the man on the bed had been murdered.  By whom, she had not the slightest notion. To whom she was profoundly grateful.
     The second discovery confirmed what she had known all along, that the deceased - late and far from lamented - had not possessed the habits of a gentleman.
     As this was the second time in less than a year that he had apparently been murdered Charlotte felt she might be forgiven for not falling into a paroxysm of grief; indeed, strong hysterics might, she considered, be a more appropriate reaction.
     Hysterics not being in her nature she merely veiled his face decently with a linen cloth and wondered what to do with the object she had so surprisingly encountered. ‘Well, well,
well,’ she murmured. 'Here you are, dead again, I see. I wonder what is to become of me now?'
A few short weeks previously, Charlotte, who was waiting with some trepidation in the entrance hall at Finchbourne Manor and trying to overcome her anxiety by observing the
ancient, dark oak of the panelling, the extreme chill of the flagstone floor, and the picturesquely leaded windows that let in so little light, had overheard her mother-in-law express a similar sentiment.
      'Oh, that dreadful Mutiny, what will become of that unfortunate child, poor, dear Charlotte?' she had enquired, allowing an artistic sob to colour her voice.
      'Well, Mama,' answered a prosaic female voice. 'I understand that Charlotte is even now on her way home from India to Finchbourne. If you recollect it was your own suggestion, when we heard of dear Frampton's sad death, that she should make her home here with us. And after all there is no reason to believe that Charlotte is a child; remember, dearest Frampton was thirty-seven and his letters made no mention that his bride was much younger than he was himself.’
      'Oh do hush, Agnes dear!' 
      In spite of the nervous tension that had her sitting ramrod straight on an uncomfortable oak settle, blackened by age, Charlotte listened, with wry amusement, to this conversation. Shifting very slightly in her seat she felt a twinge of guilt as she recollected how differently Frampton Richmond’s ‘sad’ death had been viewed by her military acquaintances in India.
      I must say nothing, she thought, shaking her head.  I have seen the damage caused by a stray shell fired into the midst of the market place, who am I to lob a shell of my own and destroy their illusions about their lost hero - and for what?   Rumour?   Speculation?  
      No, not I, my part is to play the grieving widow and ingratiate myself into their home and into their affections, to make a settled home for myself at last.  Besides, she reminded herself, I dare not raise any spectres from the past, what if they found out about me?
 
BUY LINK MURDER MOST WELCOME
 
http://amzn.to/2HDLVlZ
​

CHECK OUT THE OTHER 2 BOOKS IN THE SERIES
https://goo.gl/333Mj4
​

Nicola Slade has been a Brown Owl, an antiques dealer, and once lived in Cairo for a year. Her published novels include a romantic comedy, Scuba Dancing, three Victorian mysteries featuring a young widow, The Charlotte Richmond Mysteries, and three contemporary mysteries featuring recently-retired headmistress, Harriet Quigley, and her clergyman cousin, the Reverend Sam Hathaway. The Harriet Quigley Mysteries. Her eighth novel, a mystery romance, The House at Ladywell, was published in late 2017.
Nicola’s family is now grown up and she and her husband live near Winchester.
​
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolasladeuk/
Twitter: @nicolasladeuk
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17100459.Nicola_Slade
Blog: www.nicolaslade.wordpress.com
Website: www.nicolaslade.com
​

Destination: Titan
is only 99 cents
to ring in book 2,
ARRIVAL: TITAN
 
Warning: This event will be your only chance to buy this for 99 cents
until next year.
 
DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!
MAY 1 – MAY 7 99c
THEN ON MAY 7
BOOK TWO OF THE
LEAVING EARTH SERIES ARRIVES.
 
ARRIVAL: TITAN
Available for Pre-order
​

Blurb

​With Earth destined for a new ice-age, seven scientists and twenty-two brilliant teenagers are gathered in a compound deep within a mountain. There they struggle to come together as a group and complete the projects needed for their survival in the inhospitable environment of Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. However, certain factions on Earth have no intention of letting Project Einstein succeed. Keeping the group alive and productive is the hardest task Colonel Lancaster and his soldiers have ever had, but they are determined to succeed no matter how well the saboteurs have planned. The continuation of the human race depends upon it.
 
 
Excerpt

“This is not how I wanted to tell you, but I’ve four minutes left, and I need you to hear the truth from me before you hear partial truths from Dr. Tong.”
“Dr. Tong?” She was now completely confused about their topic of conversation.
“I dated—actually lived with—Dr. Tong when she attended Berkeley for her undergrad degree. We were not in the same field, so I saw no issues. Still, we kept it very quiet. And honestly, I wouldn’t be telling you now, except I’m almost certain she will.”
“When?”
“The first chance she gets.”
“No, I meant when did you live with her?”
“I met her during her freshman year and she moved in with me the following summer.  She didn’t move out until her senior year. That would have been your second year at Berkeley.”
Tam blinked in confusion. “But you were always with me at the lab.”
He laughed softly. “That was her opinion as well. It’s why we broke up. It’s why she changed schools for her doctorate.”
“She thought you and I…”
“Yes, and that’s why she was so rude to you and will likely continue to give you a hard time.” His face hardened. “I know your temper, but I need you to continue to show the restraint you did today. If it comes down to you and her, I fear it will be you who is left behind.”
“Why? She’s a linguist. What do we even need her for?”
“It’s not her knowledge; it’s her DNA. Janise is genetically flawless. The future of the human race needs her. In a crunch, I could cover your skill requirements, but there’s no one close to her genetic purity.”
Just then, Lancaster entered and declared he needed Tamara.
Max sighed. “This is not where I wanted to leave this conversation. We’ll talk about this later tonight.” He gently pulled her from her chair and handed her over to Lancaster.
She felt Lancaster’s eyes on her; no doubt Mr. Busy-body wanted to know what Max had told her. As he rushed her down the hall, her mind kept repeating Max’s declaration that Dr. Tong was genetically perfect. His lover for two years was genetically perfect. His genetically perfect lover who’d left him, but now clearly wanted him back.
“Are you crying?” Lancaster demanded.
She shook her head no and suddenly wished she had long hair like Tong’s so she could hide her face.
Lancaster pulled her into a room and closed the door.
“What happened?” he demanded.
“Nothing.” She tried to move away from him, but his arms pinned her to the wall.
“I need to get you to the medic, so I don’t have time for twenty questions. I am ordering you to tell me what upset you.”
“Nothing of importance.”
“Bullshit! You’ve been a trooper all day. You’re the only one who hasn’t caused me trouble, and I want to know what Max said to change that.”
“Max wasn’t trying to make me cry. In fact, he was trying to prepare me so I wouldn’t be hurt. Unfortunately, Max’s attempt inadvertently hurt my feelings. It’s no big deal. I’ll get over it.”
“What did he tell you? And answer my question this time,” he added with a growl.
“He told me he and Dr. Tong used to be lovers, that she blames me for their break-up, and she is genetically perfect and more important to this project than I am,” Tam replied.
“And was it the latter part that made you cry?”
She nodded, careful not to look him in the eye so he wouldn’t see she was lying. However, that meant she did not see his intent until he kissed her. She stiffened at first and tried to push him away, but his chest was so wonderfully hard and muscular, and it had been ages since anyone had kissed her. He felt so amazingly delicious that she stopped resisting and kissed him back.
 
 
Sales Link for Destination: Titan
AMAZON
All books are free for KU subscribers

​Liza O’Connor lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels.
 
Social Networks
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
LIZA O'CONNOR
Investigate these sites:
Liza’s Multiverse Blog
Liza's Blog and Website   Facebook   Twitter
All the Many Books Liza has written