Blog

Just because I love talking and writing about books

Pen to Print: Write On interview

I love talking about the books I've written - Its great fun to answer questions and chat about the things I've learned and continue to learn along the way. So, thank you to Pen to Print and Write On Magazine for inviting me on to talk about my latest novel, Summer in...

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Write On Magazine – Finding Your Voice

I enjoy learning new things, and even though I've now had five books published, one more written, and the first few hundred words of another story already on paper, I'm still finding out how to write. It's part of the fun to be honest. And now I look back over the...

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Summer in Your Eyes playlist

I love music and have it on in the background when I'm writing - that's if I'm not out in a coffee shop enjoying the 'coffee shop ambient noise' which also helps me to put words on paper. In my novels, I often use music to punctuate some of the scenes, just was it...

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Notes from an Urban Rambler (Ambler)

Notes from an Urban Rambler (Ambler): Incorporating Food Stops into Ambling Posted on June 27, 2016 by chrispenhall   As a committed ambler I have learned over the years to pace myself properly in order to fully enjoy my surroundings. You can’t amble along a...

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To Have and To Hold by Carol Nightingale

My friend, Carol Nightingale has just achieved a long-held ambition to write and publish a book, which is the first of many, I'm sure. It's a psychological thriller called To Have and To Hold. We used to talk about books all the time when we got together, so I thought...

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Just Friends for Now by Lucy Keeling

Lucy Keeling and I met in 2019 when we were both finalists in the Choc-Lit Search for A Star Competition and since then I've loved reading all of her fabulous books   - and I look forward to reading many more. Just Friends For Now is the fourth book in her Friends...

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Little Museum of Hope – Sally Jenkins

I love exploring museums of all kinds because whatever is on display gives us an insight into someone's life.  Sally Jenkins has written a book about just that. It's called Little Museum of Hope, and I invited her onto the blog to answer a few questions about it....

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Kirsty Ferry on her new release: Bea’s Magical Summer Garden

Kirsty Ferry has written another rather magical tale, this time featuring Bea, Schubert the cat and bees, of course. So I invited her onto my blog to tell us a bit more about it. This is the sixth book in the Schubert the cat series – it started off a few years ago...

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Hope, Mistletoe and a Christmas Promise by Juliet Archer

With Christmas getting ever closer, and the weather turning frosty, it's just the right time to curl up with a good festive book. And Hope, Mistletoe and a Christmas Promise fits the bill completely, and it takes us all to Hong Kong too! I invited author Juliet Archer...

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A Vacancy For a Village Vet – Joanne Boden

I do love a romance where the protagonists have to grapple with the past before they can move on. And this book is just the ticket for that. So, I invited Joanne Boden to answer a few questions about the book, and how she writes - amongst other things of course!...

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Chris and Lizzie’s Buddy Writing Meet Up – why not come!

I have just come back from the Hay Book Festival and I am once again full of ideas and energy - the kind of energy you get from being around people who feel the same way about certain things that you do. In this case, it is books. I don't speak to the majority of...

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A Burning Lie – Claire Sheldon

Fellow Ruby Fiction author, Claire Sheldon has written the third in her series in The Lisa Carter Files, A Burning Lie.  Set in her home town of Nottingham, it follows Jen Garner  and her return to street level policing.   Q - tell us about the book A Burning Lie...

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Meet Me on the Buddy Bench – Hannah Pearl

 Tell us about the book Meet me on the Buddy Bench is the story of Sam and Ava. They’ve both had a really tough time and it’s all about how they have to rebuild their lives. It’s not how they expected life to look for either of them, but it’s all about how they can...

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Carrie Elks on being a hybrid author

Essex-based author, Carrie Elks was scouted by a literary agent after she wrote Twilight fan fiction, which led to her very first book being published in Brazil She is now a very successful hybrid author, meaning some of her books are traditionally published and some...

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It’s Only Rock and Roll – Berni Stevens

We all love a bit of rock and roll, so the latest book from the very talented Berni Stevens really hits the mark! I invited her onto the blog to ask a few questions, not only about the book, but also how writing makes her feel. Plus, she shares a few tips for budding...

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Queen of the Desert by Marie Laval

Another fabulous Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction author has a new book out. This time it's Marie Laval, who's family connection to North Africa inspired her to write the book.  So, I've invited her onto my blog to ask her a few pertinent questions about Queen of the Desert...

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It Started with a Wedding – Kirsty Ferry

Tell us about the new book It’s the fifth book in the Schubert the Cat series. Schubert’s a mystical, magical cat with his very own quirks, and his owner Nessa McCreadie, is getting married. Nessa has asked her twin brother Alfie to organise the wedding – with...

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Escape to Little Bluewater Bay by Joanne Boden

I love chatting to other authors, and when it's for their debut with Choc Lit, that's very special. So, welcome Joanne Boden, who's first published novel with Choc Lit is Escape to Little Bluewater Bay!   Hello. I would like to thank Chris for inviting me on her...

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Strictly Christmas Spirit – Helen Buckley

My Spotlight Series is all about fame and love, with characters who are singers, actresses, dancers, sports stars and reality TV performers. The stories can all be read as stand-alones, and you can be sure they’ll have dramatic twists and turns! The Series contains...

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Christmas of New Beginnings – Kirsty Ferry

Christmas is not far away, and there's a little bit of festive sparkle in the air, plus it's the time of year when some fabulous Christmas reads are published.  Kirsty Ferry's new book is called Christmas of New Beginnings and it's a perfect story to get you into the...

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Writing the raunchy times – Lucy Keeling

I have been asked how I write romantic and sexy scenes in my books. In all honesty, I'm still stuck in the From Here to Eternity waves lapping on the shore kind of thing, so I thought I'd ask my friend, Lucy Keeling, who has written three funny, contemporary novels...

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The road to publication: Anni Rose on Recipe for Mr Perfect

I love hearing how authors started writing and went on to get their books on the shelves. We are all different and the number of ways we got to achieve our ambitions to become published writers are as varied as the number of published writers themselves. That means...

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Finding Summer Happiness – spot of gazing at the stars

I do love staring at the sky at night. I have no knowledge of astronomy at all really (although rectifying this is something on the top of my list of things to do, which I haven’t actually done yet…) However, what I can say with complete certainty is that a black sky...

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A Villa in Portofino by Evonne Wareham

I'm completely in love with Italy and have definitely put Evonne Wareham's new novel, A Villa in Portifino on my to be read list. So, I thought I'd invite her onto my blog to give a bit of background to the novel. As she says...it's complicated! Many thanks to Chris...

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Her Nanny’s Secret by Jan Baynham

My fellow Ruby Fiction author, Jan Baynham has a new novel published this week. Her Nanny's Secret is set in Wales and France, and Jan explains how and why she choses her locations  Thank you, Chris, for having me on your blog to talk about my third novel, Her Nanny’s...

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The Talking to my friends about Books Podcast: Rob Jelly

I'm really enjoying arranging chats with my friends about the books they are reading. And I'm also enjoying listening back to them. I now have a long list of new novels to discover which is growing and growing. In this episode of The Talking to my Friends about Books...

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