Archive | May 2020

Fat Dogs and French Estates, Part 2

May22

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Amazon book blurb: 

With six failures so far and six more properties to see, Beth, her irascible husband, Jack, and their two fat dogs continue their hunt for a country domaine in France. As tensions rise, Beth’s anxieties switch from house-hunting failures to fears that Jack is finally going to lose it altogether and come to blows with “yet another incompetent” estate agent. In spite of this and a dog who insists on trying to die, they battle on exhausted but determined to realise their dream. Will it end in tears? 

This is the hilarious second instalment of the Haslams’ French adventures.

My review:

I just finished reading Fat Dogs and French Estates by Beth Haslam. One finds a huge amount of British humor thrown in throughout. Having a huge reading “career’ spanning many decades on both sides of the “pond”, I knew the slang and intent. This well written book was hilarious and I will be reading the rest of the book series. The ideal domaine was found, and bought, but what happened after the movers removed the home’s furnishings I leave for the next reader. Five huge stars!

The Newbie’s Guide to Building an Actual Audience — The Art of Blogging

May21

Your posts are good. You know your niche. You know how to use words to convey ideas in just the right way. But the bitter truth is that you won’t build the audience you want just by delivering good content. Or great content. Or one-in-a-million type of content. What else is there, you ask? Well…

via The Newbie’s Guide to Building an Actual Audience — The Art of Blogging

6 Ideas for Promoting Your Book While Watching TV – by Sandra Beckwith… — Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog

May16

on The Book Designer: I’m one of those people who likes to watch TV to unwind, but just can’t sit there and watch TV. Know what I mean? I don’t really like that about myself, but I’ve not only accepted it, I’ve learned to take advantage of it. I try to do something productive while […]

via 6 Ideas for Promoting Your Book While Watching TV – by Sandra Beckwith… — Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog

This entry was posted on May 16, 2020. 2 Comments

5 Quick Fixes for making the most of ‘Author Central’ (and why it should be a Top Priority) – by Penny Sansevieri… — Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog

May15

on Indie Reader: I’m a HUGE fan of free book promotion strategies and one of the best ones out there that can tend to be overlooked is Amazon Author Central. If you haven’t updated your profile in a while, or maybe haven’t even set it up, don’t worry, you’re not alone. After reading this article, […]

via 5 Quick Fixes for making the most of ‘Author Central’ (and why it should be a Top Priority) – by Penny Sansevieri… — Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog

This entry was posted on May 15, 2020. 2 Comments

The Only Two Writing Tips You’ll Ever Need: Read and Write – by Melissa Donovan… — Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog

May14

on Writing Forward: I love collecting writing tips. You never know when you’re going to stumble across a golden nugget of wisdom that will make your writing richer and more vibrant. One of the reasons I started this website was so that I could share the many valuable tips that I’ve collected over the years. […]

via The Only Two Writing Tips You’ll Ever Need: Read and Write – by Melissa Donovan… — Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog

The 3 Ms of Character Setup – by C.S. Lakin… — Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog

May12

on Jane Friedman site: Fiction writers are told to get their readers to bond quickly with their characters—in particular the protagonist. In few pages, they must make the hero of their story empathetic, relatable, and understandable. Wow, that’s a herculean task. How long does it take us to truly “get” a person we meet? Five […]

via The 3 Ms of Character Setup – by C.S. Lakin… — Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog

Writers Live The Life – Right? (Revisited) — Writing your first novel-Things you should know

May12

Most people think writers live the life. Writers lay around in pajamas writing stories and making millions of dollars. They control their schedule, and of course, travel to exotic places all over the world. I can picture it now. I’m sitting on a lounge chair, drinking a cold glass of lemonade, and looking out as […]

via Writers Live The Life – Right? (Revisited) — Writing your first novel-Things you should know

Fat Dogs and French Estates, Part 1

May5

Beth

Amazon book blurb: 

“Buying a country estate in France seemed such a simple thing to accomplish. When Beth, her irascible husband Jack, and their two fat dogs set off, little do they know that it will become such an extraordinary adventure. Surviving near-death experiences, they drive thousands of kilometres around French estates steeped in history and crazy aristocrats. Will they find their dream home, or return to Britain defeated? This is the hilarious first installment in the Fat Dogs series.”

My review:

I just finished reading Fat Dogs and French Estates, Part 1, by Beth Haslam. I totally found this book to be full of fun and European style humor. Hopping around France while looking at estates that weren’t really what the specs had written, and meeting quite few eccentric persons whose characters are well written, made me laugh to myself many times. I must say that I don’t find Jack to be “irascible” at all. This is a short read, easy to finish in less than a day. Five Stars.