Please welcome Miriam Thor to my blog. Good morning to all! Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.

My name is Miriam Thor. I am originally from Louisiana, although I spent over a decade living in North Carolina. My husband and I recently moved to Alabama.

In addition to being an author, I am a sign language interpreter at an elementary school, and I have six adorable cats that I love dearly.

• Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book? (If you are here as an invite to promo your small business, then please write your own questions and provide relevant photos and links, thank you.)

I discovered my love of writing in second grade. My teacher encouraged me to write to my heart’s content, so I did and never stopped.

I didn’t really “know” it was time to write my first book. I started writing fantasy novels in middle school but only completed a few chapters. In high school, I had the idea for the story that became my first novel, Listening to the Rain, but I didn’t finish writing the full first draft of the novel until I was 23.

• How difficult was it writing your first book?

Writing Listening to the Rain was quite challenging. As I mentioned, I first had the idea when I was a teenager, but I was extremely busy in high school and college. I managed to write the first few chapters during that time, but I didn’t commit to writing it until my first year out of college.

When I finished the first draft, I thought I was done, except for proofreading, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I completely rewrote the first three chapters multiple times. I did numerous revisions, including deleting entire chapters, before it was accepted for publication.

I actually had two novellas published before Listening to the Rain, but I still consider it my first book because I wrote it first.

• Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

I’ve never wanted to give up. Writing is my passion, and I will continue writing, even if I never get published again.

I have definitely felt discouraged when it comes to getting published, though. A couple of the rejections I received for Listening to the Rain made me wonder if it would ever be published. When I get discouraged, I often take a short break and focus on writing something just for fun.

• Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

My husband and my parents are supportive of me and my dream to be a writer. I also have a few special friends who are willing to be my beta-readers. It is very hard to say which of them is most supportive because they have all been wonderful in that regard.

• Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Thank you for reading my stories, and I hope you find them both enjoyable and edifying.

• What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

The best advice that comes to mind is something my husband told me: It’s okay not to be perfect because God loves me exactly as I am.

That’s something that others have told me in the past but that I have had a lot of trouble internalizing, in my writing and otherwise.

• What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

For Listening to the Rain, my target audience is teenage girls, especially Christian girls. I feel like the main character, Ally, is someone they can really relate to, because she is someone I would have related to at that age.

Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

My publisher, Pelican Book Group, took care of making the cover, although I gave ideas. They did a wonderful job of incorporating the ideas I gave them, and I am very grateful.

What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

Currently, I am working on a young adult fantasy series. I don’t want to share too much about it, but here is one of my favorite quotes from the protagonist:

“That boy is a he not an it, and if you think meeting a deadline is more important than a citizen’s life, then this land is better off without you.”

Any last words before we wrap things up?

Thank you so much for having me on your blog!

I’m happy to host you, Miriam.

Blog: https://threecs.org

Author website: https://miriamthor17.wixsite.com/author

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/people/Miriam-Thor-Cats-Coruscant-and-Castles-in-the-Air/100063738865282/

Twitter: @Miriam_Thor17, https://twitter.com/Miriam_Thor17

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18283324.Miriam_Thor

Instagram: https://instagram.com/miriamthor17

TikTok: @miriamthor398

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Listening-Rain-Miriam-Thor-ebook/dp/B09VS27PHW

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/listening-to-the-rain-miriam-thor/1141235963

Book Title: The Black Madonna

Series: Roundheads & Cavaliers (Book 1 of 4)

Author: Stella Riley

Publication Date: 31^st May 2013

Publisher: Stella Riley

Page Length: 622

Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance

Twitter Handles: @RileyStella @cathiedunn

Instagram Handles:  @stellarileybooks @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #TheBlackMadonna #EnglishCivilWar #Blog Tour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2022/12/blog-tour-black-madonna-by-stella-riley.html  

Book Title and Author Name:

The Black Madonna

by Stella Riley

(Audiobook narrated by Alex Wyndham)

Blurb:

As England slides into Civil War, master-goldsmith and money-lender, Luciano Falcieri del Santi embarks on his own hidden agenda. A chance meeting one dark night results in an unlikely friendship with Member of Parliament, Richard Maxwell. Richard’s daughter, Kate – a spirited girl who vows to hold their home against both Cavalier and Roundhead – soon finds herself fighting an involuntary attraction to the clever, magnetic and diabolically beautiful Italian.

Hampered by the warring English, his quest growing daily more dangerous, Luciano begins to realise that his own life and that of everyone close to him rests on the knife-edge of success … for only success will permit him to reclaim the Black Madonna and offer his heart to the girl he loves.

From the machinations within Parliament to the last days of the King’s cause, The Black Madonna is an epic saga of passion and intrigue at a time when England was lost in a dark and bloody conflict.

Buy Links:

*Only £1.95 / $1.95 for the duration of the Blog Tour*

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bPNKpd

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Madonna-Roundheads-Cavaliers-Book-ebook/dp/B00D4CF3LM/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Madonna-Roundheads-Cavaliers-Book-ebook/dp/B00D4CF3LM/

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Black-Madonna-Roundheads-Cavaliers-Book-ebook/dp/B00D4CF3LM/

Amazon AU:  https://www.amazon.com.au/Black-Madonna-Roundheads-Cavaliers-Book-ebook/dp/B00D4CF3LM/

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-black-madonna-stella-riley/1115550936?ean=2940044562431

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-black-madonna-5

Apple:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-black-madonna/id659127225

Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/321222

Audio:  https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Black-Madonna-Audiobook/B07SYMJ11G

Excerpt:

Excerpt 7 (1425 words)

The ruin of Thomas Ferrars – Luciano’s first act of vengeance

On Wednesday morning, Luciano prepared precisely as before for what he expected to be his final meeting with Thomas Ferrars. Having equipped himself with every advantage he could think of, it did not seem that anything could go wrong this time … nor, with the clock ticking steadily away in Genoa, must it be allowed to do so. 

Thomas arrived, shaking, on the stroke of eleven and sat on the same strategically placed chair he had occupied before.  Then, addressing the shadowy figure of the man who was either his torturer or his life-line, he said abruptly, ‘I – I’ve brought them.  Alice’s jewels.’

‘Put them on the table.  I’ll look at them presently.  I trust your wife saw the wisdom of surrendering them?’

‘No.’ Thomas tugged at his collar, recalling the horrible scene when Alice had caught him emptying her coffer and the unbelievably cruel things she had said.  ‘No.  I don’t want to talk about it.’

‘Then let us address the business in hand.’  Luciano surveyed his prey clinically and took his time about continuing. Then he said coolly, ‘As matters stand, you are completely insolvent.  The shop-keepers of the town will supply you with no further goods until your various accounts are paid – but you can’t do that without increasing the already substantial amount you owe me.  None of the other money-lenders will touch you with an eighteen-foot pike … and even wealthy acquaintances such as Cyrus Winter are loath to help you.’  He paused and, in response to the other man’s expression, said, ‘How do I know that?  Suffice it to say that the extent of my knowledge might surprise you.  However … to resume.  You’ve brought me security in the form of jewellery to support both your existing bond and the additional sum you have asked for – and presently we shall determine if it is equal to the task.  But first we have to consider the fact that, in a little over a week, I shall require you to pay me the last quarter’s interest.  And we both know you won’t be able to do it.’

Ferrars’ skin felt clammy and he could see the bottom of the pit rushing up to meet him. In a voice which seemed to come from a long way off, he said, ‘You’re refusing me?’

‘At the moment I am merely establishing the precariousness of your position,’ came the maddeningly calm reply.  ‘It seems to have escaped your notice that this is not simply a question of whether I will or will not help you out of your present predicament. It is whether or not I will bankrupt you.’

‘Oh God.’ Ferrars drove his face into his hands.  ‘Oh God. What can I do?’

‘You can cast your mind back to the year of your marriage,’ said Luciano with severely controlled impassivity. ‘And you can tell me everything you know about the trial of Alessandro Falcieri.’

The lank brown head came up revealing a face contorted with shock.

‘Wh-what?’

‘You heard me.  The case of Rex versus Falcieri – in which you and three others gave evidence for the prosecution.’  There was a long, terrible silence. ‘The case in which you perjured yourself for the purpose of sending an innocent man to the gallows.  I’m sure you remember it.  And please don’t try convincing me that you don’t know what I’m talking about or that you didn’t lie under oath.  I’ve spoken to Samuel Fisher.’  Luciano took a folded document from the table and held it lightly between his fingers. ‘I also have the trial record.’

Ferrars seemed to shrink in his chair.  He said, ‘Then you know it all. There’s n-nothing more I can tell you.’

‘On the contrary.  You can tell me how it was done … and why.’  An undercurrent of nameless danger flowed through the melodious voice.  ‘You ought to be grateful, Mr Ferrars. I am giving you the chance to unburden your soul and engage my sympathy.  Or would you rather I had simply sent someone to knife you in the back one dark night?  Surely not.  And you must have realised that – after so long and with what I already know – nothing you can say is likely to make matters any worse for you than they are at this minute.’

Slowly, very slowly, comprehension filtered into the numb disorder of Thomas Ferrars brain.

‘You – you bought my bond because of this? And the shops … it was you who – who made them stop my credit.  It was you.  All the time, it was you … because of this!’  He stopped, trying to suck some air back into his lungs.  And then, with a kind of compulsive horror, ‘Who are you?’

‘I think you know.’  For the first time, Luciano came out of the shadows into the light and gave Ferrars time to look at him. ‘I am Alessandro Falcieri’s son.’

Ferrars stared at him, incapable of speech, movement or even of coherent thought.  He looked at the well-cut black clothes, the long, fine-boned hands and the slight irregularity of the left shoulder; and then with petrified reluctance into the sculpted face with its hard mouth and fathomless eyes.  His heart gave a single, heavy thud and seemed to plummet into his stomach. 

‘And now,’ continued Luciano inexorably, ‘we will proceed. You robbed me of my father, my home, my childhood and caused the death of my mother. And I have brought you to this point so that you may attempt to justify yourself. What, for example, had Alessandro Falcieri done to you?’

‘N-nothing.’ The word arrived on a choking gasp.  ‘It … it wasn’t like that.’

‘No?  Then how was it?’

‘It wasn’t my idea – you’ve got to believe that!  I was in d-debt to your father and I couldn’t pay because I’d have lost Alice even before the betrothal contracts were signed.  But I never meant to harm anybody.  I – I just did as I was told.’

‘By whom?’

Ferrars’ eyes slid away and his knuckles glowed white on the arms of his chair.

‘Giles Langley.’

Luciano took his time about replying.  Then, silkily, ‘How very convenient.  He’s dead.’

‘I can’t help that.  He’d lost a fortune on the Cadiz expedition and if Falcieri had foreclosed on him, he’d have found himself in the Fleet.  So he – he – oh God.  It was his idea, I tell you!’

There was another eviscerating silence.

‘Mr Ferrars … I don’t believe you.  Look at me.’  Luciano waited till he’d collected the frightened gaze and then said crisply, ‘Rid yourself of the notion that there is any easy way out.  There isn’t.  I want the truth.  Now start again.’

‘All right – all right!’  His nerves at breaking point, the only thing Thomas Ferrars wanted was to be allowed to leave. ‘I – I had a letter.  It w-wasn’t signed so it may have come from Langley or – or one of the others.  Or perhaps they all had one too.  I don’t know.  And that’s the truth. I d-don’t know. We never – we never spoke of it.  And when it was over, we went our separate ways.  I don’t even know where they are any more – and I’ll swear that on anything you l-like!’

This, decided Luciano clinically, had both a certain logic and, at last, a ring of truth.  He said, ‘And the letter?’

‘It told me what to do.  I was to go to his Grace of Buckingham’s secretary and say I’d overhead Falcieri and some others plotting to assassinate the Duke.  I was also to say that I’d got the impression the Italian was passing information to Richelieu about the Duke’s plans to take La Rochelle.  I was to give them the dates and places supplied in the letter and say …’  He stopped, the sheer hopelessness of it overcoming him.  ‘But you’ve got the record.  You know what I said.’

‘Yes.’ Luciano turned unhurriedly to the requisite page and read aloud from it.  “I heard the accused say that a clear shot might be taken from the upper window of one of the buildings overlooking King Street and that he had found an expert marksman who was willing to undertake the commission in return for two thousand in gold.”  He stopped and looked up.  ‘Since this conversation is supposed to have taken place with a Florentine, it’s odd that it appears to have been held in English.  Forse si capisce l’Italiano?’  He paused again, head tilted in gentle enquiry.  ‘I asked if you perhaps understand Italian, Mr Ferrars.  Obviously, you don’t.’ 

Author Bio:

Stella Riley

Winner of three gold medals for historical romance (Readers’ Favourite in 2019, Book Excellence Awards in 2020, Global Book Awards in 2022) and fourteen B.R.A.G. Medallions, Stella Riley lives in the beautiful medieval town of Sandwich in Kent.

She is fascinated by the English Civil Wars and has written six books set in that period. These, like the seven-book Rockliffe series (recommended in The Times newspaper!) and the Brandon Brothers trilogy, are all available in audio, narrated by Alex Wyndham.

Stella enjoys travel, reading, theatre, Baroque music and playing the harpsichord. She also has a fondness for men with long hair – hence her 17th and 18th century heroes.

Social Media Links:

Website: https://stellarileybooks.co.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RileyStella

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stellariley.books

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/riley9631/stella-riley-books/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/stella-riley

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stella-Riley/e/B0034PB7UU/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50913323-the-black-madonna

Book Link

From Amazon:

Lose yourself in a voyage to exotic lands in this feel good story about second chances and new beginnings.

When Halcyon Seas, a luxury alternative to retirement living, sets sail on her maiden voyage, three women on board dream of a better future.

Will Captain Marianne Moore prove herself capable in her new role? Her career depends on it.
Will Cabin maid Olivia Rose be able to keep her secret and her job? Her impoverished family relies on her wages.
And will pensioner Alice Wagstaff finally find the courage to live the life she wants?
When the cruise ship veers off course, the future is uncertain and dangerous.
Can the three women embrace this new direction, or will the journey of a lifetime turn into a living nightmare?

My Review:

This novel is actually a number of stories connected by a chain of events during the first forever cruise sailed. I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise, and now I have. Most of this story takes place on Madagascar. Reading about the ports of call was a dream for me. The love, the angst, the drama, and the way the novel evolved ensured something new was happening every day and people’s lives changed for the better.

Book Link

From Amazon:

Three women, one dream: to become a successful author.

Eden Taylor has made it—big time. A twenty-three year old with model girl looks and a book deal with a major publisher, she’s outselling the established names in her field and is fast becoming the darling of the media.

Becky Hunter has money problems. Can she earn enough from her light-hearted romance novels to counteract boyfriend Alex’s extravagant spending habits, before their rocky world collapses?

Hard up factory worker Jan Chilver sees writing as an escape from her troubled, lonely life. She is offered a lifeline—but fails to read the small print…

In the competitive world of publishing, success can be merely a matter of who you know—and how ruthless you are prepared to be to get to the top.

BEST SELLER is a novella of 40k words (roughly half as long as an average length novel), a dark, edgy drama with a twist in the tale.

My Review:

I did NOT see this coming! Tyler had written an excellent book with all the drama dreamt up as only creatives can do. since the MC and some of her friends wrote books, it touched me as a writer. This book does not tell you how to write. It does have many pitfalls and feelings of rejection that writers often receive. This novel is great to read as a reader and as a writer both.

Gallery link, painting link

Book Link

From Amazon:

Elwyn escapes reality by entering another world through her magical blanket. In this blue realm, her plush pup comes to life and they have colorful adventures. There are mystical creatures to go visit and discover. Everyone is invited to the queen’s feast except for one unwelcomed monster. In the end, Elwyn finds out this unwanted monster is the key to heal her broken heart. Learn about family, love and loss in this picturebook through rhyme.

My Review:

Napolitano has written and illustrated an adorable picture book for kids. Includes lovely rhymes and the graphics are bright. The MC is a young girl who has adventures after bedtime. Under her blanket is a magical realm of creatures and lessons on being kind, even to a monster, creates a beautiful friendship. Five shiny gold stars.

So…I did a thing this morning. I hit 1M plus tweets, retweets and pinning to Pinterest, replies, etc… on Twitter. My gift given freely to help others.

Book Title: A Rip in the Veil

Series: The Graham Saga

Author: Anna Belfrage

Publication Date: Originally, 2012, but the new, re-edited version January 2023

Publisher: Timelight Press

Page Length: 370

Genre: Historical Fiction, Time Travel Romance

Twitter Handle: @abelfrageauthor @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @annabelfrageauthor @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #TimeTravelRomance #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule page:  https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2022/12/blog-tour-rip-in-veil-by-anna-belfrage.html

Book Title and Author Name:

A Rip in the Veil

By Anna Belfrage

Blurb:

On a muggy August day in 2002 Alex Lind disappears. On an equally stifling August day in 1658, Matthew Graham finds her on a Scottish moor.  Life will never be the same for Alex – or for Matthew.

Alexandra Lind is thrown three centuries backwards in time to land at the feet of escaped convict Matthew Graham.

Matthew doesn’t know what to make of this strange woman who has seemingly fallen from the skies—what is she, a witch?

Alex is convinced the tall, gaunt man is some sort of hermit, an oddball, but she quickly realises the odd one out is she, not he.

Catapulted from a life of modern comfort, Alex grapples with her new existence, further complicated by the dawning realization that someone from her time has followed her here—and not exactly to extend a helping hand.

Potential compensation for this brutal shift in fate comes in the shape of Matthew, a man she should never have met, not when she was born three centuries after him. But Matthew comes with baggage of his own and on occasion his past threatens them both. At times Alex finds it all excessively exciting, longing for the structured life she used to have.

How will she ever get back? And more importantly, does she really want to?

Buy Links:

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Link: http://myBook.to/ARIV1

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071VP9V5F

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VP9V5F

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B071VP9V5F

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B071VP9V5F

Guest post – dressing for success in the seventeenth century

In a A Rip in the Veil—the first book in The Graham Saga—the unfortunate (or not, depending how one sees it) Alex Lind has the misfortune of falling three centuries backwards in time to land at the feet of Matthew Graham. Matthew Graham is a devout Presbyterian who has fought in the Commonwealth armies in the Civil War. To Alex, he is initially very strange. Heck, the entire situation is strange: no, wait—it’s impossible!

Matthew is as taken aback as Alex is—perhaps even more, as the only explanation to her sudden appearance in his life must be magic. Or? Besides, what is the woman wearing? Those tight, tight breeches she calls ‘djeens” showcase her every curve, as do her other garments. No, had she been his woman, he’d never have allowed her to set a foot outside dressed like that, all of her exposed, like.

Alex quickly realises that in this new time she has to adapt. ASAP. And one of the first things she must embrace is an entire new wardrobe. “Yay me,” she mutters as she shakes out shift and petticoats and heavy skirts and bodice and. . .

I must admit that I wasn’t entirely thrilled when Alex landed in 1658. The seventeenth century is not my sartorial favourite – especially when it comes to male fashion.

This period dress thing is difficult.

First of all, as the writer of historical fiction it is important to understand what people wore, who wore what and how it was worn. In some cases it’s straightforward: stockings cover your feet and the nether part of your legs no matter if you live in the twentieth century or the fifteenth. But take that rather ugly male adornment that Henry VIII was so proud of flaunting – the codpiece – and I am somewhat stumped. How did it work? ( Okay, so I’ve looked this up; strings, buttons or hooks kept this decorative little (hmm) flap of fabric in place.)

Secondly, it helps if the writer in question finds the period attire alluring in some way or other. It’s difficult to write convincingly about handsome men in codpieces and padded breeches when all you see in your head is something resembling a man in a huge diaper.

Finally, there must be a familiarity with how people dress and undress. “He told her to turn around and zipped up her gown,” is not a good description of the intimacy between man and wife in the fourteenth century. (BTW, the modern zipper owes a lot to Swedish inventor Gideon Sundback. It’s nice to know us Swedes have contributed to human development: dynamite, zippers, gauge blocks, the AGA cooker.) Having exploring male fingers encountering panties in the sixteenth century is also something of an anachronism, and should the dashing regency rake pulls down his boxers you’re not reading historical fiction, you’re reading about a masquerade.

To avoid such gaffes, I’ve spent a lot of time researching the period and have accordingly done my fair share of staring at what few clothes survive from the seventeenth century—like James II’s elegant attire exhibited in the Victoria & Albert museum. Okay, so that is later in the century, but all that lace, all those embroideries, and that gigantic wig! Plus, the high heels on the shoes. . . Nope, not at all my cup of tea.

Earlier in the 1600s, men wore wide breeches, sashes, lace, ribbons—like these young and elegant Stuart brothers in Van Dyke’s portrait.

To the seventeenth century young girl, they were likely delectable. To Alex, not so much. She’d be hard put not to laugh her head off. So it is fortunate that when she first meets Matthew, he is in a ragged shirt and equally ragged breeches, fleeing from pursuing soldiers. It is also fortunate that Matthew would no more adorn himself with ribbons than he would dance attendance on the king—he is a man of Parliamentarian convictions. No, Matthew wears plain and well-made clothes, now and then adorned with a ruffled cuff or an elegant collar. 

Obviously, Matthew expects this new female companion of his to dress sedately, which is how Alex finds herself obliged to re-learn just how to dress.

In the seventeenth century, there were no bras, no panties. Instead, the undergarment is a shapeless elongated linen shirt that comes to just below the knees. This shift is worn over stockings that come to just above the knee and are fastened by garters.

“I can help you with those,” Matthew suggests, and there is a twinkle in his eyes as he helps Alex fasten the stockings with pink ribbons. Just because he doesn’t wear ribbons, it doesn’t mean she can’t, he says. In fact, he rather likes the fact that she is wearing them—and that he tied them into place.

Over the shift—which also doubles as nightgown—Alex now dons a corset.

“Ugh!” she groans as she tightens into place. The corset she has ties in front—only people who can afford a ladies maid have corsets that tie in the back. She has to struggle a bit to get it to sit right, and then there are the petticoats, tied into place at her waist and falling to mid-calf. Only the very, very rich have garments that fall all the way to the floor. Most women have skirts high enough to allow them to work and walk without dragging the hem in the dirt.

“Here.” Matthew hands her the heavy skirts. And yes, they are heavy, making it hard to, for example, run. Or jump a fence. Once Alex has stepped into them, he helps her tighten them into place. A bodice, a shawl to cover what may remain exposed of her chest and then Matthew holds out a cap.

“No way!” She backs away, staring at the embroidered linen coif.

“You must cover your hair,” he says.

She refuses.

There is a slight. . . er . . . argument. Things end in a compromise: she will not cover her hair indoors, but otherwise she will either wear a coif or a hat. Matthew would prefer both, but he is pragmatic enough to realise this isn’t a battle he will win. Besides, Alex is having to handle a lot of change as it is.

“Tell me about it,” she mutters. She isn’t overly impressed with the food. Or the lack of chocolate. Or of tea. “I thought they had tea in the seventeenth century,” she groans.

“They do,” I tell her, “but it is very, very expensive.”

“Oh.” She gnaws her lip, her shoulders slumping. Which is probably why Matthew expends a ridiculous amount on a ridiculous small quantity of tea next time he goes to Edinburgh, pleased by the way she lights up from within when he hands the precious package over.

Over time, Alex will become accustomed to her new clothes, even if she will quite often think longingly of jeans and sweatshirts, of Converse and shop-bought socks. (She hates to knit)

But while she adapts to her new life on the outside, she remains a woman of modern conviction and outlook, which will now and then cause her quite some problems in her new time. It is fortunate that she has Matthew to guide her. On the other hand, there will be countless of occasions when Matthew will owe his life and sanity to her, the strange lass he found concussed and burned on an empty Scottish moor. Two halves made whole are my Alex and Matthew, no matter such details as sartorial arguments!

Author Bio:

Anna Belfrage

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England. 

Anna has also published The Wanderer, a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense trilogy with paranormal and time-slip ingredients.

Her Castilian Heart is the third in her “Castilian” series, a stand-alone sequel to her September 2020 release, His Castilian Hawk. Set against the complications of Edward I’s invasion of Wales, His Castilian Hawk is a story of loyalty, integrity—and love. In the second instalment, The Castilian Pomegranate, we travel with the protagonists to the complex political world of medieval Spain. This latest release finds our protagonists back in England—not necessarily any safer than the wilds of Spain!

Anna has also authored The Whirlpools of Time in which she returns to the world of time travel. Join Duncan and the somewhat reluctant time-traveller Erin on their adventures through the Scottish Highlands just as the first Jacobite rebellion is about to explode!

All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.

Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com 

Social Media Links:

Website: www.annabelfrage.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abelfrageauthor

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

Instagram: https://instagram.com/annabelfrageauthor

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-belfrage

Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/ABG

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6449528.Anna_Belfrage

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Reviewed by Ivy Logan, Author

Writing a book about your life is like opening the door to your home and welcoming strangers in. They are free to judge and to pass comments. Why do it, though? Because doing so often frees you up from the burden of memories and nightmares from the past that prey upon your mind when you’re all alone, and the shadows surround you.
Her Alibi by Mary Schmidt is one such book where the author opens her heart out. She does so without asking for or seeking pity. She shares her story bravely, head held high, without getting emotional and tearful. As the name suggests her mother most likely used her as an alibi, in an attempt to kill her stepfather (and may I add, she succeeds.) But the book details more the events leading up to his death. Her Alibi takes a look, up close and personal at the murderous intentions and rage of a woman who should have never been a wife, let alone a mother~ Mary’s mother, Marguerite. Looking at young Mary’s life filled with beatings, torture, negligence and watching it accelerate to Mary becoming an alibi to a murder is heart breaking. Her Alibi is hard hitting, and packs a punch. Author Mary L Schmidt definitely doesn’t look at life through rose tinted glasses and you know what, she isn’t apologetic about it. She seems to be a person who embraces life in all its glory and it’s ugliness too.

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From Amazon: What you see is not always what you get. In fact, what you see may be nothing at all.

Finding a woman attacked and left for dead in her driveway hadn’t been anywhere near San Antonio law enforcement consultant Gracie Hofner’s cold January plans. She immediately jumps into action and soon discovers a link to what appears to be a benign local research institution. Of course, what seems to be often isn’t, and it takes a series of explosive illusions that rock a small slice of the city before Gracie and her coworkers understand the fuller picture: a rogue relationship between the research group and a corrupt faction inside the Pentagon. The shadow elements responsible for the explosions must be stopped before illusion becomes reality and mind-created objects become real and tangible… and deadly.

Gracie Hofner is back on a new assignment in her first standalone Amazing Gracie Mystery. Get your copy today and see why readers love Gracie. She’s amazing!

My Review:

This was a very awesome read that is scifi plus love, persons who had special abilities, like cloaking to make one invisible, with a few clones along the way. It was nice to see Bastion and feds work together to bring the crimes to conclusion and have a happy ending.