Book Launch - Paranormal Warwickhsire by S.C. Skilman

 

Good morning, Bookaholics. I have a treat for you today as my friend and fellow author, S.C. Skilman has a book released today. You may be wondering why I am hosting an author writing a book about the Paranormal - on a Sunday fo all days. Sheila, as she is known to her friends, brings aspects of spirituality into her books and teases this out. I love her books. So, let's give Sheila a warm welcome to Bookaholics. 

Thank you, Wendy, for offering me this chance to appear on your blog on the day my new book is launched.

Paranormal Warwickshire investigates the curious tales at numerous locations in this, the county of William Shakespeare. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he is widely celebrated, Shakespeare called Warwickshire his home, and although he did find great success in London with his troupe of actors, The King’s Men, he eventually returned to his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon, to live out his final years in his beautiful manor house at New Place. Indeed, it is thought he wrote The Tempest there. It is in this play that we may find the spirit Ariel, servant to Prospero the Magician. I love Shakespeare’s spirits and perhaps my favourite is the mischievous Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Shakespeare’s plays are full of ghosts and spirits, and so I have taken this as my theme for the book. It was easy for me to find quotes from the Bard which enriched or threw into sharp relief my own feelings about each place I visited.

Among the stories in my book we may find several theatre ghosts. It is well known members of the acting profession are superstitious. Actors observe many strange rituals before going on stage to perform; and despite all protestations otherwise, most of them continue to treat Macbeth with great caution. Within the pages of my book I share stories about the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and about Rugby Theatre. Iconic castles, manor houses, abbeys and churches all appear in my pages.

But fear not, there are many stories in my book about everyday places, with working people going about their business. I share stories from trespassing teenagers; retail staff and customers; pub chefs; tourists; and workmen on building sites. Once you start looking for them, showing a readiness to listen to people, and ensuring you have your audio recorder to hand, curious anecdotes and strange first-person accounts are never far away!

Paranormal Warwickshire is out today: 15th November 2020

I hope you will enjoy reading the stories as much as I enjoyed researching them!

Thank you, Sheila. I love Shakespeare and I am looking forward to reading this. 

Sheila is a fabulous writer, my Bookaholic friends, and I know you are going to love this book. See you back here soon, and until then keep on reading and writing. 

Buy Links:

https://www.amberley-books.com/coming-soon/paranormal-warwickshire.html

https://www.waterstones.com/book/paranormal-warwickshire/s-c-skillman/9781445698267

https://amzn.to/2IEt28F

https://bit.ly/3ngKmzo



Social Media Links:



Website and blog: https://scskillman.com/

Amazon Author Profile: http://bitly.ws/9SK9

https://www.facebook.com/scskillmanauthor

https://twitter.com/scskillman

https://www.instagram.com/scskillman/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/scskillman/_created/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sc-skillman-42347a47/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4692653.S_C_Skillman

How to Launch your Book with a Bang - and a Curse

My first young Adult book, The Dagger's Curse was launched at Waterstones Bookshop, Dundee on 10th September. Now, as I have four adult books out I was used to launches but I wanted this one to be different and ties in with the theme of the book. So how do you make a launch go with a bang.

I wanted the launch to tie in with the storyline of the book which is:

An ancient Egyptian dagger.
A hungry curse.
A city under siege.

In the dead of night the ancient dagger is stolen from the museum in Dundee. As mysterious accidents, illness and even death stalk the city, the Detective Duo, Fergus Bernstein and Flora MacDonald, follow clues that lead them into ever increasing danger. Can they find the dagger and break the curse before it’s too late?

Firstly build up the suspense, both before and during the launch. Before the day I let everyone know that there would be several surprises and that this was a launch not to be missed. The launch was on a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed. So the first thing you need to do to make your launch go with a bang is make sure there is an audience who are expectant of great things happening.

As the first part of the book takes part in Ancient Egypt I appeared in Egyptian garb. It's a good job I don't take myself too seriously as I was fighting a losing battle with my headdress which was slowly slipping off. It wasn't on too long anyway as I did a quick striptease and was in shorts and a t-shirt underneath. This tied in with one of the main characters of the book, Flora MacDonald who wears brightly coloured clothing. Second piece of advice when it comes to launching a book. Don't take yourself too seriously. 

As part of the talk I had a friend with me. Stuart Archibald runs a theatrical armoury and just happened to have the cursed dagger in his armoury. This was a fully sharpened live dagger, so police permission was required for it to be in the bookshop. I started my talk by building up the suspense about the cursed dagger being in the store. When I reached the part of the book about the curse being released he opened the steel case and the light shone out as the curse was released. Cue gasps and delighted chatter from the audience. Everyone, children and adults alike, wanted their photograph taken with the cursed dagger. Third tip for a successful book launch use as much drama and theatrical shenanigans as you can. The audience love it. 

My last tip for a successful launch is be ready to sign plenty of books. Waterstones had given me my own display with plenty of books and a book signing table. As always the staff were helpful and accommodating and I owe a great deal of thanks to them for putting up with cursed daggers in the store. 

I will finish by saying, whatever genre you write in, think of ways in which you can make your launch different. Then go for it, make it as much fun as possible and enjoy yourself. 

You can buy the books from Waterstones bookshops in the UK
You an buy signed copies of the book on my website 

Available on Amazon 

10 Essential Steps in the Lead up to a Physical Book Launch

Excitement levels are high in the Bookaholic Camp this week. It is just 3 days until the launch of Killer's Craft, the second book in the DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries. This means I have been busy getting ready for the event. This got me thinking about everything an author to do on the lead up to the launch of a book. 

1. My first point, and probably the most crucial is to start planning your launch early. If you plan on holding your launch in a bookshop approach them as soon as you have a date for publication. Bookshops hold a lot of events and you may find that the day or week you want is not available for your date. If you are not going to be using a bookshop then decide which venue you would like to use and book it. 

2. Create a buzz about the event a few weeks in advance. This can be done in many ways:

• Tell your friends and family
• Use social media wisely. It is important not to spam the heck out of every group on Facebook or any other social media site. This is not a formal invite but teasers about the event

3. Use teasers to let the excitement build. These can include cover reveal, blurb reveal, photos of the books arriving, letting people know that your event calendar is filling up. I am sure there are many more. If you have any innovative ideas then please let me knowing the comments. 

4. Create flyers for the event, and leave them in the bookshop, libraries, or anywhere else you think may be appropriate. For example, a local Cafe which I use asked me when the book launch was and asked me if I had any flyers they could display.

5. This one may be out of your control as it is up to the bookstore. Waterstones added to the general buzz by creating an event on Facebook. 

6. Invite people and create a list of names. This is so you can get an idea of numbers. Your venue will need to know so they have enough chairs etc. Remember if you re inviting people through social media not everyone on your friends list lives close enough to come to a launch. Invite only the relevant people before you start to annoy everyone in far flung lands. 

7. If you are published through your own imprint then make sure that the books are uploaded to the relevant sites, such as Amazon and SmashWords, in time for the publication date. This may take a few days after upload so do not leave it until the last minute.

8. This is also crucial. Make sure you order books to a arrive in plenty of time. This needs to include time for the bookstore to get them into their system ready for the day. 

9. This one is down to personal preference. I have food and drink at my launch. I provide the food and Waterstones provides wine and soft drinks. It gives a real party atmosphere and also means that guests have something to do if there is a large queue for book signing. It also allows for people to chat in general, and your books specifically.

10. The most important one of all. Have fun. Book launches are a blast and it is your chance to show yourself off as an author and a person. Enjoy every minute of your hour in the spotlight.

So there we have it my Bookaholic friends. If you think of anything else that should be done on the lead up to a launch then please let me know in the comments. I am always open to new ideas and suggestions.

Merrilyn Williams Writing Fiction as Mel Menzies

Today on the blog we welcome Merrilyn Williams who writes as Mel Menzies. Thank you for joining us Merrilyn

What was your favourite subject at school?

English literature. I loved reading from an early age. By the time I was ten, I was completely hooked on Charles Dickens, could quote passages of Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Keats and Byron. Just wish I could still remember them!

So you were a reader before becoming a writer?
Absolutely! I went to an old fashioned convent primary school where ink pots and dip-in pens were still in use! I seemed to be unable to handle this without getting ink everywhere, and was often sent out of class for making a mess. Ironically, ‘naughty’ children were expected to sit in the library. I don’t need to tell you how often I ended up in there!

What made you want to write?
Writing for me, as a child, was both an escape and it was cathartic. I didn’t fit in with my family, who were all extroverts, so I needed somewhere to hide. And where better than the attic where all my father’s books were kept?

Also, because I invariably seemed to be in trouble – ‘sent to bed with bread and water’ was the phrase used – writing about my feelings was therapeutic to me. I didn’t keep a diary as such, but I suppose what I was doing was journaling. I came across some of this quite recently, in which I’d listed all the ways in which I felt I failed as a fourteen year old. Far too many to include here!

Tell us something about your previous books and how you got started with your new book, Time to Shine
New writers are always told to ‘write about what you know’. I’d written a number of books - testimony about how I’d coped with the various circumstances life had thrown at me - and I’d been commissioned by mainstream publishers to write other people’s life-stories. So, with a dozen books behind me, one of which was in the top ten bestseller list, I’m far from being a newbie.

However, I’d had a gap of some years when work commitments for my employers made it impossible for me to write. So when I started writing Time to Shine, I felt it was like starting again.

Consequently, I drew on my own experience of having had a bad marriage. Also, I was a counsellor, practising as a member of a team, so I’d spent a lot of time helping others to cope with marital and relationship problems. But I didn’t want this book to be yet another testimony or How-to book, like those I’d written in the past.

So you decided to switch to fiction and write a novel?
Yes. I’d already written one novel, A Painful Post Mortem (a story about losing a child, which is still available from Amazon as an e-book) and had some great reviews. So I decided this was where I wanted to take my writing career in future, writing stories that entertain but also have some purpose in them.

And what is the purpose behind your book, Time to Shine?

My purpose - the theme of the book - is to show that forgiveness is always possible, no matter what. Time to Shine is in the mystery genre, but I wanted it to be different. So instead of having the usual Detective Inspector investigating the mystery that kicks off the conflict in the story, I have a counsellor – a marriage mender - Evie Adams. In helping her client, Julia Worth, to deal with what her husband, Carl, throws at her, Evie also helps her to solve the enigma of why he’s become so hostile.

Originally, the title of the book was The Marriage Mender. Then I realised that, actually, the theme was about more than just forgiveness, and the story was more than simply mending a marriage. So, as both Julia and Evie end up fulfilling their dreams, I changed the title to Time to Shine. And I’m hoping that, after all my teenage failures, it will also be my time to shine. J

Can you give readers a short passage from your book so we can get a flavour of what it is about?

Certainly! When a client with marriage problems seeks therapy from Evie, a dark secret from long ago is uncovered. Here, she is reflecting on her first session with Julia.

'I keep wondering if Carl's having a mid-life crisis,’ said Julia. ‘They do say men can have a sort of menopause, don't they?'

'How do you mean?' I asked.

'Well, I wonder if it's to do with his father. I only knew him for a short time. He died about four years after we were married; the year Abi was born. He was a barrister. Prided himself on his self-sufficiency, and made no secret of what he thought of anyone needy, or beneath him.'

'So not the easiest of people to get on with?'

Julia screwed up her face in a non-verbal agreement. 'He certainly wasn't one to mince his words. He thought nothing of engineering as a career, and had no qualms in telling Carl so. It was all about brain being superior to brawn. That's what he used to say. He made it pretty obvious he hadn't much time for his son.'

'And you? How did you find him?'

'As I say, I didn't know him for long. I suppose he must have been about - what - ten years older than Carl is now when he died. I remember there was a big to-do. Carl's mother sent for the priest to give him absolution. Last rites. And Carl went berserk. Went round the house yelling that if God forgave his father, he wanted nothing to do with either of them. God or his father.'

I felt puzzled, and said so.

'It was all to do with something that had happened when he was a schoolboy,' Julia explained. 'Something truly terrible . . .’

What are you working on at the moment?

Time to Shine is the first book in the Evie Adams series so I’m now working on the next one. Its title is Chosen? and it tells the story of an American who, happily adopted, seeks Evie out in his search to find his biological family – and uncovers a can of worms. Again, it’s set in Evie’s Exeter Cathedral counselling rooms, and another Devon location near Dartmouth.

It has been a pleasure having you on the blog Merrilyn. I am sure all bookaholics will join me in wishing you every success. 


Merrilyn Williams writes fiction under her family name, Mel Menzies. The author of nearly a dozen books, one a bestseller, she lives in Devon where she likes nothing better than taking her lovely grandchildren on the beach. Her website, An Author’s Look at Life, offers resources to inform, inspire and encourage. www.melmenzies.co.uk

Book Launch: On a Wing and a Prayer by Ruby Jackson

On Tuesday evening I had the honour of being invited to the launch of On A Wing and a Prayer by Ruby Jackson. This was held in Waterstones, Dundee and has to be the most entertaining book launch I have attended. Ruby Jackson held the audience in the palm of her hand as she told tales of the people she met whilst researching the book. The book is set during World War 2 and for the book Ruby Jackson interviewed people who did extraordinary things during this period. The accounts of what they did had the audience spellbound. 

Ruby Jackson does an incredible amount of research for her books. She tells the tale of contacting Fortnum and Mason in London. She needed to know the cost of honey during WW2. Fortnum and Mason told her she needed to speak to their archivist. What? Who would have known that a London store would have an archivist. I also learned that Fortnum and Mason have bee hives on their roof. How interesting is that? Something else I learned was that many rich young men, who had their own planes, handed them over to the military for the war effort. I could go on. 

Attending this event has made me think very carefully about how a book launch can be entertaining, interesting and informative. I hope that Bookaholic readers will also take some ideas away from this blog on rethinking their own launch.

So what is the book about. This is book 3 in the Churchill's Angels series, which is about four plucky girls from Dartford, Grace, Sally, Rose and Daisy. This book tells the story of Rose, an ordinary working class girl, who joins the ATS. You can rest assured that the historic details are 100% accurate as, in most cases, they come straight from the horse's mouth. If you like historical romance then this is an excellent book which I would highly recommend. You can buy the book from Amazon UK or USA by clicking below. 

     

See you all again soon Bookaholics. Whatever you are reading, enjoy.

What Keeps a Writer Busy?

As many Bookaholic Readers will know I will soon be releasing the first book in the DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries. These are exciting times for an author and let me tell you I am excited. The book Launch is in Waterstones Dundee on 17th November, so not long to wait now. 

I hadn't actually realised how much work there is whilst preparing for a book launch. My advice to all authors is start early. The time will go past more quickly than you can ever imagine or realise. Still, I am pleased to report that all is going well and I am on track for the launch. It sounds like it is going to be a great affair and I am really looking forward to it. By the looks of things it is going to be well attended and all my various friends, relatives and the local community are being supportive and are looking forward to the launch. 

I have to give a shout out to two young men who have gone above and beyond to help me in the process. Firstly, Nathan Gevers has built my author website. I am sure you will agree that he has done a fabulous job. Take a look and find out what he has done. Website

Joseph Wilson also deserves a mention. He is busy producing a video to go with the book and his ideas have blown me away. He is also writing, playing and producing the music to go with the video. Watch this space for an update the minute it is ready to go public. I can promise you it will be well worth the wait and anticipation.

Before the book launch I will be speaking at the Scottish Fellowship of Christian Writers Conference in Stirling. If you are a writer and live in Scotland it is well worth joining this organisation. At the conference I will be talking about Blogging for Writers, and will also be running a blogging workshop. I am very much looking forward to this. 

I will be posting about both the conference and the book launch in future blogs. 

As well as all the above, I am also furiously writing to try and finish the first draft book number two in the DI Shona McKenzie series. I am having a great time writing it but there are parts which send shivers down my spine. Never fear, Shona is on the case. 

So as you an see I have been very busy. Reading has taken a little bit of a back seat, but I will be back on it this weekend. I have the first in David Hewson's The Killing trilogy ready and waiting for my attention. See you all soon my Bookaholic friends. Until then keep reading and writing. 

Book Launch - The Death Game by Chris Longmuir

I have posted about local Dundee Author Chris Longmuir previously on my blogs. If you would like to know more about Chris and her work then you can read Crime Fiction and the Indie Contribution, Book Launch - Missing Believed Dead, Interview with Chris Longmuir

I recently had the privilege of attending Chris's book launch at Montrose Library. This was so much more than a book launch as Chris talked about her research for The Death Game. This is a historical mystery set in Dundee. It is fiction based on the first policewoman in Dundee. Chris had researched the era and the life of Mrs Jean Forsyth Thomson in detail and it was fascinating to hear her talk about the Dundee of the time.

I hadn't realised that the first policewomen were recruited from the suffragettes. Many of these women had been in prison at some point for their beliefs. This meant they knew about conditions for women from both sides of the fence. 

One fact that resonated for me was that many of the places and conditions which Chris described were still in place in the 60's when I was born. Dundee hadn't change very much from 1919. 

If you want to find out more, here is my previous review of The Death Game. This is an excellent book and well worth reading. The link to buy from Amazon UK and US are below. 

         

The talk was admirably supported by tea, coffee and Liz Strachan's world famous tablet. Well it's famous in my world anyway. This home made tablet is the best I have ever tasted, and trust me I am a connoisseur of tablet.

So all in all a great day which I really enjoyed. Chris is a highly talented author and her books are well worth reading. Enjoy the book and I will see you back here soon on Bookaholic. Keep reading.