Out of A Dream By Rosemary Hines - Christian Spiritual Novel

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After all the business and marketing books I have been reading recently I decided it was time I read something completely different. And this book is certainly different as it is a superbly written spiritual novel. 

The plot is the story of Michelle, a young married woman living in a picture postcard town in America. However, all is not well in her world. She is having a series of disturbing dreams and she is in a frantic search to find out what they mean. In her spiritual quest she turns to new age thinking and tarot to help her solve the mystery and free her from the horror of her dreams. However, God has his hand on Michelle and will not let go.

This is essentially a book of good versus evil, as old as time itself. However, Rosemary Hines has created a real page turner. The characters are superbly crafted and painfully real. Michelle, the central character is shown with all her inner thoughts and struggles. This makes her all the more interesting. Hines shows a real insight into the human psyche.  This is not a long book but Hines has used every word in it carefully to ensure that every page is packed with interest and intrigue. I loved this book. It is the first in a series and I am looking forward to reading the next one already.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a well plotted, well written, Christian novel. You will not be disappointed.

I was given a copy of this book by the author for review purposes. However, I was not a at any time asked to provide a positive review. I have done so based on my reading, and enjoyment, of this book.

I will be back soon with a review of another great book. Watch this space to find out what the next one out of the bag will be. I look forward to spending more time with you then.

21st Century Tactics: Small Business Marketing by Glyn Williams

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Now before you think I have turned into a Glyn Williams groupie and only seem to be reviewing his books this is not the case. This book was free today and I download and read it. What an excellent book it turned out to be. Therefore I wanted to share it with my readers so you did not miss out.

This book is specifically about marketing for small businesses and as a writer I would consider myself to be running a small business. The hints and tips in this book are excellent and they certainly gave me food for thought. This is not a long book but as in Glyn's Previous book The 7 Deadly Sins of Advertising and How to Avoid them every page is worth it's weight in gold. It takes you through all the stages of marketing from planning to making a sale, but also discusses after sales and upselling.

If you want to improve how you market your products to customers then this book is well worth downloading.

I will be back in a couple of days where I will be reviewing an excellent novel. So watch this space and  until then keep reading.

The 7 Deadly Sins of Advertising and How to Avoid Them: Small business marketing by Glyn Williams

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This book is free today so downloaded and, as it was short, thought I would read it straight away. I am certainly glad I did. 

As I say, this is not a long book but I can assure you every page packs a punch. It starts by outlining the mistakes people make when advertising. However part two tells you how to avoid these mistakes and how to make your advertising both effective and compelling. The advice about tag lines and branding is spot on. There are exercises which will help you to work out both your tag line and your brand. These are simple but highly effective. I was using this book with my writers's hat on and I certainly found it useful. If I were to use a tag line for this book I would be saying, short, sharp and to the point or cuts to the heart of the matter. I would definitely recommend.

I will leave you here as I am off to develop my brand and tagline for my books. I'm loving my life as a writer and reading books like this makes me more excited to get my books out to you the readers. See you all soon.

Interview with Chris Longmuir - Crime Writer

This is an exciting week in Bookaholics as I am honoured to be interviewing Dundee International Book Prize winning author Chris Longmuir. I am starting with a review of her novel Dead Wood to give you a flavour of what you have in store today. 

As I myself am from Dundee I and love crime novels I was really looking forward to reading this book. I was not disappointed. The plot moves along at a cracking pace and the highs and lows, and twists and turns leave you breathless. The characterisation is superb. These are real people with real lives and most of them are deliberately loathsome. You are left in no doubt as to their foibles and fears. The psychological tension is almost palpable throughout. With regards to Dundee, Chris Longmuir has it spot on and I found myself nodding in agreement with her descriptions. I love Kara as a character. She has many faults but at heart is the type of person who would fight to survive. She wants to do the right thing. If you like dark, gritty, tartan noir then you would do well to read this book. I would highly recommend it.

Welcome Chris, and thank you for joining us on Bookaholics today.

Q - Firstly I am sure the readers would love to hear about you. Could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?

A - There’s nothing special about me, it just so happens I like to write. When I was little I used to imagine writing a book, I had a great imagination, but I thought that was something that was beyond me. I’d never met a writer, so never thought in a million years I could be one. Apart from that, I’m a Mum and a Granny, and I live a very quiet life. I don’t smoke, drink or swear, although you’d never guess that after reading one of my books. My characters do enough of that, so I don’t need to. I don’t have much of a social life unless it’s connected to reading or writing, and I’m never happier than when I have my head in a book, or I’m closeted away in my study writing, so you might find me a little dull.

Q - As Dundee is so important to the story could you tell the readers something about Dundee?

A - Dundee is one of the larger cities in Scotland, after Edinburgh and Glasgow, and maybe Aberdeen. However, Dundee has often been compared to a village, because it has a small town or village mentality. It has its fair share of problems, including a criminal fraternity, and a lot of drug users. In fact, when HIV and AIDS hit Scotland, one of the first places it was detected, was Dundee. In my fiction I’m interested in the dark side, and I came across lots of that as a social worker in the city. But, Dundee also has a cultural side, it’s not all doom and gloom. It has a university, a repertory theatre and an arts centre, among other things. The SS Discovery, Scott’s antarctic exploration ship is berthed there, as well as HMS Unicorn, one of the oldest frigates still in existence. There’s lots more. But I mustn’t forget it’s also the home of the Dundee International Book Prize, particularly as I was lucky enough to win it in 2009.

Q - Where do you get the inspiration for your fiction?

A - From the dark place that is my mind. As I’ve already said I’ve always had a vivid imagination, plus a lifetime of reading crime and horror books as well as lots of other genres, so I suppose some of that must impinge on an unconscious level. But I’m afraid my books originate in my imagination. Of course, I do loads of research, and sometimes that can spark off ideas as well.

Q - Which is your favourite character in any of your books and why?

A - I suppose Kara, in ‘Dead Wood’, has to be a top runner, mainly because this was my breakthrough book, and the one that was chosen winner of the Dundee International Book Prize in 2009. Plus she’s a fighter. She has her faults and she doesn’t always do things right, but I like her. Having said that, each time I write a book I get close to my characters, and I think that’s unavoidable. However, I have a confession to make here – I rather like my gangster, Tony, in ‘Dead Wood’. I have a soft spot for him, although he does some horrible things.

Q - When you are not writing what types of books do you read? What would you say was the best book you have ever read?

A - I read quite widely, but I do have a preference for dark crime. Jeffrey Deaver, and Val McDermid, are among my favourites. However, I do like Ken Follett’s books. I loved ‘Fall of Giants’, and the second one in the series, ‘Winter of the World’, I can’t wait for the third one to be published. I have no great liking for the classics, the writing styles are too slow, and often send me to sleep. I prefer a modern pacy novel, with lots of suspense.

Q - I have reviewed Dead Wood on the blog so readers will get a flavour of this book. Could you tell us some more about your other books?

A - ‘Dead Wood’ was my breakthrough book, which meant it was the first one published, however it is book two in the Dundee Crime series. Book one is ‘Night Watcher’, a story about two very different kinds of stalker, and it has been very popular. Not quite so raw and gritty as Dead Wood, but every bit as dark. The third book in the series is due to be launched on 11th July, and is called ‘Missing Believed Dead. Again this is a dark one with the usual psychological elements included in the story. However, I also have a historical saga, ‘A Salt Splashed Cradle’, which is based on the fisher folk of the north-east of Scotland. It’s set in the 1830s and follows the story of Belle, an incomer to the fishing community. This was actually the first novel I ever wrote and I have a soft spot for it.

Q - Now we are getting personal. What is your favourite food?

A - I don’t know if I have a particular favourite, although I am partial to sweet and sour chicken (the carry out variety). Home cooked, I’d go for roast beef and yorkshire pudding, or a good old-fashioned steak pie.

Q - If you ever have a day off from writing exciting books what do you like to do in your spare time?

A - Spare time? What’s that? However, I do like to spend time with my 11 year old granddaughter, Amy. I also like to attend writing conferences and events – but that’s writing oriented as well!

Thank you Chris. It has been a real pleasure to meet you and to get to know more about you. I for one am certainly looking forward to reading more of your books and I am sure many bookaholic readers will feel the same. I will finish by providing some links to your website and your books 

Chris Longmuir Website

Chris Longmuir Blog

Chris Longmuir Amazon UK page

Chris Longmuir Amazon US page

How to Write by Harry Bingham

Amazon UK

Amazon US

This book can also be purchased form all major bookshops. Although the links are to the paperback it is also available for kindle.

I read this a number of months ago and have been meaning to review it for some time. However, as all writers will know, life and writing my books somehow got in the way. This is not a reflection on the quality of this book which is excellent. 

Harry Bingham is, himself, a gifted writer and therefore well qualified to write a book such as this. How to Write is, fortunately, a very well written book. It takes you through the stages of writing in easy steps and is broken down into seven sections which outline the writing process. These are:

• Planning
• Prose style
• Character
• Placing the camera
• Story
• Scenes and chapters
• Towards prediction

These chapters are expertly written and easily draw out the steps which a writer should take to "perfect' their manuscript. It mainly talks about novels but there is also some input on non fiction writing. Bingham provides examples from contemporary and historical fiction to support his reasoning. Using a quote from a book he dissects it to outline in which way the writing is a demonstration of excellence. There are many aha moments throughout the book. This is done particularly well in the section on scene but is also liberally applied throughout the book. 

This is not a book to read and put down. It is one which should be referred to throughout ones writing career. I found it to be extremely pertinent and useful and would highly recommend it to all writers. 

I am now back to reading murder mysteries, for research of course, and writing the second novel in the DI Shona McLeod Mysteries. Next weeks blog will review some of the latest novels I have read. Until then remember feeding your habit is not a bad thing when your habit is books. 

Frustrated Blogger - help needed

I'm breaking completely out of the mould today and posting two blogs. I have spent all day trying to sort out problems with blogger and am so frustrated I am writing about it.

The first problem is that my text is not showing correctly. Some text is in a white box and the remainder isn't. This is completely random as sentences can be split in two like this. The only way I was able to solve the problem is to completely change the template to one that has a white background. Anything with a, even slightly coloured, background does not display.

The next problem is when I try to share my blog anywhere other than google it does not pull out the correct picture. It gives me three pictures to choose from, none of which are the picture for the blog I am posting. This has all taken up hours of my time and I am no further forward. 

I am writing this as a test case in the hope that the previous blog was a one off. I am also posting in the hope that someone out their in cyberspace will be able to help me and point out the problem and the solution. 

Normal service will resume once I have sorted out these problems. Thank you in advance to anyone who can help me. 

Moonbow Over Charleston by Terry Ward Tucker - Southern Literary Fiction

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Amazon US

As regular readers will know I usually read murder mysteries so this book is a bit different for me. However, as I have been to Charleston and fell in love with the place I decided to give this one a go. I am so glad I did.


It is the story of Bedon, an elderly Southern Gentleman, Larissa a young girl from the Charleston projects and Buddy, Bedon's grandson. The book gives a fascinating look at how their lives intertwine and how each of them is changed by knowing the others.


It reminds me a little of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and yet it is completely different. I was swept up in the story from the first page and didn't want to put it down. I loved the characters and Larissa's spunk brought her to life. Bedon was portrayed brilliantly especially all the changes in his emotions as he helps Larissa. Buddy grew on me throughout the book and I found myself falling a little bit in love with him. Terry Ward Tucker's writing style is excellent and I could almost feel I was in Charleston. This is a character oriented book so the descriptions of Charleston are minimal. However, I could picture Charleston from the way the characters are portrayed. Her characterisation is spot on.


Whilst immersed in the story I went through every gamut of emotions you could conjure up. I laughed, cried, loved, hated and rooted for the characters at every turn. When I couldn't spend time reading I wanted to get back to it as soon as possible. Surely this is recommendation enough.


This is a superb book which I would highly recommend. It is only available in ebook format which is a shame as this would be an excellent gift for a birthday or any other occasion. Lets face it who needs an excuse to buy a book as a gift.


If anyone has any other books set in the Southern states of America it would be great if you could share in the comments. That way we can all find more excellent books to read.


I was given this book as a gift from the author. I was not expected to provide a review but have done so based on the fact I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My review is fair and objective.