Dark by Paul Arvidson

Book Description

In the Strange labyrinth of pipes on the planet called Dark, things are falling apart. Dun doesn’t want to be a hero, he just wants to find an answer to the terrifying dreams he’s been having. But the answers, the real answers, are going to take him places he’s never imagined and tear him from the only home he’s ever known. 

With a only half made map from his missing father, he’ll need all the help he can get. With an old friend, a new friend and the mysterious Myrch to guide him, he journeys through parts of his world he’s never imagined.

Are his dreams real foretellings? Who can he trust to be who they say they are? What are the strange forces that seem to be literally pulling their world apart? As he travels through a work that is much bigger than he thought it was, he learns more about himself than he ever knew there was to know.

Q: Welcome to the Fossend Publishing blog Paul. Can you give readers a brief overview of your book Dark.

A: It is the first book of an SFF trilogy set on an entirely lightless abandoned colony planet called ‘Dark’, where tribes of creatures exist in the pipes and passages. It tells the story of Dun, a young Bridge-folk, who needs to find answers to his terrifying dreams. The  answers will take him and his friends to the end of their world.

Q: What inspired you to write Dark?

A: One evening doing a night feed of my youngest I imagined these creatures that weren’t quite human, but could speak, that lived on a world entirely in the darkness. I wondered could you still have heroes who have adventures in that kind of a world (turns out you can!)

Q: Was writing a book set in the dark different to writing a book based on normal circumstances? 

A: Definitely. Trying to write not using visual descriptors is tricksy at best. You don’t realise quite how much of a habit it is to refer to the world in that way. (You see? Looks like trouble? etc.) The characters can’t use any of that kind of language because it would mean nothing to them. The trouble is weeding them out of the text as spell checkers and grammar checkers don’t flag them up. 

Q: Did it influence or change your writing style?

A: Two main things. Firstly learning to paint a picture in smell, texture, sound and taste. I think that’s going to stay with me for a while yet.

Secondly, it steered me towards driving the plot with dialogue. The things that came out of the crazy world most clearly, were the voices.

Q: Did writing Dark involve any research?

A: Once I’d decided on the idea of a world that had no light, I had to work out if that was in any way viable or believable. I spent a load of time researching extremophile environments on earth where whole ecosystems exist that never have any light at all (subterranean caves, black smoker eco-systems in ocean trenches etc). Luckily it turned out that scientifically it was possible, I just had to work out some fun adventures for them to have.

Q: What do you enjoy the most about writing?

A: As a discovery writer, the most fun is once you’ve made the world (and realised it works!) and created some characters, then you send them out for a walk and the story and the characters take on a life of their own.

Q: What do you dislike the most about writing?

A: Editing. Very hard work. Deleting swathes of stuff is soul destroying. Necessary, but soul destroying.

Q: Can you share a typical day in the life of Paul Arvidson as a writer?

A: Get up, make tea, get kids dressed, feed kids, put kids on the bus (with my wife Cheryl). Then coffee and maybe some yoga, check emails answer any urgents, then a good solid hour or two writing. 

Make lunch, then tea, finish any outstanding stuff, start a line for the next chapter (never leave a blank page for the next day), then a couple of hours marketing. Twitter or FB stuff or whatever scheme I have to build up the readers club.

Kids home from school off bus, tea and homework, then chill out time & maybe TV or Netflix. Kids bath, bed and stories.

Assuming I’m not too knackered, some recording of audio stuff (book trailers, planning podcast serial of Dark, to go up on blog)

Q: What’s next for Paul Arvidson?

A: Currently writing book 2 of trilogy, called ‘Darker’. Audio podcast of book one to follow this year. 

Once I’ve got three books of Dark written, I fancy writing something completely different. Maybe a thriller.

Quick fire round

Beach or countryside – Can I have countryside with a river?

EBook or paperback – One of each.

Classic or modern – Got to be modern.

Notebook and pen or computer – Ideas pen, actual writing – computer.

Sun or Snow – snow.

About the Author

Paul Arvidson is a forty-something ex lighting designer who lives in rural Somerset. He juggles his non-author time bringing up his children and fighting against being sucked into his wife’s chicken breeding business. Dark is his first novel.

To learn more about Paul Arvidson follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or his blog Into the Dark Book. You can also sign up to his newsletter for regular updates. Dark is also available on iTunes.

The Diary of a Broken Father by Sylvia Stein

Q: Welcome back to the Fossend Publishing blog Sylvia. Can you give readers a brief overview of your Book The Diary of a Broken Father.

A: Yes, I can:  

In The Diary of a Broken Father, Garrison James shares his story from his own perspective of what his life is like now that he decided to go into AA in the hopes of changing his life.    

He shares the accounts of his daily struggles since his daughter Sara has left his side and what it meant for him to lose her.  

He is haunted by her loss and is also haunted by the memories of his beloved wife Lila whom he lost to cancer.  

Garrison is one broken man who is battling his demons and is also fighting his demons.   This includes with himself and God.  

In this novella you will hear from Garrison James as he battles through being a better man all in the hopes of reconciling with his only daughter whom he has hurt so much.  

Will he be able to do it?   Is it too late for him?  What will happen next?  

Q: What inspired you to write The Diary of a Broken Father?

A: The inspiration behind the Diary of a Broken Father came from wanting to tell Garrison’s story and his journey from an alcoholic man and how he works to try and rebuild himself and the demons he carries.   I wanted to share this story to try to help others who have been there.  I have known people who have done this within my own family and around me.    I wanted to spread a message.  

Q: So, The Diary of a Broken Father, is a prequel to your first novella Closure. Why did you feel it necessary to write a prequel?

A: Well when I wrote Closure I had many readers ask me more about Garrison and how they thought he should be able to tell his own side of things.   Many thought they could like him if they knew his journey.   This got me thinking.   Then while at my last Semester at SNHU I created The Diary of a Broken Father.  

Q: Did writing The Diary of a Broken Father involve any research?

A: I am glad you asked this question.  Yes, there was research involved in the diary of a broken Father.  This was in regards to the 12 steps of AA.  I wanted to get it right.   

Q: What do you enjoy the most about writing?

A: I love when an idea comes to me and I can jot it down in an outline.  I love creating the stories and characters and watch it all come together.   

Q: What do you dislike the most about writing?

A: One thing I really dislike about writing is editing.  I never enjoy that part and having to go over it and re-read is not fun for me.  I also dislike working on blurbs for my books.  I do it but it is not fun for me.  

Q: Can you share a typical day in the life of Sylvia Stein as a writer?

A: A Typical day of Writing for me is when I can sit back for about 3-4 hours in the day and just write without any interruptions.  I love it when I can place some movie scores/ or classical music on Spotify and just work on my stories.   

Q: What’s next for Sylvia Stein?

A: Well the plan is to release The Diary of a Broken Father this coming month of February 2017.   Then I have a book event coming this October 2017 in Kalamazoo Michigan I am excited about that.   Also I am working on my first thriller coming out Next year 2018 and then hopefully continuing on more of my Podcasts and My Huff-Post blog.  Not to mention spending time with my amazing Husband and children.  

Quick fire round

Beach or countryside - Beach

EBook or paperback - I still enjoy paperback more than an E-book. 

Classic or modern - Classic 

Notebook and pen or computer - Notebook and pen. 

Sun or Snow - Sun 

About the Author:

Sylvia Stein is an Indie published author with several anthologies with her Writer’s group 750 on linked in.  Stein obtained a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University this past July 2015.  She is a mother of three beautiful children Paul 10, Michael 9 and Consuelo 6.  She resides in the city of Fuquay Varina with her amazing husband Jeremy.  Stein has also published two solo books one was her first novella Closure which she worked on while attending SNHU and published in July of 2014 and the other her first YA Chasing Clarity was published this past October 2015 and it was created during National Novel Month (Nano) in 2013.  When she is not writing she enjoys time with her children and husband.  The Diary of a Broken Father will be out this February 2017.    

To learn more about Sylvia Stein follow her on Facebook, Twitter or check out her website. 

The Wrong Stuff by Guy Thair

Q: Welcome to the Fossend Publishing blog Guy. Can you give readers a brief overview of your book The Wrong Stuff.

A: Hannah Meredith has always had a good eye and she's a veteran bargain hunter, but she isn't prepared, when she buys the box marked "Stuff" at a mysterious auction, for her world to suddenly unravel into a series of increasingly bizarre and terrifying events.

Soon on the run from a sinister cabal of vengeful corporate villains and their homicidal henchmen, Hannah must foil an evil plan to bring the world to the brink of global economic collapse, all the while keeping one step ahead of her pursuers.

A fast-moving thriller with a sci-fi twist, the plot stretches from chases through grimy backstreets of Victorian London back to the present day, where sudden violence shatters the tranquility of the English countryside. 

Q: What inspired you to write The Wrong Stuff?

A: I have been writing short stories on my blog for the last couple of years. I use writing prompts from other bloggers to inspire me and, in November of 2015 I began a story based on the single word, "Stuff". 

After reaching the end of the initial post I thought the story was worth continuing, so I decided to use each subsequent prompt to write a new chapter, until to my surprise I had written over 50,000 words and appeared to have a book on my hands.

Q: You have mentioned that The Wrong Stuff is an unusually composed accidental novel. Why did you choose this particular way of working? 

A: It's how I always write; unplanned, improvised and with only the very vaguest idea of where it will end up.

Q: Did writing The Wrong Stuff involve any research?

A: Nope, none at all. It was written as part of "Stream of consciousness Saturday", a blogging feature I take part in and the rules preclude anything other than the barest minimum of advance planning.

Q: What do you enjoy the most about writing?

A: I've always loved words and language, so making them tell stories is all part of the fun. Also, since I never plan anything, writing my stories is just as much of an adventure for me as it is for whoever ends up reading them.

Q: What do you dislike the most about writing?

A: I can't think of anything. My main problem is finding the time to write.

Q: Can you share a typical day in the life of Guy Thair as a writer?

A: A typical day? Well, I have a family and a full time day job, so all my blogging/writing activities have to fit in around that. I try to get as much done at the weekend as possible, but I have a young daughter to keep entertained and that usually means the bulk of my work is crammed into a few hours each Sunday, when she's either out playing with her friends or glued to YouTube. With three of us living in a small flat, it's often difficult to find a quiet place where I can concentrate, so I make the most of any peace and quiet as and when I can get it.

Q: What’s next for Guy Thair?

A: Well, my publisher has already asked for a sequel to The Wrong Stuff, so I shall have to begin work on that soon, but in the meantime I will continue blogging; making stuff up and writing it down for my own entertainment, just in case I write another novel by accident.

Quick fire round

Beach or countryside - Countryside, I can think of anything more tedious than sitting on a beach all day.

EBook or paperback - Paperback every time.

Classic or modern - A mixture of both, I think.

Notebook and pen or computer - Just my phone, I've never needed anything else

Sun or Snow - Oh, sun, definitely, I can't stand snow.

About the Author:

After growing up in Sussex, (in the hometown of AA Milne and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creators of Winnie the Pooh and Sherlock Holmes respectively)  Guy Thair now lives in Devon, in the South West of England with his wife and daughter (who are American and whose story is documented in my blog; A Love Affair) and he has been blogging under the byline of "dalecooper57" for about five years. Guy's various blogs cover everything from fiction and photography to animation and music, all of which he has managed to achieve using just his smartphone. Guy work's for an American aerospace firm and most of his spare time is spent with his family or finding new writing projects to get involved in. 

To learn more about Guy, follow him on Twitter, or Facebook, or follow his blogs: Facebook, Diary of an internet nobody, A love Affair. 

COVER REVEAL

MYRA BY RICHARD DEE

I’d like to welcome Devon author Richard Dee to the Fossend Publish blog. Richard is releasing his next book Myra on March 15^th 2017. In advance of the launch Richard is sharing his fantastic book cover, the book description and the first chapter of the book that is available to read on his website.

Book Description:

"I turned, and even though I didn’t immediately realise it, it was then that I fell in love.”

Meet Dave Travise, at least that’s who his identity chip says he is. An ex-Navy man on the run; somehow he’s ended up in a dead man’s shoes; on a new ship and on the wrong side of the law. With no way to prove his innocence, he’s just got to play along and keep his head down if he’s going to survive. As if he doesn’t have enough problems, now he’s fallen for Myra, the engineer on his new home.

Pursued by criminal gangs and keeping one jump ahead of everyone, Dave and his new shipmates are going to need all the luck in the Galaxy just to stay alive.

Myra tells the story of how Finn Douglas, Naval Officer; became Dave Travise, Galactic Trader. And what happened before Freefall."

The first chapter is available now on Richard’s website.

About the Author:

Richard was born in Brixham in Devon in 1958. As a teenager, he left Devon and moved first to London and then to Maidstone in Kent. In 1975, after a spell working in a Safeway supermarket (Remember them?) Richard went to Sea and travelled the world in the Merchant Navy, qualifying as a Master Mariner in 1986.

In 1988 he gave up the four to five-month trips and came ashore to spend more time with his family. Richard used his sea-going knowledge in several jobs, including Dockmaster at Tilbury, Insurance Surveyor and Port Control Officer in both Sheerness and London,

In 1994 Richard was head-hunted and offered a job as a Thames Estuary Pilot. In 1999 he transferred to the Thames River Pilots, where he regularly took vessels of all sizes through the Thames Barrier and upriver as far as H.M.S. Belfast and through Tower Bridge.

In all, Richard piloted over 3,500 vessels in a 22-year career with the Port of London Authority. Richard appeared on National Geographic “Megacities,” where he described the process of taking a sailing ship through Tower Bridge.

Richard was offered part time work in 2010, which allowed him to return to live in Brixham, where he took up writing and blogging. During this time, Richard also set up and ran a successful Organic bakery, supplying local shops and cafés with Sourdough and Spelt breads. The urge to write eventually overtook the urge to bake but Richard still makes bread for friends and family.

Richard finally retired in 2015, by which time he had already self-published his first science-fiction novel “Freefall.” With more time on his hands, it was followed by “Ribbonworld” in 2015.

September 2016 saw the publication of Richard's Steampunk adventure “The Rocks of Aserol.” and “Flash Fiction,” a collection of Short Stories.

Richard contributed a story to the “1066 Turned Upside Down” collection and he is currently working on prequels, sequels, and new projects. The prequel to “Freefall,” entitled “Myra,” will be published in March 2017.

Richard publishes through his own imprint, 4Star Scifi, named in homage to his wife and daughters, his 4 Stars.

Richard Dee is Richard's pen name.

To learn more about Richard Dee, visit his website, find his books on Amazon, or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Top five favourite books of 2016

I always like to do a short post every year in December highlighting the books that I really enjoyed reading throughout the year. All of the below books were released this year and are a in variety of genres. 

What happened to Rose by Helga Zeiner

A mystery so shocking it needs to stay hidden

Carola’s life is perfect – or so it seems. Her husband, her friends, her staff don’t see the emptiness of a loveless existence. Every day is the same, until the day when she has enough. Without warning she leaves her home country of Germany to start a new life in the Canadian wilderness. 

But she is not equipped to handle the hardships of a lonely existence in a remote cabin. A five-day snowstorm brings her close to her breaking point. Searching for means to survive, she discovers the written confession of the previous cabin owner who wants to clear his conscience by admitting to a terrible sin he committed involving a girl called Rose.

When the storm subsides, Carola begins to ask questions but nobody is willing to talk. Nobody wants to tell what happened to Rose, but Carola becomes obsessed with finding out the truth.

Will Rose finally get justice? If you love mystery and suspense, with an added romance bonus, this new novel by an Amazon bestselling author will keep you turning the pages all night long.

CP: I really loved this book, it was a great mystery that pulled you in right from the start and kept you hooked throughout. It had great characters and an interesting historical storyline that connected to present day. It was one of those books that I enjoyed so much that I suffered with book loss once I had finished reading it. I’m looking forward to reading more by Helga Zeiner.

The Canal Boat Cafe Series by Cressida McCloughlin 

Summer Freeman returns to the waterside village of Willowbeck to rescue the Canal Boat Café, her late mother’s picturesque narrowboat, which has run into choppy waters. A family friend, Valerie, has been trying to keep things afloat, but the coffee machine is jammed, the cake offerings are paltry, and not all of the locals want to see the café succeed.

Help comes from the boat next door, in the shape of handsome wildlife photographer, Mason and his naughty Border Terrier, who are showing more than a passing interest in Summer and her adorable Bichon Frise, Latte. But is Mason being honest about himself? Or does he have something to hide?

As her life and the community of Willowbeck begin to entwine, Summer finds herself setting sail on a new adventure. Will the anchor of a steady life on land be too strong, or can Summer learn to cut loose and embrace life afloat?

CP: This book is available as one book, or as four separate novellas that make up a four book series. I live by a canal and the books appealed to me because of that. It’s an easy going story with relatable characters and heavily features life living on or by a canal, which is an interesting subject to read about. It's a nice cosy book/series to read.

The Call of Mount Sumeru (book three of the Kelsey Porter series) by Elyse Salpeter

Kelsey Porter returns to NYC with her world turned upside down. Her brother has betrayed her, her boyfriend is missing, and she’s left with a mysterious manuscript no one can decipher. It’s not until she goes searching for the elusive legend of Bigfoot at a Buddhist Monastery in Alaska that she finds herself, yet again, thrust into situations that are seemingly beyond her control. Why are children suddenly missing across the Pacific Northwest? Where is Desmond? Are these mysterious creatures in the woods really Yetis? It’s these questions she pursues and they bring her full circle back to Buddhist spiritual mysteries, and this time it’s not her life that hangs in the balance, but the lives of an entire civilization.

CP: My regulars will know how much I love the Kelsey Porter series and I was so excited when book three was released this year. It didn’t disappoint and it was great to catch up with Kelsey and the other regular characters and see what happened next for them. This is definitely another book that I recommend.

Last Vacation by Sarah Elle Emm

Seven days have passed since Naples real estate agent Megan MacKenna has heard from her twin sister, Madeline, who was vacationing on the beautiful, Caribbean island of St. Croix. Though authorities are not convinced there is a case to solve, Megan knows with all of her heart something happened to Maddy. When Megan receives a direct warning to leave the island or end up like her sister, she turns to the only person who has taken her seriously since she arrived, Gabe, a breakfast cook at a local diner. 

Undercover DEA agent, Gabriel Walker has been building his cover for months, waiting for the opportunity to work his way into the infamous Torrez crime ring. When Megan shows up asking questions and Gabe realizes her twin’s disappearance might be linked to the Torrez men, he has to convince her to go back to Florida before she becomes their next victim. 

The closer Megan gets to the truth, the more Gabe begins to suspect he is missing a huge piece of the puzzle. And someone is closing in on Megan…

CP: I was a huge fan of Sarah’s YA Harmony Run series and so I was interested to read Last Vacation, a crime/thriller. It was a fast paced read that kept me engaged, that I couldn’t put down. The characters were great and the descriptions of the setting St. Croix was fantastic. If you like this genre then it’s a great book to read. 

Christmas under a Cranberry Sky by Holly Martin

Curl up with this gorgeously romantic tale and let the glistening snow and the roaring fires of Stardust Lake Hotel get you in the festive spirit this Christmas. 

Piper Chesterfield lives a glamorous life travelling the world and reviewing the finest hotels. She calls nowhere home, she works alone and that’s how she likes it. For long ago Piper decided that to protect her heart she should lock it away. 

So when Piper’s next assignment brings her to the newly opened Stardust Lake Hotel for the festive season, the last person she expects to face is Gabe Whitaker, the man who broke her heart so completely she could never love again.

But Piper isn’t the only one who has been frozen in time by heartbreak. Gabe hasn’t forgotten the golden-eyed girl who disappeared from his world without a trace. 

Now fate has reunited them on Juniper island, can the magic of Christmas heal old wounds? And can this enchanting town be the one place Piper can finally call home?

CP: We finish up with a great Christmas book. You all know how much I love my Christmas books, and this one doesn’t disappoint. It has all the elements for a great Christmas book, snow, Christmas themes, ice sculptures, a great setting all wrapped up in nice romantic storyline. It all makes for perfect Christmas reading. 

I hope you all had a great 2016. Here’s looking forward to a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and have 2017. Happy reading and the bog will be back soon with more great author interviews!

The Boy Who Hugs Trees by Dougie McHale

Everyone has secrets but some can change your world forever.

Emily has a secret; 30 years ago the choices she made changed her world forever. And now, it resonates in the present, threatening to reveal its truth.

When Georgia removes her son, Dylan, from a prominent Edinburgh school, she relocates to the family home on the Greek island of Corfu. The discovery of her late mother’s diary immerses Georgia in her parent's troubled marriage, a story of love and tragedy.

Adam’s life has become predictable, something is missing, and it has to change. When he answers an advert to home teach a boy with autism, he hopes his life will take on a new direction and meaning. But he hasn’t bargained on falling in love.

Can Georgia and Adam continue to resist the attraction that draws them closer?

Nothing will prepare Georgia for the diaries final revelation which will force her to question everything she knew about her mother and everything she knows about herself.

The Boy Who Hugs Trees is an intimate, compelling and intensely moving love story that unfolds and reveals the profound impact of impossible choices.       

Q: Welcome back to the Fossend Publishing blog Dougie.  Can you give the readers a brief overview of your book, The Boy Who Hugs Trees.

A: It’s a pleasure and thank you for having me Chrissie. The Boy Who Hugs Trees is my second novel and like the first it is set in Greece, but this time Corfu. It flits from two time lines, the early 1970’s and 2008.

Georgia is a woman of substance, who lives in Stockbridge, Edinburgh with her property developer husband, Stephen. They have a son, Dylan, who attends a private school in Edinburgh. Dylan has autism, he is bright and likes to learn, but school is not a happy place for him.

Georgia decides to remove Dylan from the school and home tutor him. The family has a house in Corfu. It belonged to Georgia’s parents and passed to her upon their deaths. Georgia is convinced that Dylan will benefit from spending some time there. She sets about the task of employing a tutor. At the same time, Stephen’s business interests have taken him to Majorca, Spain, where he will spend several months on and off. The proposed move to Corfu intensifies the cracks that have been festering in their marriage, and as tensions rise, their relationship is tested when Georgia hires a male tutor.

Adam is a university lecturer, specializing in autism. His life has become unbearably predictable and when he applies to an advert to tutor a boy with autism on the island of Corfu, he hopes his life will take on a new direction and meaning. But he hasn’t bargained on falling in love.

The discovery of Georgia’s late mother’s diary immerses Georgia in her parent's troubled marriage, a story of love and tragedy that feels very familiar to her own. Within the diary there is a secret her mother kept for thirty years and with each page Georgia reads it will soon resonate in the present and threaten to reveal its truth.

As life at the house in Corfu takes on routine and meaning and Adam blends into the lives of Georgia and Dylan, he finds his feelings for Georgia grow with each day, but unsure of how Georgia feels he tries to suppress them. Stephen visits when he can, but each time he does his intolerance of having another man live with his family has devastating effects for them all. 

Can Georgia and Adam continue to resist the attraction that draws them closer?

Nothing will prepare Georgia for the diaries final revelation which will force her to question everything she knew about her mother and everything she knows about herself.

The Boy Who Hugs Trees is an intimate, compelling and intensely moving love story that unfolds and reveals the profound impact of impossible choices.       

Q: What inspired you to write The Boy Who Hugs Trees?

A: I wanted to write about a search for happiness and this is what the two main characters try to achieve. It’s a journey into the human heart that exposes the beauty and frailty of what it means to be human, to love, to hate, and to discover that the choices people make in the past can have devastating outcomes in the future.  

Q: Can you tell readers why you chose to highlight Autism in The Boy Who Hugs Trees?

A: There is that saying, you should write about what you know. As well as having a son who has autism, I am a children’s learning disability nurse with a postgraduate diploma in autism and I work with families who have children and young people with autism. I am also part of a team that diagnoses children and young people for autism. I didn’t want to portray the stereotypical image of autism that is often in the media. I wanted to show that people who have autism are individuals with their own personalities and characteristics who are not defined just by autism alone. So it was important to try and get over how someone with autism may experience the world around them, but equally Dylan, who is the young boy in the novel, has the same wants, and needs as every other person his age.      

Q: Like your first book The Homecoming, The Boy Who Hugs Trees is set Greece. What made you choose to write about Greece again?

A: Although my books are standalone novels, they have a common theme, and that is they are mostly set in Greece and in particular, the Ionian Islands and that was a conscious choice I made right at the start when I was writing my first novel. I had the idea of writing a trilogy, but I didn’t want to be restricted to the same characters or story lines so the concept of making the books set on the same group of islands was formed. I haven’t marketed the novels as a trilogy, but in my head they are. I should call them ‘The Ionian Trilogy.’ 

Q: Did writing The Boy Who Hugs Trees involve any research?

A: It did actually. Although I have been to Corfu, when it came to writing about the island I still had to research about the capital, Corfu Town and the island in general. Google is a lifesaver. During the novel, Georgia’s husband, Stephen, gets involved in drugs trafficking so I had to make myself familiar with the drugs trade in Greece, Spain, and the Balkans. Scary stuff. Also, as part of the novel is set in the early 1970’s I needed to make that period in the novel as authentic as possible so I researched that time period in Corfu as well. 

Q: What do you enjoy the most about writing?

A: I love the creative process. I get a lot of satisfaction from writing words that become sentences, paragraphs and finally chapters that have the potential to connect with the reader by conjuring images within their minds eye with the possibility to evoke potent emotions, laughter, sadness, empathy etc.  I like to observe human behavior and mannerisms. I often listen to how people speak and watch the gestures they use to communicate with one another. It informs my writing and characterization. I love the feeling I get when I’m satisfied with a piece I’ve just written.

To know that people are actually reading my books, meeting the characters, and hopefully emotionally responding to them and their story is quite humbling actually.

Q: What do you dislike the most about writing?

A: I don’t dislike anything about writing, how can I dislike something I love?   

Q: Tell the readers something interesting about yourself that others may not know.

A: My favourite classical instrument is the Cello.

Q: What’s next for Dougie McHale? 

A: Another book. A few years ago I saw a painting by an artist called Lena Sotskova. I knew that one day I would write a book with that painting as its inspiration. I have ideas forming in my head. I know it will have two time lines, one in the early 1900’s and modern day. Of course, it will be set in Greece on an Ionian island, but I’m not sure which one. The story will lead me to the particular island.  Since it takes me about a year from start to finish, it won’t be published until late 2017. 

Quick fire round

Beach or countryside – Both

EBook or paperback – Paperback

Classic or modern – Mostly classic

Notebook and pen or computer – A bit of both really

Sun or Snow – Sun 

About the author

In a past life Dougie has been a dockyard worker, student, musician and song writer, playing in several bands, performing live and recording music. He has a degree in Learning Disability nursing and a post graduate diploma in autism. Dougie lives in Dunfermline, Fife, with his wife, teenage daughter, older son and hyper active golden retriever. He is interested in identifying with a physical place and the feeling of belonging therefore Edinburgh and especially Greece are prominent in his writing.  Dougie has written two novels, inspired by a love of all things Greek, her islands, people, landscapes, sea, light and ambience all of which are important themes and symbols in his writing.

To learn more about Dougie McHale go to his website or follow him on facebook.  

What happened to Rose by Helga Zeiner

Book Description

A mystery so shocking it needs to stay hidden

Carola’s life is perfect – or so it seems. Her husband, her friends, her staff don’t see the emptiness of a loveless existence. Every day is the same, until the day when she has enough. Without warning she leaves her home country of Germany to start a new life in the Canadian wilderness. 

But she is not equipped to handle the hardships of a lonely existence in a remote cabin. A five-day snowstorm brings her close to her breaking point. Searching for means to survive, she discovers the written confession of the previous cabin owner who wants to clear his conscience by admitting to a terrible sin he committed involving a girl called Rose.

When the storm subsides, Carola begins to ask questions but nobody is willing to talk. Nobody wants to tell what happened to Rose, but Carola becomes obsessed with finding out the truth.

Will Rose finally get justice? If you love mystery and suspense, with an added romance bonus, this new novel by an Amazon bestselling author will keep you turning the pages all night long.

Q: Welcome to the Fossend Publishing Blog Helga.  Can you give the readers a brief overview of your Book, What Happened to Rose.

A: Hello, and thank you for inviting me to this interview. My new novel is an intense mystery about a little girl called Rose stolen from her family and place into a new home deep in the Canadian wilderness. I don’t want to explain too much – the nature of a mystery is to keep things hidden as long as possible, right? 

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, and when your interest in writing began.

A: The day I read my first book – I was about nine, and my dad gave me the 80 volume collection of a German writer called Karl May – I fell in love with books, and with the idea of storytelling. Soon after, I began to experiment with words. My poor family suffered through exhausting times of having to listen to my literary trials and errors.

Q: What prompted you to write What Happened to Rose?

A: Believe it or not, but I had a vision of the incident of Rose’s disappearance while I walked along the shore of a picturesque lake in the Rocky Mountains. I saw it so clearly, I researched later on in newspapers and historic archives if such a crime actually happened. I found no reference, but like my protagonist Carola, I became obsessed with finding out Rose’s fate.

Q: What challenges did you face when writing What Happened to Rose?  

A: To have the story so close and so clear in my mind became a bit overpowering. All my books have part of my life woven into the storyline, but none are as ‘autobiographic’ as Rose’s story. My challenge was to separate fiction from fact when I had to leave the computer and come back into this world.

Q: Do you have any specific writing routines?  

A: Before I start, I count myself down from ten to zero. Then I imagine a door opening to my very private writing palace. I enter it, close the door, and voila – I’m in the zone.

Q: What is the best thing about writing?

A: Being in the zone.

Q: What is the worst thing about writing?

A: Having to leave the zone.

Q: Do you do a lot of research for your books?  If so how important is research for you?

A: Research is a major part of all my books. I research as much as possible in advance, usually locations, historic dates etc. I travel to all the places I write about. But while writing, my story often takes me to a place or date I’m not very familiar with, so I need to research as I write along.

Q: Do you read?  If so what type of books do you read? 

A: A lot. I love psychological thrillers, like Gone Girl.

Q: Do you have a favorite author?  If so, who and why?

A: I still love Stephen King.

Q: Tell the readers something interesting about yourself that others may not know.

A: I did a skydiving course in a British military camp in Netheravon. Three weeks, being trained and jumping with the finest soldiers, some of them holding world records in skydiving. I loved it.

Q:  What’s next for Helga Zeiner?

A: Going into the editing stage of my next book, called ‘The Shadow Master’ … and building a new home for us. A cottage even deeper in the woods than our current home.

Quick fire round

Sweet or savoury – vanilla ice cream sweet

Beach or countryside – countryside, but with a lake

EBook or paperback - EBook

Classic or modern - Mixed

Sun or Snow – snow in the sun

About the Author

Helga Zeiner is a German born Canadian author. She left her home town Augsburg at age eighteen to explore the world. In the following fourteen years she has lived and worked in Australia and Asia, writing in her spare time.

Several of her thrilling novels have been on the Amazon bestseller list and enjoy an enthusiastic fan base. 

She now lives with her husband on a country estate in the wilderness of British Columbia, devoting all her time to writing.

Helga Zeiner has published five novels in German and two in English. She is currently writing her third English thriller

To learn more about Helga visit her website or follow her on facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and goodreads.