Fossend Publishing

Fossend Publishing

Thursday, 27 November 2014

The magical season

I love December and all it brings.  It's usually the time of year when I get to wind down, spend time with my husband and family and do what most others do. Enjoy Christmas.

Decorating the tree
Christmas for me is a a great time of year.  It's a time when there are so many possibilities.  It's a time to gather with friends and family, visit fayres, and attend all sorts of seasonal events.  I also love the possibility of cool crisp winter weather, I'm a huge fan of snow and ice.  As yet we haven't had any, but I'm keeping everything crossed that a few flakes all on us. (Pretty please!)

Snowy London. 2009.

I would therefore like to take the time to thank all of my readers, all who follow this blog and all who have supported me this year.  You have been amazing and I would like to wish you all a great December, a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!





Tuesday, 30 September 2014



NEW RELEASE
Pieces of Me: A Collection of Poems and Short Stories by Elle Henry




I would like to welcome Elle Henry to my blog.  Her book Pieces of Me: A Collection of Poems and Short Stories as been released this week, so I took some time out of my schedule to ask Elle a few questions about the book and what it's like being a writer.


Q: Welcome Elle. Can you give the readers a brief overview of your Book, Pieces of Me: A Collection of Poems and ShortStories.
Pieces of Me is the descriptive of me as a writer at the moment.  I took the poetry and stories that I felt captured my heart the most.  Each poem reflects a different part of me as a person, as well as the three stories; they show my growth and comfort in my writing.  I wanted this book to mean something, to inspire.  This book is a reflection of my favorite forms of writing poetry and short story.  The inspiration came from loving writing and wanting to share that with the world.  I chose poems that had meaning for me, rather it be love, lost or whimsy.  In the storytelling I wanted the reader to enjoy a good story and get lost in the moment.  

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, and when your interest in writing began.
I have always been a person who wrote in a journal. Journaling was my therapy.  I was more reflective of my thoughts by using words than getting them out verbally.  I started back in high school.  I was a shy teenager, sheltered by my parents. My only outlets were reading and writing.  Once I became an adult my writing took a backseat and slowed down for a minute.  I wouldn’t pick up a pen and begun to write again until in 2011.  I was working for the government realizing that my passion was somewhere else.  I picked my pen up and I’ve been writing ever since.

Q: What prompted you to write Pieces of Me?
I had all these poems that I had written and I felt the need to share them with someone with the hope of inspiring someone along the way.

Q: What challenges did you face when writing Pieces of Me? 
Definitely edit and revision of the last story “The House on Weather Road” was very traumatic for me.  I sensed that story going in another direction maybe even a novella. Only characters had a different plan, it kind broke my heart.  I think the ending was beautiful and even though I cried. I will give some insight, “Wake me up when December ends...” That’s a true story.  All of stories have a special meaning.  This book is really a piece of me.

Q: Are there any messages in Pieces of Me for readers or is it simply to entertain?
The theme of this book is love and heartbreak; however I wrote this book only to encourage writing and entertain the reader.

Q: When writing, do you have any specific routines?  What are the best and worst things about writing?
I tend to write mostly late at night, that’s my most specific routine.  It’s quiet in the house its just my and my thoughts.  For me the worst thing about writing is the revision.  As a writer we tend to believe that every word we write is the holy grail of sorts...No, you need the revision to cut out extra unnecessary parts.  The best part about writing is the feedback from readers saying they liked your work or it has helped them cope.  That makes it all worth it. 

Q: Do you read?  If so what type of books does you read?
Yes, I love to read.  My favorite books are Rebecca, The Great Gatsby, and Wuthering Heights, Ariel and Selected works by Robert Frost.

Q: Do you have a your favorite author?  If so, who and why?
It would a toss between Stephen King and Sylvia Plath.  I love Stephen King for his brutal honest, vast knowledge and love of writing as a craft.  You, may ask well why didn’t she list his books as her favorite?  Well, I love his work; however my preferred genre is Victorian literature.  I’m a sucker for romance.  I listed Sylvia Plath, because I fell in love with writing after I read Ariel. More specific the poem “Daddy”, she was a tragic soul gone too soon who left beautiful words behind.  She is my writing inspiration.

Q: What other writing work can we expect from you in the future?
I’m working on a Young Adult novel that I hope to self-publish around January and another poetry book.

Q: Tell the readers something interesting about yourself that others may not know.
I have Crohn’s a gastrointestinal disease. It’s my motivation for achieving my goals and living my dreams.  Writing has been my salvation when crohn’s has been my depression.


Quick fire round
Sweet or savoury
Sweet

Beach or countryside
Beach

EBook or paperback
Paperback

Classic or modern
Classic

Sun or Snow
Snow


About the author














Growing up in Florida Elle was always called the girl with a book.  Which suited her just fine; because she enjoyed the escapism in reading and the fact that reading was like taking a journey anytime she pleased.  She developed that passion for reading from her grandmother who is now deceased, but that love books continued.  She considers some of her favorite places in the world libraries and bookstores.

Elle now lives with her family in Central Florida.  Her education in includes English/Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire.  She credits some of her favorite authors as Bronte sisters, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daphne Du Maurier, Sylvia Plath and Stephen King.  Her life and love is writing and reading, and she has a site dedicated to her work called AvidWriterElle.com.

If you would like to learn more about Elle you can follow her on Facebook and Twitter




Saturday, 20 September 2014

Finding new authors

I spend a lot of time reading and I am always looking for new authors to read.  Today I would like to introduce you to author Kathleen Shoop.  She writes historical fiction and romance, and is a multiple award winner, including the Independent Publisher Book Awards.



Kathleen Shoop
The Endless Love Series

I have been a fan of Kathleen's books ever since I read the Bliss Anthology last year.  I recently read both books, Home Again and Return to Love, in the Endless love series and loved them. 


Home Again


Home Again is set in 1969 in Ablemarle Sound, North Carolina and centres around two characters, April Harrington and Hale Abercrombie. 
Fleeing her wedding April finds herself back at Bliss, in Ablemarle Sound, the home that she loves, but upon returning she is shocked to find it has been neglected. The only thing familiar to her at Bliss is Hale, a Vietnam Vet who is still haunted by the death of April's brother, who served with him. Shared grief and familiarities see love blossoming between them, but both need to overcome past lives and losses in order to move forward.



Return to Love




Return to Love is a beautiful book, and the second in the Endless Love series.  It is set in 1970 on the beaches of the outer banks. I won't tell you too much about the story, as I hate giving spoilers, but I can tell you that we meet up with April and Hale again. They have both been through a traumatic time, and throughout the book we learn about their struggle to come to terms with what's happened in their lives. 

I loved both of these books, the characters were so well written and Kathleen has the ability to describe locations perfectly, so that you feel like you are really there. I couldn't put these books down, they drew me in and I couldn't wait to see what happened between April and Hale. Kathleen's stories are very powerful, and are beautifully written, and it is nice to read books that have such strong characters, locations and plots.
So if you are looking for a new author then I definitely recommend reading Kathleen's work, you won't be disappointed.




About the author
Bestselling author, Kathleen Shoop, holds a PhD in reading education and has more than 20 years of experience in the classroom. Her novels have earned Gold and Silver medals in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, been named a Finalist in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards, Winner in the Indie Excellence Book Awards, a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and an Honorable Mention from the San Francisco Book Festival. Kathleen has been featured in USA Today and the Writer’s Guide to 2013. Her work has appeared in The Tribune-Review, four Chicken Soup for the Soul books and Pittsburgh Parent magazine. She lives in Oakmont, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.


To learn more about Kathleen and her books, then visit her website, you can also find her on Twitter and Facebook



Tuesday, 5 August 2014

NEW RELEASE
Closure by Sylvia Stein

Book cover of Closure

I would like to welcome Sylvia Stein to my blog.  Her book Closure has been released this week, so I took some time out of my schedule to ask Sylvia a few questions about the book and what it's like being a writer.


Q: Welcome Sylvia, can you give the readers a brief synopsis of your book.

Garrison James had it all.  A terrific home life and a loving family.  Together, he and his wife Lila built a successful ranch and construction company.  His world changed the day he lost his wife to cancer.  He turned to the bottle and became a monster.  Sara, his daughter, tried everything to please him.
After years of abuse, Sara’s aunt visits.  She recognizes the abuse and removes Sara.  The frail girl begins the delicate journey of finding herself, while struggling to leave her father and the monster behind.
Despite the emotional and mental scars she carried, Sara manages to start a new life.  She is finally happy.
A phone call changes everything.
Will Sara continue her new life?  Can she face the monster, or will she find closure?


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

For me writing was always something I loved.  It began in middle school.  Then over the years I would write stories here and there but it did not come back full circle for me until 2010.  I had my third child and I was at home a bit and there I began focusing my energy on just that.


Q: Closure is your first novella, what prompted you to write this story?

Well it all began in my writing class at SNHU it was last January 2013.  I wrote it as a short story and I really liked the characters.  After speaking with one of my author friends.  She encouraged me to try expanding it.  We then began working on a few drafts and then getting feedback from other authors and my SNHU writers gathering group.  Closure expanded and became a novella.

Q: What challenges did you face when writing Closure

As far as the challenges I faced when writing it was that the first few drafts needed extensive work and I ran it by two of my author friends and beta readers and they all concluded it was a great story but it was only a skeleton of a story more like all tell and it needed more show.  Therefore, my editor and I, who prefers to remain nameless due to her heavy workload, worked on making it just that.  


Q: Are there any characters in Closure that you can identify with and why? 

I can most certainly identify with Sara.  Although my mother is very much alive we went through many challenges with my father because he was an alcoholic.  Do not get me wrong he was a great man sadly though because of the alcohol he could not keep a job as we were growing up and this made it hard for my mother and all of my siblings and me.   Over time he found work and got sober but my mother could not deal with it and they divorced when I was 7 years of age.  This is why Sara James is such an important character to me and I wanted to bring her story because I know there are others who can relate to her.   


Q: Are there any messages in this book for readers or is it simply to entertain?

This is a great question.  My intent with Closure is to bring awareness of how cancer, alcohol, abuse and bereavement can affect a family and my hope is to be able to tell Sara and Garrison’s story in the hope that it touched and helped the readers in some way. 


Q: When writing, do you have any specific routines?  What are the best and worst things about writing?

My main routine with writing is to write it all out on composition, and then sometimes I create outlines for the characters and then begin to type it all out.  I also have to play some type of music as I write.  I love classical and movie scores.    The best part about writing is creating stories and characters for all of my readers.  The worst part is to find the time to write since I have three children and a husband, school, work.  I have to work hard to find the best times.  Luckily my husband has been so supportive of my writing and he will take the kids sometimes in the weekend so I can have a few hours of writing to myself.  I also write late on my days off. 


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

That is a hard question I love so many authors.  I think they all have something different they bring to the table.  However one of my favorite all time writers has always been Stephen King and Jodie Picoult.  I love the elements that King brings and his best advice for being a great writer is to read and if you do not read then write.  As far as Jodie Picoult I love how she connects with her readers and makes the readers feel so many emotions.  


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

Yes I love to read.  There are so many genres I love.  Right now I am reading your book Chrissie Parker and I love it.   I also have read so many great books.  I also love working with my SNHU Writer’s group and coming up with new ideas for books. 


Q: Thank you Sylvia!  What other writing work can we expect from you in the future?

Well right now I am working on a Nano Novel Month Novel.  It is called Clarity and it is a story of a young woman trying to move on after her fiancé dies in a car accident.  Then I am also working on a Psychological Thriller entitled, Battered Mind.  Right now I am just trying to narrow them down.


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

I love to sing and write songs.  My favorite thing to do besides writing stories is karaoke and I love developing new ideas for songs.


Quick fire round

Sweet or savory - Savory

Beach or countryside - Beach

EBook or paperback - tough one I love both.

Classic or modern - Classic

Sun or Snow - Sun


About the Author

Author Sylvia Stein began her path to writing when she joined the Writer's Group on Linked in 750 in 2012.  She continued her journey by creating short stories, which were published, in the Giant tales Anthology series.

While obtaining her Masters degree at Southern New Hampshire University online, author Stein built built a solid foundation with her colleagues who encouraged her to continue writing. That's when Closure was born.

With the help of her editor Closure grew from a short story to a full novella that Author Stein is excited to share.

Closure is her debut book as a solo writer. To quote Stein "This is the first of many to come."

If you would like to know more about Author Sylvia Stein's book here is a link to each of them:








Follow Sylvia!

If you would like to learn more about Sylvia Stein, you can find her on the following social media. 

Sunday, 13 July 2014

Among the Olive Groves - Cover reveal


Among the Olive Groves  - Book cover

Book description
Elena Petrakis adores living on the Greek island of Zakynthos.  When World War Two looms her way of life is threatened.  Left with no choice she joins the island's resistance to fight for what she believes in; her family, her home, and her freedom. 

Decades later, thousands of miles away in the Cornish town of Newquay, Kate Fisher prepares to celebrate her twenty-first birthday, but her joy is fleeting when she learns she is adopted.  Abandoning life in England, Kate flees to Zakynthos, where she is forced to acknowledge a life she has struggled to come to terms with, one that will change her future.


From the beautiful crystal turquoise seas of the Ionian Islands to the rugged shores of the Cornish coast, 'Among the Olive Groves' is a story of love, bravery and sacrifice.


Excerpt from the book
Angelos Sarkis was checking the olive trees when he heard the sweet melodic voice; it carried on the light breeze and wrapped itself around him like a comforting blanket.  Intrigued, he stopped working and followed the sound.  With growing curiosity, he dipped under the branches of a tree, and took in a scruffy girl, sitting on the wall.  He was very tempted to stop, but knew he didn’t have the time, so he continued walking, a brief smile passing across his lips as they locked eyes.

     “Hey you!  Sing with me!” she shouted as he walked by.  Angelos tried his best not to stare, but her beauty shone brighter than the sun overhead.  He had to stop.  He was lost for words and just stood like a fool gaping at her, as though an angel had descended before him, trapping him in its heavenly spell.  Elena grinned, jumped down and ran over to him.  It was only then that he noticed her feet were bare.

Chrissie Parker

Chrissie Parker  - Biog
Chrissie lives in London with her husband and is a freelance Production Coordinator working in the TV, documentary and film industry.  Chrissie is also an Author.  Her suspense novella “Integrate” was released in October 2013.  Chrissie is currently working on two sequels to “Integrate” called “Temperance” and “Retribution”.  Both will be released in 2015.

Chrissie is passionate about Ancient History, Archaeology and Travel, and has completed two six-month Archaeology and Egyptology courses with Exeter University.   She also likes to read, collect books, make bracelets and listen to music.
To find out more about Chrissie visit her website www.chrissieparker.com


Social Media links:
Twitter - @Chrissie_author