Category Archives: Writing & Reading

Welcoming Isabella Muir on writing cosy mysteries.

Guest Post, Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , , , ,

Writer of cosy mysteries, Isabella Muir, is the Chindi Authors’ Author of the Week! To celebrate this, and the lead up to Agatha Christie’s birthday, she is taking part in a series of blog posts about her own Sussex Crime series. 

Welcome to my blog, Isabella, it is great to have you, and I am looking forward to finding out more about you and your work, as you explain what makes a cosy mystery.

Over to Isabella …

In this lead up to the birthday of that great Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, I have been exploring what makes for a cosy mystery. It seems that the term ‘cosy’ was first coined in the late 20th century when various writers produced work in an attempt to re-create the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

When I investigate Wikipedia I discover that my Sussex Crime series fits perfectly into the genre, even though when I wrote the first in the series, The Tapestry Bag, I hadn’t ever considered the genre and knew little about it. I hadn’t planned to write a cosy mystery, but it seems that my young amateur sleuth, Janie Juke, fits the bill just perfectly. Let’s take a look at some of the suggested criteria and see why…

The detectives in such stories are nearly always amateurs, and are frequently women. These characters are typically well educated, intuitive, and hold jobs that bring them into constant contact with other residents of their community and the surrounding region (eg, caterer, innkeeper, librarian, teacher, dog trainer, shop owner, reporter).

We first meet amateur sleuth, Janie Juke, when she has taken on the job of a librarian responsible for a mobile library van. The Sussex Crime series is set in the late 1960s in Sussex, when mobile libraries were a popular feature in most towns. As Janie travels around the seaside resort of Tamarisk Bay she is at the very heart of the community and is happy to lend an ear to anyone who wants to chat!

Like other amateur detectives, they typically have a contact on the police force who can give them access to important information about the case at hand, but the contact is typically a spouse, lover, friend, or family member rather than a former colleague. Dismissed by the authorities in general as nosy busybodies, particularly if they are middle-aged or elderly women, the detectives in cosy mysteries are thus left free to eavesdrop, gather clues, and use their native intelligence and intuitive “feel” for the social dynamics of the community to solve the crime.

Janie’s father, Philip, spent a brief time as a detective before he had an accident, which has left him blind.  Father and daughter have a very close relationship, which means that Philip acts as a perfect sounding board as Janie tries to gather clues and solve the crime. In the first book of the series, The Tapestry Bag, Janie uses her intuition and is really feeling her way.  She successfully solves the crime and as a result is approached to take on a new case in the second book in the series, Lost Property, when someone is prepared to pay her.  Quite a development.

The murderers in cosies are typically neither psychopaths nor serial killers, and, once unmasked, are usually taken into custody without violence. They are generally members of the community where the murder occurs and able to hide in plain sight, and their motives—greed, jealousy, revenge—are often rooted in events years, or even generations, old. The murderers are typically rational and often highly articulate, enabling them to explain, or elaborate on, their motives after their unmasking.

There will be no  spoilers here (!) but suffice it to say that the criminal in each of the books in the Sussex Crime series manage to ‘hide in plain’ sight.  Just as the suggested explanation above, their motives are certainly ‘greed, jealousy, revenge’ and I think that when the reader listens to the criminals explaining their motives they will agree that they appear very rational – maybe too rational!

The cosy mystery usually takes place in a town, village, or other community small (or otherwise insular) enough to make it believable that all the principal characters know, and may well have long-standing social relationships with, each other. The amateur detective is usually a gregarious, well-liked individual who is able to get the community members to talk freely about each other.

Janie Juke was born and brought up in Tamarisk Bay, a sleepy seaside resort in Sussex.  Her father has always lived there too.  As a result, the Juke family know all the locals and Janie has the chance to enlist the help of friends and neighbours when it comes to solving the crimes. In the second book in the series, Lost Property, Janie teams up with friend and young journalist, Libby Frobisher, and between them they ferret out clues and manage to get people talking to and about each other, which eventually leads them to solving the mystery.

Cosy mystery series frequently have a prominent thematic element introduced by the detective’s job, pet or hobby.

What could be better as a hobby for a librarian than reading books!  But not just any books.  In The Tapestry Bag readers discover that Janie Juke has a hero and that hero is Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot! Extracts from The Mysterious Affair at Styles introduce each chapter and Janie frequently tries to approach the case with Poirot in mind.

In this extract from The Tapestry Bag Janie’s father, Philip, prompts his daughter to tap into all she has learned from her reading…

“‘Do you know what I think?’ he said. ‘Take it back to basics. Blank out anything you know about her and start again. Be thorough, make lists.’

‘Are you teasing me now?’ Dad and Greg were forever teasing me about my inability to follow a system. Like I say, I am the least likely person to be a librarian, or an amateur detective, come to that.

‘There’s something else you can do.’

I waited.

‘Make use of all those Agatha Christie novels you’ve read and re-read since you were a little‘un.’

‘What do you mean ‘make use’?’

‘Search for patterns, clues, that’s what Poirot does.’

‘Nice idea, but that’s fiction. This is real.’

‘It won’t hurt to try.’

Dad’s advice for me to start from scratch inspired me to get organised. His suggestion about Agatha’s Poirot made me smile, but when I thought about it a bit more I realised it might just help. A few weeks earlier I’d started re-reading The Mysterious Affair at Styles, so I decided to scour the book to see if I could glean any tips from the wonderful Poirot and his sidekick, Hastings.”

Isabella continues…

This blog post is one of a series, which leads up to Agatha Christie’s birthday and national #cozymysteryday on 15thSeptember. To find out more about the great Queen of Crime and help to celebrate Agatha Christie’s birthday, then look out for the other blog posts in the series: Agatha Christie and Isabella Muir | Agatha Christie – a child of her time | Agatha Christie and the sixties  |  The good, the bad and the ugly |  Investigating the past  |  Agatha Christie and Janie Juke

As a present to you, on Agatha’s behalf, I am pleased to announce that the first book in my Sussex Crime series – The Tapestry Bag– will be available on Kindle for just £0.99p for one week only – grab it while you can!

And there’s more! Receive the FREE Sussex Crime novella, Divided we Fall when you sign up to receive Isabella’s newsletter, with cozy mystery news and views, special offers and so much more. Just click here.xx

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog Isabella. I wish you every success with being Author of the Week, and hope you enjoy Agatha Christie’s birthday celebrations.

Isabella Muir is the author of the Sussex Crime Mysteryseries: BOOK 1: THE TAPESTRY BAG | BOOK 2: LOST PROPERTY | BOOK 3: THE INVISIBLE CASE | Her latest novel is:THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN

Discover more about Isabella and her work via: Twitter | Facebook | website | Goodreads

Blog tours galore and rave reviews!

Review, Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , , , , ,

I have had the most amazing and busy time since the publication of Maybe Baby, which I am delighted to say has already gained a #1 Best Seller Badge from Amazon:

(If you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, do it now, while it is still only 99p!)

And the excitement doesn’t end there … straight after publication, Maybe Baby went off on a blog tour courtesy of Rachel’s Random Resources and received these wonderful reviews:

  • Being Anne: “It certainly left me with a big smile on my face and a warm glow inside. Very much enjoyed this one!”
  • B for Book Review: “If you are looking for a lovely heartwarming funny story and you don’t mind shedding a little tear here and there, you just have to read this one.”
  • Love the Smell of a Book: “A superb light hearted read that I loved from the first few pages, I fell in love with Lisa’s four legged friends and the escaping kittens.”
  • Books and Bindings: “I snickered and smirked my way through this cleverly crafted, delightfully amusing, and wittily written tale.”
  • One More Word: “It was well written, fun and left me smiling at the very happy ending.”
  • Dash Fan Book Reviews: “Maybe Baby is a cosy romance, with plenty of witty humour, it’s a quick uplifting read that is perfect if your looking to escape for a few hours.”
  • Beauty Addict: “Maybe Baby really is a truly heart-warming story of love, romance and most importantly friendship. An absolute must-read.” 
  • Novel Kicks: “This novel was like a big hug. If you’re a fan of Sophie Kinsella, you’ll love this novel and even if you’re not, I still recommend this novel.”
  • Bookworms Corner Blog Spot: “The writing is funny, sweet and the pleasing flow of the story made this a smooth and enjoyable read.”
  • Sibzzreads: “A lovely, charming book, full of humour and romance. Excellent, relatable characters and a nicely flowing plot make this such an enjoyable read.”
  • It’s all about the Books: “Filled with many fantastic characters, human and of the fur variety, Maybe Baby was a fantastic story.”
  • Books Life and Everything: “This is a lovely, entertaining read with genuinely likeable characters and a relatable plot.”
  • Splashes Into Books: “This is a lovely contemporary story with great characters, an intriguing plot with plenty of drama and romance for several different couples.” 
  • Babydolls and Razorblades: “A wonderful, happy story that did make me shed a tear or two.”
  • Donnas Book Blog: “It is five stars from me, a thoroughly enjoyable story, fantastic characters, both furry and human – I loved it – very highly recommended!”
  • Chapter and Cake: “This is such a lovely, easy-read novel. I am more than happy to recommend it.” 
  • BR Maycock’s book blog: “Very enjoyable and the author is most definitely bookmarked as one I will follow in the future. Beyond recommended!”
  • Bookish Jottings: “A delightful read I absolutely adored.”
  • Herding Cats: “This is a heartwarming and cosy romance novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
  • Mai’s Musings: “Not many books make me laugh out loud, but this had me properly chuckling in places, and at one point even made me spit my coffee.”
  • Books and Me: “A gratifying and cheerful read.” 
  • Me and My Books: “This is a book that has the perfect amount of humour, a good story line and is a great way to escape for a few hours.” 
  • Stardust Book Reviews: “This was a delightful story of love and friendships that left me with a lovely warm feeling and a smile on my face!”
  • Against the Flow Press: “I found this to be an enjoyable, happy-ending story of friendship and love.”
  • Coffee and Kindle Book Reviews: “This book is such a treat and one I devoured in one sitting.” 
  • The Writing Garnet: “A joyful, lighthearted and uber touching read – even my cheeks hurt from smiling so much!”

Rachel’s Random Reads: “Incredibly entertaining, this book has everything, animals, humour, romance, an old flame and a pregnancy test!” 

I am hugely grateful to Rachel Gilbey for her brilliant organisation and to everyone who took part – taking the time to read and review my book.

And still the fun continued … my review tour was then followed by a blog tour, courtesy of the super supportive Chindi Authors who invited me to be their Author of the Week, sharing these guest posts across their blogs:

Huge thanks to all who have contributed to what has been a wonderful whirlwind of activity!

Thank you also to all who have purchased Maybe Baby either in ebook or audio formats. I have received some great comments from readers via Twitter and Facebook.

If you’ve read and enjoyed Maybe Baby, please do leave a review. Reviews really are hugely appreciated and help authors and their work get noticed.

Finally I am pleased to say my work in progress is taking shape. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook to find out more, and no doubt help me with my research, as I pose some of my ponderings. xx

Happy Mother’s Day!

Writing & Reading, , , , , , , ,

As well as running a competition in which you can win a box of Lily O’Brien Chocolates, my fellow Apricot Plots authors have been celebrating the mums in their novels, in honour of Mother’s Day. 

And so, I am sharing an extract from The Purrfect Pet Sitter. Mum of four Felicity, knows how lucky she is. She loves her children to the moon and back, they have quirky personalities and wonderfully inquisitive minds — readily sharing their thoughts no matter who is around to hear them! However, being a busy mum means that Felicity sometimes craves the simple pleasures in life.

In this extract, Felicity is stealing a moment for a bath and planning some much needed quality time with her husband, Pete!

“Felicity ran a steaming, hot bath, adding plenty of her Tropical Transfusion Radox Smoothie to the flow under the running tap. The smell made her think of sun-kissed holidays. Not that she had actually been on any, but coconut, with its association with Malibu and suntan lotion, had a way of teasing her mind; she could almost feel warm sand between her toes! She longed to be one of those people for whom the sun meant luxurious holidays spent lazing by the sea, as opposed to putting out three loads of washing on a rotary line made wonky by the children swinging off it. She stripped bare and wondered about venturing onto the scales, but decided after leaning her big toe on the edge not to bother.

Scooping her hair into a messy bun Felicity stepped into the water, standing for a while until her legs grew used to the heat. As she lay down she slid into the bubbles, pushing them away from her neck and hair as she rested her head back against the edge of the bath. She didn’t often get time to indulge in a bath, but she was determined to have some time to herself this evening. She wanted to get ‘in the mood’ ready for Pete’s return.

Felicity knew she had been slipping into bed in her scruffy, old, comfy knickers and baggy T-shirts a little too often lately. Well not tonight!Tonight she was going to go for it. She had rummaged in her wardrobe and found something positively silky hiding in the back. She vaguely remembered buying it in the La Senza closing-down sale en route to Tesco Express one day, after it had called to her from the window. As she had rediscovered it in the back of her wardrobe she had touched the silk to her cheek. It felt cool, smooth and sexy. Perfect!

Jumping suddenly, Felicity realised she had succumbed to the hot-water-and-bubbles comfort blanket. Sitting up, wide eyed, she listened, unsure if one of the children had actually called her or if she had dreamt it. Her heart was racing, but, thankfully, all was silent. Splashing water onto her face she reminded herself she had to stay awake and she had to stay focused.She had a sex-kitten mission to fulfil. Grabbing what she thought was her sponge, but actually turned out to be a glittery, Disney-princess sponge that chafed from the sparkles, she washed herself over and stood up. Bugger!The heat from the water meant she looked like a rhubarb and custard, bright red where the water had touched and pasty white where it had not. She hoped the lines would disappear by the time Pete got back. It really wasn’t the look she was going for!”

Does her evening go to plan? You’ll have to read the book to find out, but the good news is the lovely people at Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction have lots of fabulous books, including The Purrfect Pet Sitter for 99p in a Mother’s Day Sale – woohoo that’s cheaper than a cup of tea! 

Click to download your copy here.

However you are spending Mother’s Day, I hope you have a lovely day! xx

And of course, I couldn’t do a post about Mother’s Day without mentioning my own lovely mum … 

Happy Mother’s Day, love you lots! xxx

 

 

*ONE WEEK TO GO* Maybe Baby, coming soon!

Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , , , ,

I am super excited to say there is just one week to go until the release of my latest romantic comedy novel, Maybe Baby, in audio and as an ebook!

For delivery on April 2nd preorder your copy here.

In case you’ve missed me shouting about it, here’s the blurb:

Just when you thought you had it all worked out …

Lisa Blake is back with her first love, she’s reunited with her best friend Felicity, and even her pet sitting skills are improving – everybody knows you can’t believe all you read in the local Gazette, don’t they?

Felicity is on the cusp of achieving her perfect wife-mum-life balance; Her husband, Pete, is being wonderfully attentive, and her four children are getting older and wiser (sometimes too much wiser) by the day.

But when Lisa walks in on a half-naked woman in her boyfriend’s flat and Felicity is left reeling from a shocking discovery, it seems life is nothing but full of surprises. Can love, laughter, and learning to compromise, help them achieve their dreams?

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Published by: Ruby Fiction

Maybe Baby is available in audio and as a paperback, buying links: Amazon | Kobo | Ruby Fiction 

Maybe Baby is the second book in the Lisa Blake series. While the story follows on from The Purrfect Pet Sitter (Lisa Blake book #1), it can also be read as a standalone novel.

Early reviews for Maybe Baby

As book bloggers begin to return their verdict from advance copies, I am delighted to say I am doing my happy dance. Here are just some of the lovely things that have been said on Goodreads:

“Heartwarming and uplifting … a delightful and fun story anyone can enjoy!”

“The pages just flew by … and I really enjoyed all the characters both human and furry!” 

“Cute story of friendships and new beginnings.”

“The story is zany, with a little screwball comedy, and a quirky cast of characters.”

“An enjoyable, happy-ending story of friendship and love.” 

Thank you to all who have taken the time to leave a review so far. For further reviews, don’t miss my blog tour, via Rachel’s Random Resources, from 3rd to 12th April! I am excited and nervous as it draws near, wish me luck.

Thank you so much to everyone who has preordered Maybe Baby, your support is hugely appreciated and with not long to go, I hope you enjoy it! xx

Author Carol Thomas is #SharingTheLove

Guest Post, Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , ,
As February is the month of love, I have had a host of wonderful romance authors stopping by my blog to share flirty extracts from their novels and today it is my turn! 

The Purrfect Pet Sitter

“Nathan turned off the lamp, to improve the view out into the darkness, and joined Lisa by the window. Her body responded to his, her nerves enlivening. She could smell his aftershave – tones of amber and sandalwood – mixed with the scent of the bonfire and evening air that hung upon them both. She felt him trace a line down her side with the lightest touch, sending shivers down her spine. She didn’t move; she didn’t attempt to stop him.

His hands moved to her sides, only the cotton of her T-shirt separating their skin, and his arms, more muscular than Ben’s, slipped round her. She could see their reflections in the window looking back at her, with the two of them framed in a perfect moment – an image of what might have been. She looked beyond to the fireworks as she felt Nathan shift position. His right thigh rested against hers as he mirrored her stance.

Lisa attempted to maintain steady breathing while they watched the last of the fireworks burst into the sky – their sound made more dramatic by the ricochet from the glass. Heat spread through her body, while her mind whirred with anticipation.”

I hope you enjoyed this flirty extract. It is one of my favourites from The Purrfect Pet Sitter. Having recently finished Maybe Baby, the sequel due out on April 2nd, my mind is still a little too preoccupied with the lovely Nathan Baker. 

Discover more about The Purrfect Pet Sitter:

Introducing Lisa Blake, the purrfect pet sitter!

When Lisa Blake’s life in London falls apart, she returns to her hometown rebranding herself as ‘the purrfect pet sitter’ – which may or may not be false advertising as she has a rather unfortunate habit of (temporarily) losing dogs!

But being back where she grew up, Lisa can’t escape her past. There’s her estranged best friend Flick who she bumps into in an embarrassing encounter in a local supermarket. And her first love, Nathan Baker, who, considering their history, is sure to be even more surprised by her drunken Facebook friend request than Lisa is.

As she becomes involved in the lives of her old friends Lisa must confront the hurt she has caused, discover the truth about her mysterious leather-clad admirer, and learn how to move forward when the things she wants most are affected by the decisions of her past.

Publisher: Ruby Fiction
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Buy the book here.

Exciting news! If you like the sound of spending a little quality time with Nathan Baker, don’t miss Maybe Baby, the sequel to The Purrfect Pet Sitter, now available for pre-order!

#Book 2 in the Lisa Blake series coming April 2nd!

About the me (Carol Thomas):

In the summer of 2017, I was delighted to gain a publishing contract with Ruby Fiction, a new imprint of the award-winning publishers Choc Lit, for my latest novel The Purrfect Pet Sitter.

I live on the south coast of England with my husband, four children and lively Labrador. I have been a playgroup supervisor and taught in primary schools for over fifteen years, before dedicating more of my time to writing. I am a regular volunteer at my local Cancer Research UK shop and have a passion for reading, writing and people watching. I can often be found loitering in local cafes working on my next book, when I should be in my office.

Discover more about me and my books here: Twitter | Ruby Fiction | Facebook

Thank you so much to all of the wonderful authors who have taken part #SharingTheLove so far. It has been so much fun to read all of your extracts. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone and don’t miss, an extract from Jane Cable’s The Cheesemaker’s House tomorrow. xx


Carol Thomas writes contemporary romance novels, with relatable heroines whose stories are layered with emotion, sprinkled with laughter and topped with irresistible male leads. Discover more here.