Book Review: How Not to Disappear by Clare Furniss

Last Updated: 10 May 2024

AD* | Our memories are what make us who we are. Some are real. Some are made up. But they are the stories that tell us who we are. Without them we are nobody.

Hattie's summer isn't going as planned. Her two best friends have abandoned her: Reuben has run off to Europe to 'find himself" and Kat is in Edinburgh with her new girlfriend. Meanwhile, Hattie is stuck babysitting her twin siblings and dealing with endless drama around her mum's wedding. Oh, and she's also just discovered that she's pregnant with Reuben's baby.

Then Gloria, Hattie's great-aunt who no one even knew existed, comes crashing into her life. Gloria's fiercely independent, rather too fond of a gin sling and is in the early stages of dementia. Together the two of them set out on a road trip of self-discovery - Gloria to finally confront the secrets of her past before they are erased from her memory forever and Hattie to face the hard choices that will determine her future.

A Journey to Help Save Lives by Paul Spelzini

Last Updated: 10 May 2024

I wrote My Wonderful Fran originally as a legacy to record Francesca’s life and times for posterity.

It was not until 2012 that I felt capable of starting to write Francesca’s story, but it was slow progress at first. That can be a detailed process which takes time doing research, as with any book. In this case, it also involved a steep learning curve about ASF (Asperger’s Syndrome), psychosis, depression plus schizophrenia.

Interview: E.H. Nolan

Last Updated: 10 May 2024

Today the lovely author E.H. Nolan is stopping by to answer a few questions about her writing, inspiration, and her new book Like a Closed Fist.

Book Review: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Last Updated: 10 May 2024

AD* | Ruth Jefferson is a labour and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she's been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?

Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy's counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family - especially her teenage son - as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other's trust, and come to see that what they've been taught their whole lives about others - and themselves - might be wrong.

Writing Out of Your Comfort Zone by Marie Lavender

Last Updated: 10 May 2024

When I was a kid, I dreamed of becoming a novelist. I knew from a young age that storytelling was my thing. Scenes played out in my head, and it was my job to get them on the page. I was that girl, going around telling everyone, “I want to be a writer!”

Interview: Russell Atkinson

Last Updated: 10 May 2024

Russ Atkinson, author of the Cliff Knowles Mysteries series, has stopped by The Writing Greyhound to answer a few questions ahead of the release of Behead Me, the sixth book in the series.

Book Review: The Other Alice by Michelle Harrison

Last Updated: 10 May 2024

AD* | What happens when a tale with real magic, that was supposed to be finished, never was? This is a story about one of those stories...

Midge loves riddles, his cat, Twitch, and ‒ most of all ‒ stories. Especially because he’s grown up being read to by his sister Alice, a brilliant writer.

When Alice goes missing and a talking cat turns up in her bedroom, Midge searches Alice’s stories for a clue. Soon he discovers that her secret book, The Museum of Unfinished Stories, is much more than just a story. In fact, he finds two of its characters wandering around town.

But every tale has its villains ‒ and with them leaping off the page, Midge, Gypsy and Piper must use all their wits and cunning to work out how the story ends and find Alice. If they fail, a more sinister finale threatens them all...

A rich and twisting tale of magic, riddles and talking cats, from a classic author.

The Key to a Fabulous Life by Amanda Akalonu

Last Updated: 10 May 2024

Hey Fabulous,

People's definition of a fabulous woman vary. Some define her as the woman with the most expensive piece of jewellery or designer shoes, who walks like the world is her runway. Others say she is the lady who rocks social media with her picture-perfect face. While there is nothing wrong with the above women, I would hate to limit them to the definition of a fabulous woman.

Jewellery Loves: Hungry Unicorn and Emma Kirkham Glass

Last Updated: 10 May 2024

Recently I've noticed that when I've been shopping, I've found myself trying to buy from small businesses and independent retailers wherever possible. I like to show my support for smaller outlets and I think it's important to try and keep independent shops afloat - just look at the state of our high streets if you don't think independents are necessary!

Supporting small businesses doesn't just have to happen in person on the high street, however. You can also fight against the increasing dominance of the big chains online, and still choose independents over conglomerates from the comfort of your own home.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

Last Updated: 10 May 2024

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play received its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

How to Write Fantasy and Have Fun While Doing It by Amie Irene Winters

Last Updated: 05 May 2024

It wasn’t until I stopped writing for the market and started writing what I really wanted to write did I realize that I was writing fantasy. And the more I wrote, the more I loved writing about magic, other worlds, and supernatural creatures. Simply put, I was completely in love with the limitless possibilities for imagination. But how does one write a fantasy book exactly? Here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned on my publishing journey.

Spotlight: First Taken, Last Released by Howard Fields

Last Updated: 05 May 2024

Donald Trump's calls for interning Muslims and the upcoming 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that prompted the time when America did intern an entire class of people make First Taken, Last Released: Overlooked WWII Internment a timely read.

Poetry Block: The Golden Despair by Shubhi Raghav

Welcome to the first-ever edition of my brand new blog feature, Poetry Block! 

The aim of Poetry Block is to banish the preconceived ideas a lot of people have about poetry and to introduce a fresh wave of exciting and innovative poets, and their work, to you, my lovely readers.

Kicking us off is 16-year-old poet Shubhi Raghav, sharing one of the poems from her debut anthology, The Golden Despair.

Introducing the Locations Behind the Books by Jeff Widmer

In fiction, when does setting become character? When does location move from background to foreground?

In the Darkest Hour, Can Time and Love Truly Heal All Wounds? by Leslie Bowes

In the darkest hour, can time and love truly heal all wounds? That is the question that Catherine, the main character of my novella, Heart Healer, has to ask herself a few times.