Category: Book launch

PUBLICATION DAY FOR THE DEAD WIFE

Published on by suefortin1 Comment

I’m delighted that today is the day my new book THE DEAD WIFE hits the digital market! (Paperback 5th September.)

I loved writing this book and was genuinely sorry to say goodbye to the characters. I keep trying to come up with an excuse to write another book featuring them, but so far no luck there. You’ll find the official blurb on Amazon, etc but here is my slightly longer version.

The Dead Wife is set in the Lake District at a high-end holiday resort, in the grounds of Conmere House and surrounded by woodland and beautiful scenery. The resort is owned by Pru Sinclair, the formidable businesswoman and mother to three sons, Dominic, Harry and Owen and although on the surface they appear to have it all, simmering away are tensions, sibling rivalry and secrets.

Within the grounds is Conmere Lake, the place of a tragic drowning two years earlier of Harry Sinclair’s wife, Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth’s mother cannot accept it was an accident and when she discovers travel reporter, Steph Durham, is covering the reopening of the resort, she persuades her to find out what really happened when her daughter went into the water.

As Steph begins to investigate, herself drawn towards Harry Sinclair but is he as innocent as it seems, are any of the Sinclair family telling the truth? And ultimately finds she is more closely involved in the death of Elizabeth Sinclair than she ever imagined.

TDW US Cover

 

 

 

 

If you’re in America, you get a different look to the cover – here’s the  Amazon link for you.

 

 

I really hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it and if you do, perhaps you’d consider leaving a very short review on Amazon.

Thank you for all your support, it’s greatly appreciated.

Sue

x

 

New Book Out Today! #SisterSister

Published on by suefortin3 Comments

I’m delighted that my latest book, SISTER, SISTER, is published today. This one is more suspense and mystery than my previous books and I really enjoyed writing it. To celebrate it’s release I’m running a competition over on my author Facebook page to win Afternoon Tea for Two, a DVD and a book mark. If you fancy entering, pop over to my page by clicking this link.

In the meantime, here’s the cover and the blurb.

ss-book-coverTwo sisters, one truth …

Clare – Intelligent and loyal or paranoid and jealous?

Alice – Loving and kind or manipulative and devious?

Reunited after many years following the breakdown of the family unit, Clare and Alice reacquaint themselves in adulthood but as events take a sinister turn and nothing is at it seems, everyone must decide who to trust.

Amazon.co.uk button

Research, Google Earth and Guinness Cakes

Published on by suefortin6 Comments

TGWL final coverTHE GIRL WHO LIED is published today and I couldn’t write a book set in Ireland without  acknowledging the country or a nod to my mother-in-law, Monica, who hailed from County Cork, but sadly passed away 18 months ago.

When I was writing The Girl Who Lied, I regularly referred back to how Monica would say things so that the dialogue sounded as authentic as possible. My husband has a large family in and around the Cork area, so conjuring up their accents and dialect was also an important part of the writing process. I also picked the brains of a few Irish authors I know to check details, such as, the education system and colloquial terms for the Irish Gardai as I would hate any little slips to take the reader out of the story. Of course, it’s here where I say any mistakes are entirely mine.

My other vital piece of research came in the form of Google Earth, where I could happily roam the Irish coast and surrounding areas to give my fictional village of Rossway a realistic feel. My mother-in-law’s father was from Kinsale and I’ve seen a photograph of the cottage where they lived. It was this that gave me the inspiration for the old croft which appears in The Girl Who Lied.

Keeping on the Irish theme, coincidently it was my youngest daughter’s First Holy Communion last weekend. I know Monica would have loved to have been there and in her honour, I made chocolate Guinness cakes for the adults, together with some little non-alcoholic cupcakes for the children.  I used Nigella Lawson’s recipe for the Guinness cakes which you can find here. I don’t profess to being a contender for the Great British Bake Off, but I was pleased with the results and everyone said how nice they were. I’m pretty sure no-one had their fingers crossed!

guinness cakes

The French Retreat – Post Publication Post

Published on by suefortin2 Comments

Just a quick post to say thank you to everyone who has bought, tweeted, shared and generally supported the launch of THE FRENCH RETREAT.  It turned out to be a busy day as I also found out that THE HALF TRUTH was earmarked for a free promotion and will continue to be so until the end of the week and I received a very nice 4* review for CLOSING IN.

I’m visiting a few blogs over the next couple of weeks – if you get time, do pop along. In the meantime, I’m starting a new writing project and plotting the next book in the Falling for France series.

TFR blog schedule

The French Retreat
Click image for Amazon link

Thank you again, I really do appreciate everyone’s support.

Sue

x

The Art of Seduction – a guest post from Lorraine Wilson plus amazing #giveaway

Published on by suefortinLeave a comment
Today I have a guest post from the lovely Lorraine Wilson who is talking about her new book THE ART OF SEDUCTION.  I do love the cover and the story sounds exciting too. Here’s Lorraine to tell you all about it …
aos 1
Recently I was lucky enough to meet Marian Keyes at the Cheltenham Literary Festival after attending her talk. She’s always been one of my favourite authors so I was thrilled to discover how lovely she is in person. She was charming, funny and inspiring. She made everyone feel she’d love nothing more than to sit down and have a cup of tea and a chat with them. One of the things she said that struck me was how lucky she’d been to have so many disasters and suffer depression because it gave her lots to bring to her stories!
That made me think about what I’ve brought to The Art of Seduction, my latest novel.
Despite the title (a play on words because the hero is an artist) it’s not so much a story about sex as about connection. Both Laura and Jack had an expat childhood but reacted to it in different ways. Jack refuses to become too attached to anything or anyone because he knows how transient life can be. Laura on the other hand longs to settle down, to have a proper home and to belong somewhere.
What they both really need is to be brave enough to forge a connection and let go of beliefs that are holding them back. For them, sex is a doorway to experiencing a connection worth changing for. For Laura, sex with Jack is especially empowering.
I had an expat childhood myself so writing about home, identity and belonging was especially poignant. Also, somewhat ironically, I was once approached in the National Gallery by an artist who wanted to paint me. I declined as I was in a relationship and suspected he wanted to do more than just paint me but I was very flattered.
Some of the story comes entirely from imagination though. I’ll leave you to decide which bits those are 😉
aos 2
The Art of Seduction (publication date 15th October, 2015) available here: hyperurl.co/artofseduction
 
Laura Baker has a plan. She’s going to make Jack McClaren, bad boy of the art world, face up to his responsibilities. Jack has a plan, to track down his elusive creative spark. When Laura ambushes him he’s found it. Now to light the fuse, sit back and enjoy the fireworks…
“If you love a sexy, sizzling book that packs an emotional punch, you’ve just found your perfect next read. Five sparkly stars from me.” Kitty French, USA Today Bestselling Author.
 
LAURA:
‘I live in London and work in a florists, though I do a bit of waitressing in the evenings as well, to make some extra money. With the mess my sister Sophie has got into we’re going to need every penny and it’s not like I can rely on Mum or Dad to help out.
It was through the waitressing temp job I finally found a way to turn things around, to make things right for my little sister. Going through the proper channels got me nowhere so I had to get…creative. The laws of right and wrong apply to everyone, or at least they should do. I admit Jack McClaren is super hot, after all I’m not blind, but he stands for all the things I despise – he’s feckless and irresponsible and it’s time someone made him pay. That someone is going to be me.’
 
JACK:
‘I should be in a great place right now, commissions have made me rich and critics have named me as one of the greatest portrait painters of the twenty first century. Apparently I’m the ‘bad boy of the art-world’, or so my publicist would have you believe. But I’ve got a problem, my creative spark is ominously absent, it’s been AWOL for a while. I’m busy procrastinating when Laura rockets into my life, bringing the elusive spark of inspiration with her. Sounds good, yes? Right up to the point when she opens her mouth and what she says…well, let’s just say her accusation leaves me reeling. It’s not long though before I realise I can turn the situation to my advantage. Seduction is an art and I’ve been told I’m a skilled artist in more ways than one. I’m all for taking opportunities to perfect my art. With Laura my plan is simple – light the fuse and then sit back and enjoy the fireworks.’
 
‘The Art of Seduction’ is a new novel to set your pulse racing from Lorraine Wilson, author of the bestselling Chalet Girl stories. It’s the perfect next read if you love Christina Lauren’s ‘Beautiful’ series or Alice Clayton’s ‘Cocktail’ series.
To celebrate publication of The Art of Seduction Lorraine is doing a mega-giveaway:
First prize: a Lorraine Wilson Design La Boutique shoulder bag worth £34.99, a set of Chalet Girl paperbacks, a tote bag, two brand new Clinique lipsticks, Clinique Take off the day make-up remover, Clinique samples, a Lorraine Wilson Design felt heart hanging decoration and an ebook copy of The Art of Seduction.
Two runner up prizes of: a paperback copy of Confessions of a Chalet Girl, a book bag, a Lorraine Wilson Design felt heart hanging decoration and an ebook copy of The Art of Seduction.
You can enter here: 
lorraine wilson giveaway

The French Retreat – Cover Reveal

Published on by suefortin2 Comments

I’m really pleased to be able to share with you the cover and blurb for my novella THE FRENCH RETREAT.

The French Retreat is set in Southern Brittany where we have a second family home and so it seemed natural to use our cottage and the location as inspiration. I’ve wanted to write a book set in France for a long time and while I wait for feedback on book 4, I thought it was an ideal opportunity to do so. I’ve really enjoyed writing The French Retreat, so much so, I aim to write a few more novellas set in and around the area.  For now, though, I’ll leave you with the cover and blurb.

The French Retreat is due to be released on 15 October.

The French Retreat

With Christmas on the horizon, losing her job and her home wasn’t on Marcie Grainger’s wish list. In a bid to reassess her life, she heads off to the only place she has ever felt truly content – her brother’s farmhouse retreat in rural France.

Marcie isn’t the only one looking to escape. Ex-soldier Will hopes the gentle pace of French life will help to banish the ghosts of his past and offer him the fresh start he desires.

However, all is not what it seems at The Retreat. Fuelled by a string of strange happenings and local rumours, Will and Marcie are pushed together as they try to discover who or what is behind it all. In so doing, they end up finding a lot more than they bargained for.

The French Retreat is a story of human compassion, hope and love.

 

Sue

x

 

You are cordially invited…

Published on by suefortin6 Comments

Hi, my name’s Eve Devon and I write sexy heroes, sassy heroines and happy ever afters… and I would like to cordially invite you to enjoy Magical Weddings: 15 Enchanting Romances: Whether real or only in the hearts of the bride and groom, the magic of weddings is undeniable. And irresistible! As these 15 enchanting happily-ever-afters by bestselling and award-winning authors prove.

From sweet to spicy, the romances bundled into this set, 14 of them new releases, cross time and unite hearts, cast spells of laughter, battle wedding jitters and fight back tears, while weaving love’s hopeful magic throughout 1400 pages.

Receiving the invite to write a novella for the Magical Weddings box-set was a lot like receiving an actual wedding invitation in the post. I got that lovely warm sparkle of possibility that has always been present whenever I’ve opened one of those calligraphy-embossed-linen-blend envelopes. Then I was quickly scanning the invite for that vital information—the who…the when…the where…

The ‘who’ turned out to be a group of fifteen authors, from all corners of the globe—but all with one thing in common that makes us a great fit—we’re all completely in love with romance and two people getting their HEA.

The ‘when’ turned out to be 16th June 2015 – when the box-set releases (it is available for pre-order now).

And the ‘where’ is:

Amazon           Barnes & Noble         Google Play               iTunes             KOBO

Of course women know that the real question that springs to mind as soon as you receive a wedding invite is: what do I wear? Is there a theme? Do I go vintage or modern?

For this invite I knew the theme was Magical Weddings and that I could choose whether the magic was real or metaphorical. Me being me, I chose real and metaphorical and I chose historical and contemporary!

MagicalWeddings3D

Blurb: The Dress, by Eve Devon, Magical Weddings box-set:

Venice, 1615 and instead of the man her father wants her to marry, lacemaker Caterina dreams of Matheo. But when she dabbles with magical lace, she falls foul of the ruling family, altering not only her destiny, but Matheo’s too, and now imprisoned, Caterina must design a way to entwine their fates again.

England, 2015 and when Cait bumps into Matthew, back from his travels for their friends’ wedding, the spark between them flares instantly. But is it another case of the right place at the wrong time for this bridesmaid and best man, or can a dress from Cait’s lace exhibition at the Museum of Fashion weave its magic through the fabric of time, and unite their destinies, too?

So, wands at the ready…let the box-set cast its spell and…enjoy 🙂

 

Every Marriage Has Its Secrets – THE HALF TRUTH out today

Published on by suefortin1 Comment

My third Harper Impulse novel, The Half Truth, is released today in digital format, with the paperback on 4 June.  It’s a mystery with romance and, like my previous two novels, is set mainly on the south coast of the UK, although the story does venture to London a few times.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

The Half truth

Every marriage has its secrets…

Tina Bolotnikov, widowed after her husband, Sasha, is killed in a car accident, relocates back to her hometown on the south coast of the UK, to bring up her young son. Her life back in London with her adored husband is now nothing but a memory; a history to pass onto her son.

DS John Nightingale saw his partner killed in the line of duty and has made it his personal and professional quest to bring to justice the Russian gang responsible. Five years on and the killer is still free but as reports come in of Sasha Bolotnikov’s brother returning to the UK, John is tasked with tracking him down and following him to the seaside town of Littlehampton.

Tina finds herself an unwitting connection to a world she knew nothing about. She thought she knew her husband. She thought their past was the truth. But now as the investigation draws her closer to DS Nightingale, professional lines are blurred and crossed, and only he holds the key to her future.

Amazon UK

Amazon.com

Kobo

Nook

Sainsbury

iTunes

GooglePlay

Audio Voice Work

Published on by suefortinLeave a comment

Today, I’m delighted to welcome onto the blog, my lovely sister-in-law, Angela Rowland who did the voice over for my book trailer The Half Truth.  She did an amazing job for me, the link for which is below, and I wanted to ask her more about her work.

Angela_Rowland-November_2011-BW-9

Angie, how did you get into your line of work, acting and voice overs? Where did it all begin?

I got into professional acting, having never been to drama school or anything like it, by being spotted on the amateur stage in my 20’s . I was advised to get into voice over work, which in turn provided me with the professional contracts I needed, in order to secure my Equity membership.  I then went on to get into roleplay and other acting jobs.  From that I was then recommended to the Film Studies Department at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge and now work regularly with the film students on various projects.I am currently acting in 2 short films, both of which are major graduation projects.  I feel very fortunate.

What did you do before your acting and voice over work?

I was a legal secretary for many years and worked my way up to a high level in that job but I always said I did not want to be chained to a desk until I retired!  So to find myself working as an actress and voice artist for the last few years and for that to build so that I can say I have a career as an actress is so rewarding and I am certainly doing what I love the most as a job!

And what have you got planned in the future?

My ambition now would be to get onto Spotlight with a good show reel, so that I might be able to get an agent to try out for television and theatre work. If I could make this happen  in 2015, that would be so good but in the meantime I am more than happy as things are.

Thank you so much for doing the voice over on the book trailer for me – I’m delighted with it. 

Very best of luck with your show reel and Spotlight.

 

Contact details :

Email : angela_rowland1@sky.com

Facebook Angela Rowland

Book Review : Follow Me Follow You

Published on by suefortin1 Comment

My very good friend and fellow Romaniac, Laura E. James, sees her second novel published today – Follow Me, Follow You.

It’s a great read and as I’m not with her today to give her a bunch of flowers, chocolates or wine, I thought I would publish my review instead.

Congratulations Laura! Happy E-Pub Day!

 

FM_hirespackshot_copy

My Review

Follow me, follow you – fantastic title for this, I totally loved the whole idea of the Ewespeak social media platform and the ‘bleats’, it’s all very clever. However, the story of Victoria and Chris is about connecting in a different way and this is what Laura does so well.

Follow me, follow you really digs deep into the heads and hearts of  all the characters and, in this case, taking each of them on a journey of recovery. The book has sub-plots expertly woven in, dealing with deeper issues of the human nature; the relationship between two unrelated sons, I found particularly touching and moving. 

I would very much recommend Follow Me, Follow You to anyone who enjoys reading about love, relationships, families and their complexities.

Blurb

You save me and I’ll save you…

Victoria Noble has pulled the plug on romance. As director of the number one social networking site, EweSpeak, and single mother to four-year-old Seth, she wrestles with the work-life balance.

Enter Chris Frampton, Hollywood action hero and Victoria’s first love. His return from LA has sparked a powder keg of media attention, and with secrets threatening to fuel the fire, he’s desperate to escape.

But finding a way forward is never simple. Although his connection with Victoria is as strong as when he was nineteen, has he been adrift too long to know how to move on?

With the risk of them breaking, will either #follow their heart?

 

 

Follow Me, Follow You is available in digital format today and in paperback from 5 September.

Amazon sales link here