It's Beginning To Feel Like Christmas...

Every Christmas I like to browse the new festive releases from my publisher, Choc Lit, & their imprint Ruby Fiction. As always, the covers look amazing. Congratulations to all the authors who have been busy writing these festive treats over the past year! Why don't you have a browse too! If the blurb tickles your fancy, just click on the book cover to find out more. All the books are available in ebook and audiobook format and some are in paperback too! Enjoy!

Laughing All The Way by Berni Stevens

If you received a mysterious invitation for a fun-filled festive train ride the week before Christmas, would you go?

When teacher Dee Nicholls receives her invitation, she isn’t sure what to make of it. Surely it’s some kind of joke to get her out of bed early on a weekend? Perhaps a clever festive marketing ploy?

But as the Christmas countdown begins, it becomes clear that Dee isn’t the only “Jingle Bells Express” invitee. There are other people out there who have received the same invitation: Tom the intern, Rachel the aspiring writer, Dylan the musician and his dog Muttley – and they’re not the only ones!

Could the unusual festive journey they eventually take together show them all the true meaning of Christmas, and also that happiness is sometimes right in front of you – if you just take the time to look?

***

Strictly Christmas Spirit by Helen Buckley

Ex-dancer Emily Williams turned her back on the sparkle of popular dancing show Strictly Dancing with Celebs to help those in need. Now the only dancing she does is teaching lonely pensioners to waltz, and the closest she gets to disco balls is making baubles with the homeless people in her Christmas crafts class.

She’s certainly not star-struck when Hollywood heart-throb Blake Harris is sent to her at short notice for community service, and has no desire to babysit the arrogant actor with his bad boy antics and selfish ways. Christmas might be a time for miracles, but Blake seems to be a lost cause.

Could their time together, coupled with a dash of Christmas spirit, lead to a miracle change of heart for them both?

***

A Cornish Christmas at Pear Tree Farm by Angela Britnell

Pear Tree Farm in Cornwall, owned by the kind-hearted Nessa Vivian, is known for taking in lost souls, and ex-soldier Crispin Davies is certainly one of those. But the once sleepy caravan park is now a thriving business, and far from the peace and quiet Crispin was craving, he soon finds himself roped into helping out with a short-notice Christmas festival, organised by Nessa’s force-of-nature sister, Lowena.

But despite Crispin’s initial reluctance, his involvement in the festival serves to throw him together with Ashley Spencer, an American woman and fellow lost soul, who works at the nearby Tregereth House. Could Lowena’s ambitious scheme result in a more hopeful Christmas and New Year for them both – with a few surprises along the way?

***

Christmas at Serenity Bay by Helen Bridgett

Chloe Walsh’s skills as location manager for the beautiful seaside village she calls home have come up trumps again, and Serenity Bay is now the setting for cosy crime drama The Montgomery Mysteries, starring amateur sleuth Dominic Montgomery and his crime-solving dog, Agatha.

But Chloe is in a race against time. Filming has to finish before the village Midwinter Festival but schedules are tight – and a mystery saboteur is intent on slowing things down even further. Not only is Chloe facing problems with the shoot, she also has some personal conundrums to solve – a diva actor has commandeered her flat, her mum is having a late mid-life crisis, plus she has no idea what to buy for her Christmas-obsessed boyfriend!

Can Chloe sort out her life and save Christmas for an entire village?

***

Christmas of New Beginnings by Kirsty Ferry

Not all festive wishes come true right away – sometimes it takes five Christmases …

Folk singer Cerys Davies left Wales for the South Downs village of Padcock at Christmas, desperate for a new beginning. And she ends up having plenty of those: opening a new craft shop-tea room, helping set up the village’s first festive craft fair, and, of course, falling desperately in love with Lovely Sam, the owner of the local pub. It’s just too bad he’s firmly in the clutches of Awful Belinda …

Perhaps Cerys has to learn that some new beginnings take a while to … well, begin! But with a bit of patience, some mild espionage, a generous sprinkling of festive magic and a flock of pub-crashing sheep, could her fifth Christmas in Padcock lead to her best new beginning yet?

For more Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction festive reads please click HERE 

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Summer's Christmas by Ella Cook

Summer by name and summer by nature – that’s how people describe Evelyn’s happy, outgoing daughter. Even if her favourite time of year is actually Christmas!

But Summer has gone through more than any eight-year-old ever should, and that’s part of the reason Evelyn is leaving everything behind to return to her childhood home in the village of Broclington; just her, Summer and Summer’s best friend – a Shiba Inu dog called Tilly. Unsurprisingly, Evelyn is hesitant to let anyone else in, although local vet Jake Macpearson seems intent on winning her trust.

When Evelyn receives the news that every mother dreads, it’s Jake who comes to the rescue. With the help of the Broclington community, could he be the man to bring festive magic to August, and make all of Evelyn and Summer’s Christmases come at once?

***

Perhaps now is a good time to mention my own festive novella! Originally published by Choc Lit as an ebook and audiobook, I always hoped that one day it would be released in print.

I am delighted to say that it is now out in large print for the very first time this Christmas!

A Daughter's Christmas Wish by Victoria Cornwall

Christmas, 1919. A promise to a fellow soldier leads Nicholas to Cornwall for Christmas, and to the teashop managed by Rose: the youngest daughter of a family whose festive spirit has been blighted by their wartime experiences.

But as Nicholas strives to give Rose the best Christmas she could wish for, he begins to question whether his efforts are to honour his friend - or if there is another reason...

The large print format is published by Ulverscroft and you can buy a copy HERE

This is my last post until after Christmas, so I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!

Victoria Cornwall

WRITING OUT OF SEASON by Victoria Cornwall

I've lost count how many times I've written a scene describing the season in some way. Often, my fictional timeline is in a different season to the one I'm experiencing in reality. I've written about the burnt amber leaves of autumn while wearing shorts, a t-shirt and with the pungent smell of suntan lotion on my skin. I've written about the blustering gales of winter as I munch on an Easter egg. I've written about the fresh new shoots of spring  ... well you get the picture.

Last year I began writing my first Christmas novella. I was in the middle of a novel at the time, but I was advised that if I was going to write a Christmas themed story it would be a good idea to set the other novel aside as it would be easier to write about Christmas around the Christmas period.

I seriously considered the advice given to me, as although I can easily imagine a winter season in the summer, there is something magical about Christmas that is not so easy to capture when the celebration has come and gone.

I know that many of my friends have successfully written a Christmas story outside the festive season. They've told me that they have used decorations, mince pies and Christmas music to recapture the mood as they write. This sounded like a great idea and probably works well, but I wasn't so sure if it would work for me and this is why ...

1. Christmas is very special to me and I wanted it to remain that way, neatly tucked away between November and January ... a warm, cosy, spiritual oasis filled with generosity, family and a well known biblical story. Did I want to recreate it in March and April? I'd rather be munching on a chocolate Easter egg by then.
2. By the time Christmas is over I've had my fill and quite relieved to pack the decorations away and give the house a good clean (a task which is so much harder with a wilting fir tree wearing tinsel). The house clean signals that the hard work (and stress) of the big day is finally over. Did I want to be reminded about it during the summer? I didn't think so.

So I set my current novel aside and began to write my first Christmas novella around Christmas time last year.

Did my plan work? Was it easier to write a Christmas themed story around Christmas time?

I loved writing A Daughter's Christmas Wish during the build-up to Christmas. It felt special and not like work at all. I hope I managed to capture the build-up and magic of Christmas, but perhaps only someone who is an expert on Christmas will know the answer to that. What do you think, Father Christmas?

Did I keep Christmas neatly tucked away between November and January?
Not quite. I finished the book in February/March. During the late summer and early autumn I was working with my publisher to prepare it for publication, which inevitably requires immersing myself into the build up to Christmas outside of the festive period.

Although my mind has been pre-occupied with Christmas far longer than I had anticipated (6 to 7 months in all), I've loved every minute of it. Maybe immersing myself in the festive spirit of goodwill outside the Christmas period is not so bad after all!

Now, I think its time to put my feet up. I have a little respite ... until, of course, the real countdown to Christmas begins!

A Daughter's Christmas Wish will be released on 20th November as an ebook and audiobook.
It will be available to pre-order soon!

To find out more about Victoria Cornwall's books click HERE

VICTORIA CORNWALL AND THE DAUGHTER OF RIVER VALLEY

Hello and welcome to another in our get to know our team and their writing series. Today it’s the turn of historical romance writer, Victoria Cornwall and her latest release, The Daughter of River Valley. Victoria’s debut novel, The Thief’s Daughter, was published in 2017 by Choc Lit, introducing readers to her Cornish Tales series, as well as being selected as a finalist for the prestigious Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Joan Hessayon Award. Whilst penning novels, Victoria also loves connecting with readers online and has a heart-warming short story published in this month’s Your Cat magazine. (Which gave me the purrfect excuse to buy one!)

But before we discover more about Victoria and her writing, here’s a taste of what to look forward to in The Daughter of River Valley…

Can you trust a man with no name?

Cornwall, 1861

Beth Jago appears to have the idyllic life, she has a trade to earn a living and a cottage of her own in Cornwall’s beautiful River Valley. Yet appearances can be deceptive …

Beth has a secret. Since inheriting her isolated cottage she’s been receiving threats, so when she finds a man in her home she acts on her instincts. One frying pan to the head and she has robbed the handsome stranger of his memory and almost killed him.

Fearful he may die, she reluctantly nurses the intruder back to health. Yet can she trust the man with no name who has entered her life, or is he as dangerous as his nightmares suggest?

Author - Victoria Cornwall

Hello Victoria, and thanks for agreeing to take the hot-seat today. Let's get started... 

1. Beth Jago is a character many aspire to be like – capable and resilient – and yet, following the death of her beloved grandfather, she has also been left fragile, taking comfort from the familiar landscape and seclusion of River Valley. What drew you to explore Beth’s attachment to place, rather than say a family member?

I think it is a primal need in all of us to feel safe and secure and have a place we can call our home. People also have the natural desire to protect what they hold dear. Beth, the character, only had this need met and the desire to protect it, when she arrived at River Valley.  I used this theme as I felt readers would relate to these very natural, primal feelings and connect with Beth and the emotional journey she takes.

2. Without giving too much away, one of my favourite scenes in the book is

Rocky Valley, Cornwall

when Beth and Joss explore River Valley together for the first time and a magical natural spectacle appears. I noticed in the author’s notes that River Valley is based on Cornwall’s Rocky Valley. Is this scene imagined? Or is there an area of Rocky Valley where this takes place? (Readers will have to read The Daughter of River Valley to discover what this is!)

Rocky Valley is a beautiful valley. There are narrow earthy tracks, a tree where visitors hang tokens and ribbons, water which were once thought to have healing powers, a waterfall ... and of course a river. There are also stone carvings, which I did not put into the novel. However the natural spectacle that I think you are talking about is not related to Rocky Valley. It was inspired by Chipman Valley, which can be found on the coastal walk between Bude to Crackington Haven. Locally it is known as Butterfly Valley.

3. It was fascinating how dress, whether it was Beth’s Sunday best or the correct amount of a lady’s cleavage showing, enabled characters to identify where others belonged in the Cornish social hierarchy. What research did you have to do to establish how seamstresses worked at the time?

I have started a small collection of research books relating to life in the Victorian era. The internet is also a great help, although the information is not always accurate and needs to be cross-referenced to check the details. Beth's profession was inspired by a very old sewing machine in the family, however fashion through the ages is my secret passion and once you know what you are looking for, you can date a dress to within a few years as fashions changed as quickly as it does now.

4. The historical period, feisty characters and romantic setting will very much appeal to lovers of Poldark. How much has Winston Graham’s novels inspired your own writing? And why do you think writers and readers love to return to Cornwall, both literally and in a literary context, again and again?

First of Winston Graham's
series

I am a great fan of Graham's writing. It is poetic at times, yet realistic to the era and keeps you turning the pages. I would say he is a massive influence on my writing style. I have read his Poldark novels many times and tend to compare everything I read to his writing style. It is partly why I began writing in the first place. I write about Cornwall because I am Cornish and I live here. It is a place and community I know well, so it was a simple choice for me. Many people have been to Cornwall or aspire to visit the county. Reading a book is about escaping the present and what better place to escape to then Cornwall? Writers recognise this market and cater to it by setting their novels in Cornwall.

5. There is an interesting strand of Cornwall’s military history sprinkled throughout the novel. What drew you to include this part of Cornwall’s past?

I am very interested in our war history. So many men and women died in

the name of our country so I feel it would be wrong to forget our past. I honour them in my own way, by visiting museums, watching documentaries or films. I was visiting the Cornwall's Regimental Museum, in Bodmin, to learn about the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry and was surprised to learn that soldiers from the southwest took part in a very famous battle related to the Victoria Cross, which is the highest award a soldier can earn. This inspired part of the plot and was my way of honouring those soldiers who took part and all they had to suffer.

6. The questions I can never resist – which authors do you enjoy reading? Which books might we find on your bedside table?

For beautiful, plot turning pages, it would have to be the first seven books of the Winston Graham's Poldark series. 

For fascinating historical detail in fiction it would have to be Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor

For pure sensual poetry in fiction, The Various Flavours of Coffee by Anthony Capella

7. The Daughter of River Valley is book number three in the Cornish Tales series, although it can also be read as a stand-alone. So what’s next? 

There is a full-length novel waiting in the wings, which will be published by Choc Lit and is part of the Cornish Tales series. I hope that will be released next year. I loved writing it and hope my readers will love reading it.

In the meantime, I am delighted to say that I have a Christmas novella coming out in November. A soldier returns from the Great War to fulfil a promise to a fellow soldier, which is to bring Christmas to the fiancé he will never see again. As it's the 100th year anniversary of Armistice this year, it is my tribute to those who fought and suffered for our freedom during WW1.

Sounds a wonderful tribute, Victoria and a great Christmas read too. And in the meantime, readers can enjoy The Daughter of River Valley or catch Victoria's short fiction in September's Your Cat magazine.


Happy reading,


 Rae x

Festive Fiction - a Joint Blog

Novel-Point-Of-Viewers have had a great time thinking up their recommendations for your festive reads. Enjoy!

Victoria Cornwall writes

I have a confession to make. I have only read one book which features Christmas in it and it was so long ago I can't recall the title. I do remember enjoying it as it got me into the festive mood, so it is strange I have not read one since. So when I was asked for my recommendations I decided to cheat.

My publisher, Choc Lit, has released an amazing array of Christmas books this year so it seemed appropriate to bring them to the attention of the Novel Points of View readers. They are:

A Little Christmas Magic by Kirsty Ferry

House of Christmas Secrets by Lynda Stacey

What Happens at Christmas by Evonne Wareham

 A Little Christmas Faith by Kathryn Freeman

A Second Christmas Wish by Kathryn Freeman

Christmas at the Little Village School by Jane Lovering

I am sure there is something to meet your needs, as these books range from time-slip, through to suspense and heartwarming tales. All have a large dollop of romance and festive fun to get you in the mood for Christmas, which are the perfect ingredients for a festive read.

Rae Cowie’s thoughts

I’ve two suggestions (one full of the Christmas spirit, the other more for readers who feel a bit bah-humbug about anything too tinsely!).

Christmas at the Cupcake Café by Jenny Colgan

It’s that time of year when only some festive, feel good fiction will do and Christmas at the Cupcake Café by Jenny Colgan includes all the delicious ingredients needed for a warm and delightful Christmas romance.  We have Issy, the hardworking owner of the tinsel bedecked Cupcake Café in London. Then there’s Austin, the caring boyfriend, doing his best to get on in the world by accepting a job in snowy, lonely New York. Not forgetting Pearl, Caroline and Helena determined to make this Christmas one Issy will never forget.

Christmas at the Cupcake Café is a sequel to Colgan’s Meet Me at the Cupcake Café, however I read this as a standalone and had no problem in working out relationships between characters. This novel delivers exactly what you’d expect – and more. At the beginning of each chapter the reader is given the added bonus of a wonderful cupcake/traybake recipe. And Christmas and baking go hand in hand, right? I can’t wait to try making the Christmas Cherry Chocolate Biscuit Slice, which includes Maltesers and rum! Enjoy!

Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney

I’ll probably go straight on to Santa’s naughty list for recommending a second festive read, but I wanted to recommend one for those who aren’t so keen on all the bells and whistles that perhaps go with more traditional festive novels. Set during Arctic winters when it’s relentlessly cold and dark, at 600+ pages long, Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney is definitely one to read whilst snuggled under a cosy blanket, sipping hot chocolate (or something stronger)…

It’s a time slip novel, beginning in 1948 when we meet an elderly Flora Mackie, known by the press as the Snow Queen, returning to the Arctic, reminiscing about her time spent with fellow explorer Jakob de Beyn, offering us a hint of the mystery that unfolded years before.

We then cut to Dundee, where twelve year old Flora’s mother is dead and her father, a skipper of a commercial whaling vessel, decides to take his only child with him on his next Arctic hunt. It was fascinating to learn how the young, spirited Flora discovered how best to get along with the all male crew, how she coped with the tough realities of Arctic life, made friends with the indigenous Inuit children and fell in love with the landscape. It’s essentially a love story between two Victorian Arctic adventurers – no tinsel in sight!

Jennie Bohnet proposes something different

Trying to decide which book to recommend this year for a Christmas read was difficult to say the least - the market is flooded with Christmas titles. My choice in the end is not a Christmas book at all, nor a new one, but it is one of my favourite reads this year. It does have a religious setting which qualifies it in my mind to be included here for Christmas.

The Cleaner of Chartres by Salley Vickers

The history of the cathedral is woven around the story of Agnes Morel, the mysterious cleaning woman whose own history is unknown to the townsfolk. A traumatic story in parts, it’s also a story of how love and mercy can change things. I have to admit to knowing nothing about the ancient cathedral of Chartres before reading this book, now I long to visit and see for myself the mismatched spires and its strange labyrinth.

I think I might just curl up by the fire on Boxing Day and re-read it. Happy Christmas!

Christmas books from Linda Mitchelmore

I am always full of good intentions at Christmas to have a bit of ‘me’ time to sit in a chair by the fire and read a book from cover to cover in there amidst the mince pies and the turkey and the holly. But in truth I don’t really want it, not at Christmas. To me Christmas is all about family and I count my blessings that I have one. Books do feature in my Christmas life, though. Well, two of them do.

The first is Delia Smith’s Christmas for which I think she should have been made a Dame! There’s not a lot in there I haven’t made from it since 1994 when I was given the book for, well, Christmas as it happens. But if I had to choose just one thing to make it would be Delia’s Little Mincemeat Souffle Puddings which are just too divine for words.

Another book that I now know off by heart is Santa, a board book from Marks & Spencer which I bought for my grandson when he was two. He is ten years old now and pretends it is too babyish for him but when I read it to his younger sister he always comes to perch on the arm of my chair to look and listen, too – memories, and especially reading ones, are made of this.

Happy reading, everyone, whatever it is you choose to lose yourself in.



Jennifer Young's contribution

Bah! Humbug! Festive reads? Christmas crackers? What are you all on about? It's only the beginning of December. You’ll be wanting me to put on a Santa hat and sing Jingle Bells before I know it.

Okay, I’m not quite that bad. There’s a touch of snow on the ground just now, under a blue sky, so I suppose it all does look a bit Chrismassy. And actually I’d finished all my Christmas shopping, bar one or two bits, before the middle of November.

That said, I steadfastly refuse to recommend any festive reads, because my social media streams seem to have been flooded with them since the beginning of October. I’m a firm believer in the fact that you don’t have to wait until the end of the year to read a Christmas book, and nor should you be unable to read a summery book at Christmas.

Bearing that in mind I’m going to recommend two books, both by the same author, that astonished me this year. They’re both historicals but very different. One, The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is set in the late seventeenth century on the high seas, with a crew and their stowaways careering towards almost certain death as they fight their various demons. The second, Forgotten Places, is a chilling historical set in nineteenth century Tasmania, and contains the most astonishing twist in any book I’ve read this year.

Merry Christmas!

And finally from Gill Stewart

No bah humbug from me! I love Christmas. I know other people may disagree and think it is too commercialized etc etc but I still love it. Time for family, for close friends, for staying home and eating well – and reading lots.

I have 3 recommendations for my Christmas reads – one new and not very festive, one festive and from a few years back, and one festive and old. Enjoy!

NEW – La Belle Sauvage, Volume 1 of the ‘Book of Dust’ by Philip Pullman. Although essentially a YA fantasy read, this is a gorgeous book that I would recommend to anyone. And if it doesn’t have Christmas, it does have floods and visits to the far north – and daemons. I want my own daemon.

FESTIVE – A Proper Family Christmas by Jane Gordon-Cumming. A fun and funny read, farcical at times, but with lots of heart. My only complaint is that JGC hasn’t written another novel since this came out in 2008, although it is now available on Kindle.

OLD – Jo of the Chalet School by Elinor M Brent-Dyer. I’ve probably mentioned it before but this has truly been my go-to Christmas for the last, well, almost 50 years. Although the book covers a school year, it is the wonderful, inspiring Christmas holiday spent in snowy Innsbruck in the early twentieth century that is my favourite part. Again, it is a children’s/YA book, but one I would thoroughly recommend.

THE START OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE by Victoria Cornwall

A big hello and welcome to our newest member Victoria Cornwall. Once again we’re the Not-So-Secret-Seven! We're delighted to welcome Victoria and can't wait to find out a bit more about her. Over to you Victoria.

Thank you for the lovely welcome. As it is New Year's Eve it is not surprising that my first blog post is about the day. New Year’s Eve feels the same as any other day to me … until the sun goes down and the last hours of the year fade away with each chime of the clock. I often feel like I am standing on a precipice of something new and exciting, yet equally fearful that the coming year may not be all that I hope it will be. It is not unusual to have such thoughts in one’s life and find ourselves reflecting, or looking to the future, with a quizzical smile on our face. I have found indulging in a glass or two of wine will often bring such musings to the fore.

So what is in store for us in 2017? Well, I know Novel Points of View will feature in my future a little more than it has done in the past, because I offered (or was I invited) to join the blog as a regular poster. It happened at a party, over a glass of wine and against a noisy backdrop. The exact details of the conversation are somewhat hazy (probably because I was on my second glass), but I saw an opportunity that seemed too good to ignore and my inner self (who is more extrovert than my outer self) screamed “do it”. Perhaps now is a good time to introduce myself.

My name is Victoria Cornwall, which is a very apt name as I grew up on a farm in Cornwall and still live in the county today. I like to write Cornish based historical novels. I have not always been a writer; in fact it came rather late in my life. Originally, I worked as a nurse, a career which lasted for twenty-five years. Eventually, I left the NHS and took a job which gave me more time to write, something I had always wanted to do. To my surprise my initial attempts at writing were short listed for the U.K.’s New Talent Award and twice nominated for the RONÉ Best Indie or Small Published Book Award, U.S.A.

In 2016, I signed with Choc Lit, an independent publisher of

romantic fiction. My debut novel, The Thief’s Daughter, will be published as an eBook on the 3rd January, 2017. I like to write books which have a strong background story, but at the centre is the unmistakable emotion, even pain, of loving someone. I am married, have two grown up children and a devoted, dopey dog, called Alfie, who has an insatiable appetite for anything that can be swallowed.

I think that is enough about me and my writing journey so far. 2017 is looming at my door with a sack of surprises for me. I know what I hope will happen in 2017, i.e. the release of my book, but for the most part the next phase of my journey through life is largely unknown to me, despite the plans I have made.

For all of us, the coming year will be littered with opportunities (which we should grasp with both hands), people (some of which might just become our new best friend) and good luck, (which we all deserve from time to time). I won’t dwell on the bad things that might happen as I try to be a half full, positive type of gal. Anyway, there will always be the Novel Points of View blog to dip in and out of during the coming months to cheer me.

So if you feel like I do at the start of a new year, excited, but a little fearful of what it might bring, don’t worry. Just turn around and you will see the rest of the world are standing beside you too, having the same hopeful thoughts and feeling the same fears, and you will realise that you are not alone. So get ready to grab those opportunities coming your way, meet those people who want to be your friend and accept any luck that comes out of the blue, because you deserve it.

Happy New Year from us all at Novel Points of View!

What mixture of feelings do you feel at the start of a new year?