FANTASY AUTHOR

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2020 awesome Xmas books!

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Merry Christmas/Yuletide once again, good people of the world. I thought now would be a splendid time to showcase some perfect authors I have come to know personally and love. If you are wondering what else to buy your loved ones other than personalised face masks or scented hand sanitisers, then you need look no further.

The books listed below cover a wide variety of age and tastes:

Isadora Stone and The Battle for Inner Earth: 2

(Purchase here)

by Laura Anne Whitworth  (Author)

Isadora Stone and The Battle for Inner Earth is the second in the Isadora Stone series. Continue the journey with Isadora Stone and Friends! Isadora is once more reunited with her Agarthan friends of Inner Earth for another exciting adventure. The surface humans have been digging down into the Inner Earth realms and it has brought the different Inner Earth Civilisations near brink of war. Isadora must speak with the President of the United States and stop the digging before the Evil Raptors cause the Inner Earth factions to declare war. Continue the journey with Peets and David. Will they manage to leave Mars and reunite Peets with Chinga and family on Delavia? Will David ever make it back to Earth? Will Valdazar get his revenge on Isadora and Kaia and manage to re-take Delavia? Will Human ever be re-united with his family? Join Isadora Stone and Friends for another action packed adventure.

As well as writing and hypnotherapy, Laura also has a YouTube channel which discusses information ascertained from QHHT® sessions. You can find her on facebook on her page ‘Quantum Healing Hypnosis Chesterfield with Laura Whitworth’. Laura Anne Whitworth is based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK and is also a full time Mum to two beautiful daughters. Laura helped me with a QHHT session, it was mind blowing and a powerful tool for self growth, I cannot recommend her highly enough. “Thanks Laura!” https://laurawhitworthqhht.com

Hornbeam Hollow:

The Legend of Jack the Squeaker

(Purchase here)

by Kris Miners  (Author)

The trick-or-treat buckets are empty and the pumpkins are going mouldy, but the critters of Hornbeam Hollow are already planning their next adventure – the Bonfire Night fireworks display. But things soon take a spooky turn! The children learn of a legend, one that has haunted Hornbeam Hollow for many years. The Legend of Jack the Squeaker! Who is he?

(This is the second book in the Hornbeam Hollow series.)

Kris Miners is an English children’s book author and illustrator. He is the creator of a book series set in the fictional world of Hornbeam Hollow. Kris’s debut book ‘Hornbeam Hollow: The Hunt for the Halloween Pumpkin’ was launched in 2019 and features hand-painted illustrations using traditional techniques that are rarely used today.

Kris regularly takes commissions and welcomes requests via his website if you’d like to talk with him about illustrating books, greetings cards, character creations or one-off illustrations.

As well as producing whimsical art, Kris has written many articles and stories for several clients and has been published in well over one hundred magazines and books.

https://www.facebook.com/krisminersart/

http://www.krisminers.co.uk

The Winter Promise

(Purchase here)

by Rosie Goodwin  (Author)

1850.

When Opal Sharp finds herself and her younger siblings suddenly orphaned and destitute, she thinks things can get no worse.

But soon three of them – including Opal – are struck down with the illness that took their father, and her brother Charlie is forced to make an impossible decision. Unable to afford a doctor, he knows the younger children will not survive. So, unbeknownst to Opal, Charlie takes their younger siblings to the workhouse. When she finds out, Opal is heartbroken.

Charlie starts taking risks to try to support what’s left of the Sharp family and earn Opal’s forgiveness, but he takes it too far and finds himself in trouble with the law. Soon, he is sent on a convict ship to Australia.

As poor Opal is forced to say goodbye to the final member of her family, she makes a promise to reunite them all one day.

Rosie Goodwin is a million-copy bestselling author of more than thirty novels. She is the first author in the world to be allowed to follow three of Catherine Cookson’s trilogies with her own sequels. Having worked in the social services sector for many years, then fostered a number of children, she is now a full-time novelist. She is one of the top 50 most borrowed authors from UK libraries. Rosie lives in Nuneaton, the setting for many of her books, with her husband and their beloved dogs. Rosie recently read my children’s novel Saving Snow and was happy to endorse it. “Thank you, Rosie, and thanks for the coffee in your haunted home!” http://www.rosiegoodwin.co.uk

Song of the Nightingale: a tale of two castrati

(Purchase here)

by Marilyn Pemberton  (Author)

Philippe, the narrator of this tale, is secretary to Count De Lorenzo, and lover to the Count’s young wife. He is tasked with buying young boys from poor villagers, having them castrated and taking them to Florence to be taught to sing as castrati. The parents are told that their sons are especially blessed with their wonderful voices and they do not object to the boys making a physical sacrifice in order to thank and praise the Lord; nor to the bag of gold they are given in exchange. The boys are innocents, victims of circumstances beyond their control. Surely they can have nothing to do with a barber’s mysterious death, or the suicide of an abusive Jesuit priest? This is a tale of passion, revenge, guilt, regret, loss and redemption.

At the age of 40 Marilyn did a part-time BA degree in Literature at Warwick, which progressed to an MA and then a PhD, her thesis being “Glimpses of Utopia & Dystopia in Victorian Fairylands”. During her research she “discovered” Mary De Morgan, a Victorian writer of fairy tales. Marilyn decided to write a fictional novel based on De Morgan’s life – the result being a true labour of love, “The Jewel Garden”. Marilyn is now retired and can spend more time on writing (when she is not singing in a choir, playing netball, walking her new dog, learning to paint…….). “Happy retirement Marilyn! I miss our literary chats. lets hope 2021 will be the return of good brews and plenty of biscuits, like the old days ;-)” https://writingtokeepsane.wordpress.com/author/marilynpemberton/

All the Good Little Girls Keep Quiet

(Purchase here)

by K. Kibbee  (Author)

Olive Abernathy is a silver-tongued tomboy with a mean right hook, a fierce little spirit, and an inability to fit in. Her uncle mistook the Mayor’s toupee for a bigfoot pelt. Her Aunt found the baby Jesus in a bowl of cornflakes. Her Mama’s holding a paddle in one hand and the world’s biggest secret in the other. Olive feels her little Louisiana town closing up around her like a pill bug and she yearns for freedom; she yearns for adventure . . . she yearns to shed the Abernathy surname that everyone in town inexplicably detests and to strike out on her own. But when Olive convinces her besotted best friend Henry, “the world’s oldest living 12-year-old” to strike out and ride the rails like a starry-eyed hobo, the big city proves to her that while the grass over there might be greener, the dog in the yard’s also meaner. Olive’s forced to grow up hard and fast. Olive’s forced to feel the same hard touch that her Mama felt. And Olive’s forced to realize that great cruelty exists in this world. In the summer of ’79, hell bubbled right up through the loamy Louisiana bayou just outside of Lafayette Parish and set Olive Abernathy’s world on fire. Maybe it was the little devil sittin’ side-saddle on her shoulder that turned Olive into a murderin’, hitchhikin’, train-hoppin’ vagabond at the tender age of thirteen. Or maybe…just maybe…there were a few secrets itchin’ to claw their way out of that bayou along with her.

K (Kristine) Kibbee is a Pacific Northwest writer with a fascination for all things literary. Kristine’s passion for creative writing began in her early youth and led her to the doors of Washington State University, where she earned a degree in Humanities, with a focus in Professional Writing. Kristine is an author and magazine columnist. Her novels include Whole in the Clouds, Forests of the Fae (books 1-3), and Theodore and the Enchanted Bookstore (1&2). https://www.incorgnitobooks.com/authors/k-kibbee

Exodus (The Starsong Chronicles. Book One of the Exodus Arc)

(Purchase here)

by JJ Clayborn  (Author)

An Irish athlete running for his life stows away aboard a secret colonisation mission. It’s a one way trip, but his destination might not be any better. Dangers await him that he can’t imagine, including those he thought he’d left behind.

If you love Science Fiction, then this is totally your bag!

Johnathan “J.J.” Clayborn is an author of many fiction and non-fiction books. He has a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, with minors in English, Philosophy, and Education. He is passionate about education, science, and “understanding how the universe works”. John is most well-known for his science fiction series The Starsong Chronicles, which is hailed by astronomers and astrophysicists as being highly realistic. John is also my publisher and a great friend. “Thanks for putting up with me, John!” http://claybornglobal.com/author/the-starsong-chronicles/

The Bitter End: dark mystery full of twists

(Purchase here)

by Ann Evans  (Author), Robert D. Tysall  (Author)

After losing his wife, Helena in a horrific car crash, he has found love with Sally and moves into her country cottage. As a former high-ranking Naval Officer, Paul now works as Head of Security at MI5.

Paul has no memories from before he was ten years old. An accident left him in a coma for 9 months.  But was it really an accident?

Soon Paul starts to have flashes of childhood memories, all involving his childhood friend, Owen.

Sally introduces him to her friend, Juliet, the owner of a craft shop. Paul is shocked when he meets Juliet’s partner, his old friend Owen.

Flashes of memories continue to haunt Paul, particularly the memory of his first wife Helena burning in the car crash.

As dark things start to happen, and local people begin dying in horrific accidents, Paul must face his past and will end up fighting for his life.

Ann writes for middle grade, YA, reluctant readers, plus romance and crime for adults. She also write non-fiction and has over 30 books published, the latest being this co-authored book with Robert D. Tysall, entitled The Bitter End. It’s published by Bloodhound Books.
Ann belongs to a few societies connected to writing: The Society of Women Writers & Journalists, The Crime Writers’ Association, The Romantic Novelists’ Association and the National Association of Writers in Education. This is Robert’s debut book. Rob is multi published on the photographic side of things with countless magazine articles published, having worked with writer Ann Evans for many years as a writer/photographer duo. Ann has helped me in the past during writing workshops to hone my craft. “Thanks, Ann!” http://www.annevansbooks.co.uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/Robert-D.-Tysall

The Coffee Break Collection: A selection of short stories, flash fiction, poetry and articles.

by The Wordsmiths (Author), Ann Evans  (Author), Marilyn Pemberton (Author), Maxine Burns (Author), Margaret Mather (Author), Mary Ogilvie (Author), Alex Bartlett (Author), Ella Cook (Author), Catherine Wilson (Author), Robert Tysall (Photographer), M.A.Howland (Author),

An entertaining collection of short stories, flash fiction, poetry and other musings by The Wordsmiths. There are stories and poems that will make you smile, some will send shivers down your spine, while others will bring a tear to the eye. So, if you’re looking for a book to dip in and out of when you’ve a few minutes to spare, this is the perfect book for you.

Saving Snow

by M. A. Howland

(Purchase here)

A Christmas book post would be woefully incomplete without this little gem:

Feeling sad and alone after moving to a new country, Eva is set on exploring her new home. She uncovers a mysterious tower that everyone believes is unsafe, but investigates anyway. A ghostly voice haunts the frozen, icy winds, and a strange boy appears with a quest for Eva – find Snow. Eva treks across the Scottish Highlands battling fierce blizzards, time, and self-doubt to complete her quest and solve the mystery. Will Eva be able to find Snow before Christmas and secure a miracle that will change the world?

Well, that’s my 2020 Christmas selection for you. These diverse authors are as wonderful to read, as they are in person. I am indeed a very lucky person to have gotten to know them and have become a better writer for doing so. Speaking of writing, I really must finish my next novel, Ghost Gifts, it was meant to be published this year! The problem with writers, particularly fictional writers, is that our imaginations can conjure up a thousand ways to procrastinate. But I think I can forgive myself, as this year has been… a little trying to say the least. Let’s all hope we are finally turning our collective backs on the most difficult period the world has seen in recent times.

Thank you all for your continued support. Without readers, the world would not need stories, and what a dark, colourless place that would be.

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Coming this Autumn!

After the recent success of Saving Snow, it seemed only just to create a tale a little more…well, silly. Ghost Gifts centres around a recently deceased relative and two very much alive young brothers.

Arthur had been stupendously successful in avoiding all the dangers that existed outside of his own front door. I suppose you could say he led a sheltered life; safely tucked away from the rest of the noisy world. But that’s the way he liked it. If you bumped into him he would tell you just how dangerous the world really was; but you would have to be inside his house to bump into him.

Ghost gifts

Regrettably, Arthur meets his maker in the most ridiculous, unforeseen manner. Thus begins a tale of triumph over death and the forging of a lost familial relationship between two young brothers and their ghostly relative. However, the children unwittingly create havoc in the upper echelons of Heaven and have the WOT (Welcoming Over Team) in a bureaucratic nightmare.

Will Mr. B Goode be able to deliver his new intake of Angels before Mr. Meanor opens yet another casino and pizza parlour? Can Wyatt and Byron undo what has been done before poor Arthur is forced to reincarnate back into a dangerous world? Will Mrs. Pry be able to un-see the unthinkable and continue giving away her rhubarb?

Thank you for supporting my work!

(For those who have not yet left a Review on Amazon For Fingle’s Trial or Saving Snow, I would really appreciate a brief and hopefully positive message. For those that already have, God bless you!)

Meet Tarquin (my belly), he won’t shut up!

Today I could eat probably anything in my house, regardless of personal preference.

Tomorrow, I could probably eat anything in YOUR house, likely to be even more removed from my personal preferences. (Should you catch me, please do not contact the police, again…)

The day after, you shall find me lurking outside my local KFC restaurant (restaurant?), licking the interior of anything smelling greasy, despite being a smug vegetarian.

Today I no longer chew, today I slurp for salivation salvation, today is a raw, green day!

I decided a couple of weeks ago, that enough is enough. My resistance to anything carby is utterly pathetic. It wasn’t always this way. I used to pride myself on my pig-headiness, my unshakable refusal in daring to partake of anything that was sugary, tasty, nice. Now my head just troughs like a pig, snuffling out truffles of the praline variety with alarming success.

No more! Today I grasp my calorific cravings and shake them by the roots. Yesterday I ventured to a place that was lost to the annals of time, to the cruciferous aisle in Aldis. Of course I have endured the consumption of broccoli, at least twice a week, albeit slathered in thick, pretend meaty gravy. But this visit…was quite unique. With a mixture of trepidation and deep pride, I reached out for the ‘Kale’, taking much longer than was necessary. Not that I was hesitant in my decision, but I wanted the good people of Nuneaton to know what kind of man I was.

The older generation will swear by a good steak, the bloodier the better. But I’m a new man, in a new world, and Kale is the benchmark for manliness. It takes serious courage to consume this foul tasting, stringy power-food. But the millennial man has a trick up his sleeve, technology. If you think for one minute I was inclined to eat this whole, think again, I blended the bejesus out of it with extreme prejudice. That’s right, I’m juicing, using only raw wholefood. I added some rather special elements too:

1 cup of Kale (Green and leafy, must be good)

1 cup of Spinach (See above)

Several stalks of coriander (Powerful antioxidant)

A few almonds and walnuts (Good fats, protein)

A small apple (Energy, low GI, keeps the doctor away)

Half a teaspoon of pine pollen (Nectar of the Gods’, has everything!)

10 drops of Ionic trace minerals (Helps bioavailability. These minerals have been farmed out of our soil, so the food we eat now is severely deficient in the nutrition we need)

Peas (Loaded with protein, green looking)

Spring water

I’m no expert on the matter, but I would bet my ARP copy of Terry Brooks first novel that this recipe will bring about some serious benefits and hopefully swiftly. Another reason other than gaining my control back, is energy, or lack of it. I am in a kind of sleepy existence where I move from one grazing pasture to the next, not really conscious of what I am becoming and with it the potential future health risks. To be clear, generally speaking my diet would be considered healthy by today’s standards, which is a little troubling in itself, but I can also see where I am heading as my resolve lessens.

I am hoping my energy will have a much needed boost, as my body will need considerably less resources to attend to digestion. Also the absorption of all these nutrients will help speed any healing and provide me with a long overdue detoxification. I expect the sugar detox to be particularly unpleasant. Fortunately last year I weaned myself of caffeine, so that is one less monkey on my shoulder as I go through carb, cold-turkey. I also expect some issues around the release of various other toxins.

So there you have it, I have taken the plunge. It will not be easy, it will not be pleasant, but I am assured by the overwhelming evidence and ‘gut’ instinct that the dividends will be remarkable. I weighed in at 15 stone 7.8 pounds this morning. I intend to have at least 2 shakes a day, a maximum of three. I will also drink spring water in between.

I will keep you updated regularly, this writer will be ready to kick lethargy and procrastination in the bootucks! If you have any suggestions or questions, then please add a comment.


Coming to a big screen near you, hopefully!

Exciting news! Over the Yuletide break, the little Elves at Clayborn Studios have been quite extraordinary. After publishing my upper-middle grade novel (Saving Snow), they decided it had greater, commercial potential. My novel has now been adapted into a screenplay!

Of course, this is only the first hurdle. There are many other screenplays ‘out there’ just itching to be chosen by a production company. Very soon Saving Snow will be ‘out there’ too. Let’s hope that one Christmas in the not too distant future, we could be ‘cosied up, watching it on our screens…

Can I also take this opportunity to ask for more Reviews on Amazon please, it really, really helps an author. Thank you to those who have already left a review and thank you to all who have purchased the books x

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saving-Snow-M-Howland/dp/1790811767

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fingles-Trial-M-Howland/dp/1790696380


I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank everyone who has supported my work by either downloading or buying my books.

If you have already read them, or when you have done, could you do me one further, huge favour and leave a review on Amazon please. The review doesn’t have to be lengthy, literate or witty (it would put me out of a job), but a review really, really helps… https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fingles-Trial-M-Howland/dp/1790696380  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saving-Snow-M-Howland/dp/1790811767

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, but do remember to leave a mince pie and a tankard of grog for Santa and his little goblins!

Mark x

The perfect stocking filler for your children – ‘Saving Snow’ is now available!

You are never alone, child…

Christmas is here! A perfect time to snuggle up with a wonderful, wintry tale. ‘Saving Snow’ is a story of adventure, a story of loss, yet ultimately a story of hope. (Target audience 9-13 y/o).

Young Eva has left all of her friends to travel north, to Scotland. It is a difficult time for her and she is reluctant to move, despite her parents assurances. 

However, her curiosity is stirred the moment she sets eyes upon her new home. It is old, very large and has a mysterious tower with no entrance, that can only be seen from the outside. 

Shortly after arriving, Eva hears ghostly whispers in the icy winds. Later she meets with a strange boy who asks for her help in finding Snow. A quest is soon under way, a quest that will affect the entire world. Together, they must save Snow before Christmas day…

Can Eva find the tower’s entrance and reveal its secrets? 

Who’s ghostly voice is carried on the winds, urging her on?

Will Eva and the strange boy save Snow before it’s too late?

The paperback version is now available to purchase on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1790811767

The Kindle version here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L5118GD

Many thanks and I hope you and your children will enjoy the Yuletide tale, Merry Christmas!

(The app for Kindle can be downloaded to an android device for free)

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We finally got there!

Fingle Froglick

I am pleased to announce that my debut fantasy novel, FINGLE’S TRIAL is now available to buy in paperback and Kindle (Kindle version will be updated very soon with the approved, final version, so please wait a few days for that). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1790696380/

Please remember to leave an honest review in Amazon, it’s the reviews that really help an author along.

Many thanks!

Fingle Froglick awaits trial for high treason in a Goblin court of law: no Goblin in the whole of Goblindom would dare risk defending Fingle, so his best friend Clump, and Fingle’s uncle Merlock cross worlds to planet Earth, and kidnap Robin Swindlar—a failed law student— to help them.The trio of unlikely saviors soon discover that more than just Fingle’s life is at stake as they uncover an insidious plot that threatens to destroy all of the Faerie Kingdom, and Earth as well. Will Rob be able to overcome his crippling self-doubt to become a hero, while his sanity is tested to its utmost limits? More secrets await as the brave company experience a startling revelation, that Humans and Goblins have considerably more in common than they ever dared to imagine…

While you are here, please feel free to have a wander, it is a new website and a work in progress. Here you will find updates on my writing projects and links to purchase.

Don’t forget, for younger readers (upper-middle grade), SAVING SNOW will also be available to buy very soon. Here is a sneak preview…

Who IS that girl?

“Eva hates leaving all of her friends behind to move to another country. Feeling sad and alone, Eva arrives at her new home and discovers it has a mysterious tower. Despite being told it’s unsafe, Eva uncovers the truth of the tower and her life alters dramatically.
She meets a strange boy who convinces her to help him search for snow before it is too late. The boy also reveals the identity of the ghostly voice Eva can hear in the icy winds. The search takes her across the Scottish highlands through ferocious snow blizzards, battling against time and self-doubt.
After a startling revelation involving the entire community on Christmas Eve, they all awaken on Christmas day to a miracle the whole world bears witness to…”

Saving Snow excerpts:

Saving Snow Excerpts:

She held onto the thin, spiralling iron rail, it felt bitterly cold. A procession of murky mirrors—that had rusted along their inside edges—spiralled upwards with the handrail. Eva peered into the mottled antique glass, she looked ghostly green and watched as more of her breath appeared with every step she climbed.

Eva was about to follow, but a powerful gust of icy air whipped about her. As she pulled her coat in tightly, she heard an urgent voice carried upon the wind.
“Help meeee…”
She spun around, but there was no one there.

Angus pulled on his hat and reached for the door handle without looking back, “I’m afraid it’s too late, it’s already happening. The lassie knows the Campbell boys name, how do you think she found out when I didnae tell ‘em? That can only mean one thing, he’s back, Williwaw’s come back…”

“Harry! Harry, where are you?”
Eva stood motionless waiting for a reply. The only sound came from a braying animal somewhere beyond the wall, which was soon lost to the urgent wind.
Well, I shall have to go looking myself shan’t I. Boys are always bragging about what they’re going to do and can’t be found when it comes to doing it! complained Eva. Mum often said as much about dad she thought.

Curled up with her eyes closed, she felt the soft flakes gently settle upon her head and realised the winds had now died down. Slowly, peacefully, she opened her eyes. In the twilight, something caught her eye. It was a dim, whitish glow that seemed to come from somewhere in the ground up ahead.


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