Book Launch - The Somme Legacy: A Jayne Sinclair Genealogical Mystery by M J Lee

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

From the author of the best selling, The Irish Inheritance, comes a gripping new book revealing family secrets hidden in the fog of war. The Somme Legacy is the second book in the Jayne Sinclair genealogical mystery series, but it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone story. 

July 1, 1916. The Somme, France:  A British Officer prepares to go over the top on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

March 28, 2016. Manchester. England: Genealogical investigator Jayne Sinclair, a former police detective, is commissioned by a young teacher to look into the history of his family. The only clues are a medallion with purple, white and green ribbons, and an old drawing of a young woman.

Her quest leads to a secret buried in the trenches of World War One for over 100 years. Who was the real heir to the Lappiter millions?

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About the Author

Martin Lee has spent most of his adult life writing in one form or another. As a University researcher in history, he wrote pages of notes on reams of obscure topics. As a social worker with Vietnamese refugees, he wrote memoranda. And, as the creative director of an advertising agency, he has written print and press ads, TV commercials, short films and innumerable backs of cornflake packets and hotel websites.He has spent 25 years working outside the North of England. In London, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai, winning awards from Cannes, One Show, D&AD, New York and London Festivals, and the United Nations. When he's not writing, he splits his time between the UK and Asia, taking pleasure in playing with his daughter, researching his family history, single-handedly solving the problem of the French wine lake and wishing he were George Clooney. Find out more at writermjlee.com and folow Martin on Facebook and Twitter @writermjlee.

Book Review ~ MURDER, Now and Then, by Diana Jackson

Available on Amazon UK and on Amazon US

Think Midsomer murders meets Bergerac, set in the near future and based on an actual murder that took place in 1919, and you'll have a good idea of what to expect from Diana Jackson's latest thriller. Unlikely coincidences keep you guessing and, in classic murder mystery style, have you changing your mind several times about the killer's identity - or who the next victim might be.

I particularly liked the evocative scenes set in Diana's much-loved Channel Islands and could easily imagine this book as a successful  TV drama. The eventual denouement is original and inventive - I definitely didn't see it coming!  Highly recommended, Murder, Now and Then is one of those books you can't put down until the mystery is solved.

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About the Author

Diana Jackson is a full time author living in Scotland, UK. When not writing, Diana’s other passions are social history, gardening and cooking her own produce, Inspired by her great grandmother, an Alderney girl, her  ‘Riduna Series’ novels take the reader from the mid Victorian era through to 1920. To find out about Diana Jackson’s other writing projects, you can visit her blog 

http://dianamj.wordpress.com/ and find her on Twitter @Riduna

Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience, by Dan Blank

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

 - released on March 7th, available for pre-order now - 

Many people feel the drive to do creative work, but get overwhelmed by the process of connecting with an audience. They follow “best practices” in marketing that never seem to pan out, don’t produce results, and make them feel lost and oftentimes, frustrated. Be the Gateway offers a powerful way to have an impact. 

If you want to share your voice and inspire people with your writing, art, craft, or creative idea, you have to be the gateway for them. Instead of throwing “products” out into the marketplace, you open them up to a new way of looking at the world, of knowing themselves, and connecting with others. You unlock new experiences for them -- not just through what you create, but through the unique way you share it with the world.

Too often we think about the creative process as separate from the marketing process. Instead, view them as the same. Replace the inclination to “promote” with the desire to share and engage. How and why you create is a story — and your best asset to truly engage people. Be the Gateway shows you how to use that gift with joy and with confidence.

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About the Author

Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and creative professionals share their stories and grow their audience. He has worked with hundreds of individuals and amazing organizations who support creative people such as Random House, Hachette Book Group, Sesame Workshop, Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer's Digest, Library Journal, and many others. Dan's work has been featured by Poet's & Writers magazine, the National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, and 99u. You can find Dan on his blog at http://wegrowmedia.com and on Twitter at @DanBlank.

How to Successfully Market your eBook: A Beginner's Guide by Jo Harrison

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Want to know how to get your self-published eBook in front of people who might be interested in purchasing it? 

This extensive eBook has been created using Jo Harrison's popular, four-part eBook Marketing Mini-eCourse for Authors. The advice you’ll find within is guaranteed to be easy to follow and help bring you those all-important sales.

This short eBook will show you how to:

- Keep energising and promoting your work
- Achieve eBook marketing success
- Become a successful self-published author

Also include marketing tips from previous authors Jo Harrison has worked with, which will provide some extra food for thought

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About the Author

Jo Harrison is a British Virtual Assistant who lives in South West France with two dogs and cat. Over the past 5 years, Jo has worked with both self-published and bestselling authors alike helping them format their books for print and eBook publication. As a virtual assistant, Jo's experience covers designing websites and marketing, including social media and email campaigns, for her clients. For more information see http://joharrison.rocks/ and follow Jo on Twitter @JoHarris0n 

Historical Fiction Spotlight: The Most Dangerous Enemy (The Elizabeth of England Chronicles Book 3) by G. Lawrence

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

The witty, wily princess, Elizabeth Tudor has survived the turmoil of her formative years, and finally, is now Queen of England. Rising to the throne on a wave of popularity, Elizabeth is keen to avoid the mistakes of her siblings, and bring England to a new sense of unity and hope.

But in the first two years of her reign, Elizabeth will be tested as in no other. She is seen as scandalous for her faith and sex in the courts of Europe. Untested in power and authority, Elizabeth must use all the weapons at her disposal to survive as a Protestant Queen amongst a sea of Catholic Kings.

Everyone believes that Elizabeth should marry, and marry soon; to secure an heir for the throne, and to complete her as a woman. But Elizabeth has other ideas... and in the first years of her reign, there is only one man who reaches her heart... Robin Dudley. As her love for her Master of Horse grows, Elizabeth is tested; should she abandon her long-held principles and desire never to marry... or risk all that she holds dear, for love?

In the shadowy game of power at the Tudor Court, Elizabeth will come to know herself better than she ever has done, to be tested in more ways than she thought possible, and to face the most dangerous enemy of all... her own heart.

The Most Dangerous Enemy is book three of The Elizabeth of England Chronicles, by G. Lawrence

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About the Author

Gemma Lawrence is an independently published author living in Cornwall in the UK. She studied literature at university says, 'I write mainly Historical Fiction, with an emphasis on the Tudor and Medieval periods and have a particular passion for women of history who inspire me'. Her first book in the Elizabeth of England Chronicles series is The Bastard Princess (The Elizabeth of England Chronicles Book 1).Gemma can be found on Wattpad and Twitter @TudorTweep.

Book Spotlight: Pilgrim Routes of the British Isles, by Emma J. Wells

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

This book leads the modern traveller along seven medieval pilgrim routes of Britain (those with historic origins, rather than modern constructs), taking in world-famous sites such as Canterbury and Lindisfarne in addition to out-of-the-way locations along paths not so widely travelled. 

Each route guides pilgrims on a journey of discovery. Illustrated throughout with photographs and colour maps, and written by a renowned expert on pilgrimage, Pilgrim Routes of the British Isles provides clear maps and informative commentary on the history of the most significant landscapes, shrines, art and architecture.

Although it offers some fresh walking ideas, primary consideration is given to understanding the history, significance and practices surrounding the pilgrim routes and sites of Britain, helping you to follow in the footsteps of our forebears and gain invaluable insights into their medieval world. It will be of great interest to walkers and historians alike.

I ll have a copy tucked under my arm as I revisit these important ancient routes across Britain s historic landscape...The context for pilgrimage is given in a clear but well-researched way, with its significance within all the major world religions highlighted. Yet the places are also celebrated for their local flavours, with the importance of native British saints, relics and locations constantly kept to the fore. This is a book that UK travellers, historians and pilgrims can benefit from. ~ Dr Janina Ramirez

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About the Author

Dr Emma Wells is an historian, archaeologist, author, broadcaster and award-winning academic. She is Associate Lecturer at the University of York and an Historic Buildings Consultant. She has a PhD from the University of Durham (soon to be published as a book) and is a regular contributor to television and radio as an expert on pilgrimage. Find out more at  www.emmajwells.com and you can find Emma on Facebook and Twitter @Emma_J_Wells.

Book Review: Plantagenet Princess, Tudor Queen: The Story of Elizabeth of York, by Samantha Wilcoxson

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

I've had to save this book for almost eighteen months because at the time it was published in 2015 I was researching for my own book on King Henry VII. I bought Plantagenet Princess as soon as it was published but as I started reading it I realised it could influence my thinking about Elizabeth of York. I returned to it as soon as my book was written and was fascinated to see Samantha's view of the same story through Elizabeth's eyes.

Elizabeth of York is too often portrayed as a victim of the Wars of the Roses and in my view deserves to be better understood. Samantha evokes the contrasts of the early Tudor period and explores new facets of Elizabeth's complex and often harrowing world.

Having spent three years writing about the life of Henry Tudor, I was particularly intrigued by her sympathetic view of Henry's relationship with Elizabeth, I'm glad I didn't read it before writing my book, as there are understandably different perspectives on Margaret Beaufort and Perkin Warbeck, among others.

Thought provoking and well researched, I recommend Plantagenet Princess to anyone interested in what life might have been like at the Tudor court of the fifteenth century. I will definitely be reading the other books in Samantha's Plantagenet Embers series.  

Tony Riches

(P.S. My new book, Henry - Book Three of The Tudor Trilogy will be published at the end of February.)

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About the Author

Samantha Wilcoxson is a writer and history enthusiast. She lives with her husband on a small lake in Michigan with three children, two cats and two dogs, she has plenty of writing inspiration. The Plantagenet Embers series debuted with 'Plantagenet Princess, Tudor Queen: The Story of Elizabeth of York'. It has been selected as an Editors' Choice by the Historical Novel Society and long-listed for the 2016 HNS Indie Award. Find our more at Samantha's website and follow her on Twitter @carpe_librum.