The next stages...

Happy Wednesday greetings to you!

So, what's next in the writing schedules for me?

After a flurry of social/ family activity culminating in me hosting a fantastic family reunion last weekend, I'm struggling to get back into my current writing head. But this morning, some forward promotion is planned for the coming months since I always have to remind myself that I don't just have what's currently in the writing phase to promote.

I'm organising a rolling programme of offering my novels at a 99p kindle price for a short burst, so stay tuned to keep informed of what might be on offer.

For the next few days (October 15-19) you'll find that my contemporary mystery/thrilller Topaz Eyes is only 99p in kindle from Amazon. It was described in a review of some years ago as: 

"A velvety trip packed full of history, mystery and suspense. Nancy Jardine writes fluidly and skillfully to create a very unique novel that holds the attention until the very last page..."

Take advantage of a great price, enjoy your read, and please remember that a review or rating posted on Amazon is so useful; to bring the novel to the attention of those Amazon bots that help with boosting the novel on the Amazon ranking system.

Slainte! 

All good things come to an end!

Wishing a good Monday to you! 

I've had an incredibly exciting extended 15-strong family weekend full of updates, laughter with the next generations (ages 4 -14),  and plenty of reminiscences. I also fitted in attending a Craft Fair where I sold my novels on Saturday (couldn't be cancelled) and last Friday was the final day of my Tailored Truths Blog Tour with the Coffee Pot Book Club.

I visited 7 blogs on Friday where there was a variety of ways to share  Tailored Truths; 

Click the links if you need to catch up with what was shared. 

Mary's Bookcase Spotlight

https://marysbookcase.blogspot.com/

The Historical Fiction Company Excerpt

https://www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/hist-fic-chickie-blog

Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion Spotlight

https://maryanneyarde.blogspot.com

Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots Guest Post

https://mythslegendsbooks.blogspot.com/

Linnea Tanner’s Official Blog Review

https://www.linneatanner.com/blog/

The Whispering Bookworm Interview

https://thewhisperingbookworm.blogspot.com/

When Angels Fly Guest Post

https://whenangelsfly.net/

My thanks to Linnea Tanner for posting the following review last Friday- 

Tailored Truths chronicles the family saga of Margaret Law. a young woman striving to find her herself and to survive in 19th Century Scotland at the height of the Industrial Revolution. Sweeping technological changes in production are having dire consequences on the environment and family dynamics as women enter the workforce. Though highly educated, Margaret faces obstacles trying to find work as a single woman, most often paid lower wages than a man. She shares her hopes with Jessie, her sister-at-heart, with daily conversations in Dundee. However, their close friendship alters when Jessie's fortunes change and she marries an engineer and moves to Glasgow. Thereafter, the two women occasionally visit each other and exchange letters.  Margaret's aspirations to be independent and to support herself in a job using her talents are fulfilled when she is hired as the head seamstress at a tailor shop. She become smitten with Sandy Watson, a tailor in training who lavishes gifts and affection on her. As their relationship deepens, she shakes off  gnawing feelings that he has a secret, darker side to him. She marries Sandy and moves with him to a northern Scottish town where his dysfunctional family lives.  

Author Jardine Jardin immerses the reader in the everyday worlds of upper and working class Scottish people facing dynamics changes in the environment and to their family structure. Even though Tailored Truths is the second book in the series, there is sufficient backstory to read the novel as a standalone, but loose ends will need to be resolved in another book. Vivid descriptions of various locations add to the historical authenticity. The story offers insight in the challenges faced by both men and women whose livelihoods are heavily impacted by rich industrialists. One of the more interesting aspects of the tale is how sewing machines were introduced into tailor shops.

This is a character-driven story centered on themes of friendship, social issues pertaining to gender roles and expectations, and survival. Margaret Law is an engaging character whose fate is determined by unfortunate circumstances and limited options presented to her. The potential for Margaret to steer her own life as a seamstress at the tailor shop is shattered when she moves to Peterhead to live with her husband's parents in Peterhead. Nonetheless, her determination to make the best of the situation and her resilience shines through the shadows. It should be noted that phonetic spelling to capture the strong Scottish dialect sometimes drew me out of the story to decipher the dialogue.   

Tailored Truths is a poignant story of a Scottish woman's struggle for self-reliance in the wake of misfortune and social injustice during the Industrial Revolution. 

If you have read and enjoyed Tailored Truths, placing a short review on Amazon or Goodreads will really help to bring the novel to the attention of that algorithm that boosts visibility.

I'm now looking forward to getting on with a good bit more of Book 3 of my Silver Sampler series this coming week! 

Enjoy your reading...

Slainte! 

Another well-appreciated book review for Tailored Truths!

Hello! It's a lovely Monday morning here in Aberdeenshire! 

I'm sending everyone who reads this wishes for a great day. It's so nice to find it still and calm outside after days of Storm Amy which wreaked some havoc in my garden, having knocked down a section of my larch-lap high privacy fence. I'll now have to see about getting it replaced since - unfortunately - it's not a job for me to do on my own!

But before I arrange the above, I'm sharing another book review today that was posted on Amazon and Goodreads for Tailored Truths last Friday. I love receiving all reviews, but when a review is written by a well-respected historical author who has been published for a long time - one whom I only vaguely know - it's such an uplifting feeling!

Some years ago, I read a couple of novels written by Elizabeth St. John set in 17th Century England and thoroughly enjoyed them. The meticulous research and period details were sublime in giving me, the reader, a real sense of the turbulent era. They reminded me of when I studied this particular era for my Open University Degree, the units undertaken during the late 1980s. Elizabeth St. John's Lydiard Chronicles are well worth reading and I hope to get back to reading more of the series sometime in the future.

Here is her 4 star review for Tailored Truths:

"I really enjoyed Tailored Truths by Nancy Jardine. From the first chapter, I was drawn into Margaret Law’s world and found myself rooting for her as she navigated so many challenges with resilience and determination. I loved how the novel captured the feel of Victorian Scotland—the tailoring trade, the towns of Dundee and Peterhead, and the realities women faced when carving out a life for themselves. It’s clear that Jardine has done her research, and the book gives such a vivid glimpse into mid-Victorian times and the rapid pace of change that was taking place. The historical detail feels authentic but never heavy, and built a fascinating world around Margaret and her family and friends.

Margaret herself is such a relatable heroine; resourceful, brave, and determined. Her relationship with Sandy Watson is complicated and often difficult, which made it all the more engaging to read; their connection is full of tension, misunderstandings, and emotional depth. Her friendship with Jessie added warmth and loyalty, anchoring Margaret through the tougher moments. Overall, Tailored Truths is an immersive and compelling read that celebrates resilience and the strength it takes to navigate life’s challenges."

A reminder for you that the Kindle version of Tailored Truths is still 99p/99c during the Blog Tour organised by the Coffee Pot Book Club, which runs till October the 10th 2025. Click the link to take advantage of this great offer for a saga novel of 450 pages!

Till next time,

Slainte! 

BRAND NEW REVIEWS for Tailored Truths!

Good Morning!

Saturday has dawned with Storm Amy (first named storm of Autumn in Scotland) having only blown down one section of my long garden privacy fencing. Along with some large planters having been blown over that's not so bad and the winds here today aren't expected to be much above 50 MPH gusts. 

The better by far news is that Tailored Truths got three new excellent reviews yesterday. Some may say that's not many but reviews are hard to come by these days and it's so rewarding when a reader takes the time to write about aspects of the novel that they've enjoyed or picked up on as being memorable for them in some way.

I'm sharing one review here in this post. 

Annie, at Left on The Shelf Blog wrote this 4 star review and posted to Amazon and Goodreads- and I thank her for every single word of it! 

4**** Review
"Although this is the second book in the series, there is sufficient reference to the first book to make this one work perfectly as a standalone.

This book features Margaret as the main character.  We read of how she fights to keep her head above water - working in various jobs from tutoring, to being a lady's maid/companion and even sack sewing. However, her skills enable her to move up in the world to a leadership role in a factory.

Her search for employment highlights how women were viewed during the period in which the book is set. It was very hard for a woman to make much of herself, as all the opportunities to grow were only available to men. Through this, the author demonstrated the role of women at the time and how they were considered by Victorian society.

Margaret was an excellent character. She is a hard-working young woman with a strong character, which enabled her to survive in difficult situations.

The author immerses the reader in the time and place. She has exhaustively researched the time period and, therefore, immerses the reader in the book. I almost felt like I was there.

It is a dialogue-led book, which served to move the story along at an appropriate pace for the genre. It made for easy and engaging reading.

I enjoyed this book very much, and am looking forward to the next book in the series already."

I guess I'd better find some time today to get on with the next part of Margaret Law's story!

Slainte! 

Tailored Truths is out on the blog trail again today!

It's Friday Again! 

And that means it's another happy day for me since it's week 3 of the Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour for Tailored Truths.

So...for this part of the tour, you'll find me:

1)  I'm being interviewed by Brook Allen, a fellow Roman era author (excellent series about Mark Anthony) but who has also skipped centuries to write about the Lewis and Clark expedition across the American continent from St. Louis to Oregon state.

2) You'll find a really lovely review of Tailored Truths by Annie, at Left on The Shelf Blog.

3)  Pam Lecky has kindly shared a tempting excerpt from Tailored Truths.

4) There's a super review of Tailored Truths by the historical fiction author Elizabeth St John who writes in the era of 17th Century England (one of the subject areas of my History degree). 

5) You'll find a guest post that I've written on M J Porter's Blog. 

1) Interview:

Brook Allen 

2) Review

Left on The Shelf 

3) Excerpt

Pam Lecky 

4) Review

Elizabeth St John 

5) Guest Post

M J Porter

6 ) Review

Ruins and Reading 

Details on the reviews are to follow in new posts. 

Phew! It's such an exciting Friday for me! Till next time...

Slainte!