It's March and Ocelot Press launches its Readers Group!

 Welcome to the 1st March! 

We've had a few calm, dry, and reasonably warm days in my part of the world and they definitely herald a cheery spring feeling. I'll keep quiet about the fact that last week a good dollop of snow-melt was causing localised flooding,  and that we might still get more snow in March (not too unusual for North-East Scotland). My garden is just wakening up after the winter, and I've made a few tentative forays outside to get it ready for the coming seasons. We are still essentially in  'Covid 19' lockdown but there are new changes afoot in my garden that will draw me away from my keyboard every now and then!

Presently it's also time for other new beginnings. 

This is a fantastic point of the year to launch the new Ocelot Press Readers Group on Facebook. At Ocelot Press, we've been toying for a while now with how to co-ordinate the interaction that our authors have with some of their readers. Creating a 'space' for all us together makes brilliant sense so we are sending an open invitation to all of our readers to join us, and for new ones to join us as well! 

There will be a 'Book of the Month' feature, but in between times there will be opportunities to tell us what you like to read and to get to know all of our authors. If you read this blog regularly,  then you'll already know a little of what drives me but perhaps you don't yet know my fellow authors whose fiction is of a super quality! You can add to and/or question our research on #WeSearchWednesday days. Other special feature days are planned once we're into the swing of things.  

There will be plenty of opportunities to enter competitions to WIN eBook copies of our novels and probably other little prizes, so stay tuned. 

Be one of the first 100 new sign-ups and get your name into the draw for an eBook copy of our short anthology 'Doorways To The Past'. It's full of spin-off stories featuring minor characters who appear in our Ocelot Press novels. My featured characters are Ruaridh of Garrigill and the Ancient Roman friend of General Agricola - the one named Gaius Salvius Liberalis, Judicial Legate in Britannia.

We'd all love you to join us! Click HERE and see what's happening today- our official Launch Day! And please share the information with any of your reader friends who might also be interested. 

As always - Happy Reading! 

Slàinte!

FREE eBooks for Valentine's Day fun!

 Hello from a presently very snowy part of Scotland!

Well, actually right now most of Scotland is under some degree of snow cover as the ‘Beast from The East Mark 2’ is blasting us with intermittent levels of snow-pelt.

It’s not unusual in my part of Aberdeenshire to get snow at this point close to mid-February. When I was a teacher the pupils loved the odd ‘snow day’ off school when transport wasn’t possible for the ‘country’ kids to attend, and some staff weren't able to get to school. Since I lived within 30 metres of the school building, a snow day for me just meant no direct teaching of pupils, I still had to do other admin or preparation work instead.

However,  a snowy day does mean it’s a time to ‘coorie doon’ under a warm blanket, or snuggle beside a roaring fire –  if you still have one – and read something entertaining and enjoyable.

Also, being the 10^th of February 2021 as I write this, it’s getting closer to Valentine’s Day and a time to pamper yourself, or someone you love - either by gifting them an eBook, or buying one for yourself. It’s probably too late to get a paperback version posted, Covid 19 pandemic not helping with slow postal services, so gifting an eBook is possible.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, I am offering two of my Romantic Comedies eBooks #FREE  during the next few days across the Amazon network. I've recently been re-doing the book page information for all of my books on Amazon and... here's a look at the brand new blurbs for Take Me Now and Monogamy Twist. 

Take Me Now is #FREE from Amazon on 11^th, 12^th and 13^th of Feb. 2021.

Click HERE for a kindle copy :   getbook.at/itshereforyou

Take Me Now: A Fast-Flying Corporate Sabotage…Romantic Comedy Mystery

 "…With beautiful description, it feels like you're travelling the globe with handsome Nairn and feisty, capable Aela, and the sub plot of sabotage, will keep you reading till the end."

 Conclusions jumped at too soon. Sabotage and attempted murder? Hilarious predicaments.

Patience isn’t Nairn Malcolm’s strong point when someone sabotages his business. It gets much worse when he, too,  is under attack. He needs someone who can transport him from his Scottish island castle base to destinations across the globe and also help him keep his business interests running smoothly. Who could be all that, and available to him 24/7?

Aela Cameron’s skills are perfect for Nairn’s current predicament. Transporting him across the globe is a pushover. Dangerous situations don’t faze her, in fact they make her more determined to solve the mystery of Nairn’s saboteur. She’s not into passing flings – yet how can she resist her new boss as time runs out on her temporary contract?

Is Nairn seeking the impossible? Can Aela find a compromise?

“Take Me Now is a fun contemporary romance set in Scotland, a swift-paced story with humorous moments that will leave the reader laughing and sighing.”

Take Me Now would be perfect for someone who likes a story that’s humorous, swift-paced and entertaining. A deliciously fun read.

 

Monogamy Twist is #FREE from Amazon on 12^th, 13^th and 14^th of February 2021.  

Click HERE for a kindle copy   getbook.at/funromreadmtnow

Monogamy Twist: A Romantic Comedy Mystery bursting with Ancestral and Dickensian Quirks

“Steeped in history, with rich description, this book is a fun, romantic read that will leave you intrigued till the very end.” Lizzie Koch, Author

Bizarre inheritance conditions. Ancestral enigmas. Heartrending choices.

When Luke Salieri inherits a dilapidated estate in Yorkshire, England, from an old woman he's never heard of, it’s a mystery he wants resolved immediately. But there’s more than one catch. The rules of inheritance are downright Dickensian – a bind he doesn’t want – yet how can he walk away and let the house rot? He needs the help of a very special woman though exactly how far will he need to go to persuade her?

Rhia Ashton wants the job of researching Greywood Hall and all of its fantastic contents, but can she live with gorgeous Luke Salieri for a whole year and retain her sanity? Rhia has her own ideas about what will make it worth her while to bargain with Luke.

How long can a year be…since neither expect more than friendly relations!

“A wonderful story packed with intrigue and romantic tension. I was immediately drawn to the mystery surrounding the house and its tangled secrets and enjoyed the way they were revealed.”

Readers who are ancestry enthusiasts, or those who enjoy a good dash of history in a contemporary novel, will love the Georgette Heyer ‘feel’ of Monogamy Twist. 

If you enjoy the fun stories, it would be lovely to hear your thoughts on them. Please leave a review, a few lines are fine, on Amazon. Or leave a comment below. Feedback is always appreciated.

Slàinte! 

Beathan The Brigante is a 4**** Discovering Diamond!

Happy Sunday to you! 

I'm totally delighted to announce that Beathan the Brigante (Celtic Fervour series Book 5) has received a 4 **** Discovering Diamond review from the much-coveted Discovering Diamond review site. run by Helen Hollick.

Here's what Discovering Diamonds had to say about Beathan The Brigante:

This story centres on the journey of a young adolescent boy who is held captive by the Roman general, Agricola. Beathan of Garrigill is a young Brigante whose parents are Celtic nobles and after the Brigante tribe’s defeat at the hands of the Roman invaders, Beathan is taken hostage and treated as a slave.

Beathan’s story covers four years of his life, from the age of thirteen to seventeen, and sees him grow from boy to man. It begins as he is being tortured by a sadistic centurion who has no qualms about beating Beathan to find out who he is and whether he is an important hostage or a slave. He meets and befriends other important hostages: Gillean, a Caledonian, an old friend Taexali, and a friend whom he thought was dead, Derwi. The hostages are dragged in chains to Rome, when General Agricola’s career and life are threatened. When Beathan saves the life of the general and his wife, Agricola’s heart softens and he frees the hostages in thanks for their help.

 Beathan is a strong personality in this tale. Defiant and proud, he must learn to curb his defiance in order to survive. But while outwardly he is subservient, inside, his anger is seething, and the flame of his vengeance burns.

 I was a little confused by the cover of the book which shows the face of a grown man with a full beard which was not what I expected a thirteen- to seventeen-year-old lad to look like even back then. I think this might confuse some readers. I have not read any of the other books in this series of five. It has a Young Adult feel to it although both adults and teens would be happy reading this.

The Discovering Diamonds reviewer makes a valid point about being a little confused about the cover design which shows the profile of a young man with a full dark-brown beard. It was very difficult to acquire a suitable image of a young man of 17, and I settled on the one chosen because he looked  perfect for my own concept of my character. In fact, the young man in the photo, acquired from 'www dot 123rf dot com'  image site, resembles a young lad from my village, one that I taught when he was 11/12 years old. 

When he left my class at 12 years old, the lad in question was very dark-haired, was already around 5 ft 10 in, and was likely to grow even taller, during his next five years at the local Academy. I spoke to him years later when he was seventeen. By then he was well over 6 ft. and had long flowing hair, not exactly fashionable, but it suited his quirky style. He had not long since left school to go to university and his beard was full and very thick. He told me that he couldn't wait to keep his whiskers, because shaving every day to go to school when he was 15 and 16 had been a 'a pain in the arse'. Not quite his words, they were a tad more colourful. 

I remembered that incident when I was creating my Beathan The Brigante character! 

When the review came in last Friday, I realised that Agricola's Bane (Book 4 of the Celtic Fervour Series) had not been reviewed, so I'll need to put in a request for that one. I'm likely to now get confused since Book 1, The Beltane Choice, is a 4* Discovering Diamond, Books 2 & 3 are 5* Discovered Diamonds, and now Book 5 is a 4* Discovering Diamond. 

Back to more Sunday promotion and more new writing for my prequel to the Celtic Fervour Series. 

Happy Sunday indeed!

Slàinte!