Grumpies on board

GRUMPIES ON BOARD

 BY CAROL E WYER

Grumpies On Board

Genre: humour, non-fiction

Release Date: 21^st May 2015

Publisher: Safkhet

A "book it" list like no other, with humorous suggestions for extreme active ageing trips and why grumpies should not go snuffle trunting

Fancy a holiday with a difference? Then pack your bags and get ready for some extreme active ageing. Us 'older' folk are heading away from the traditional hotel holiday and at last, having fun!

This humorous guide, compiled by Mr and Mrs Grumpy, offers alternatives to the usual holiday—from sensible to outrageous—to suit every grumpy guts.

Learn about Arctic boot camps, ayurvedic retreats, drumming holidays, ice blokarting, motoring experiences, skijorking, tubing, Vespa excursions, voodoo trips and discover why Mr Grumpy will never go truffle hunting again.

With over 300 suggestions of how to get the best out of your vacation and live life to the maximum, this book aims to inspire and entertain.

Read it and put some choices on your "book it" list. After all, you only live once!

“An excellently researched insight into the world of the truly grumpy traveller. Youngsters beware..!” Nigel Vardy AKA Mr. Fostbite. Record breaking mountaineer, author and inspirational speaker.

BUY LINKS

AMAZON UK

AMAZON.COM

SAFKHET

ABOUT CAROL E WYER

Carol E. Wyer was born in Munster, Germany in 1960. She began her working life in Casablanca where she taught English and French in Language Schools and for companies. used to race around the streets on a clapped out VéloSoleX bike, avoiding donkeys. She changed career to become a fitness instructor in her forties and appeared in Zest magazine as a ‘success story’. No longer able to touch her toes with her hands, she has now become a full-time writer. Having written a series of educational yet amusing books for children, she turned her attention to the adult market in 2010 when her son flew from the nest.

Her first two novels Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines and Surfing in Stilettos won several awards for humour and much attention from the media. Since then, she has won the people’s Book Prize Award with Grumpy Old Menopause and has appeared on over fifty BBC radio stations, several international radio stations, Sky News, NBC television and BBC Breakfast television discussing age-related subjects such as ‘Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Grumpy Old Menopause’. Her writing style has been described frequently by the media as 'witty' or 'humorous' and has even been compared to the acerbic wit of Jeremy Clarkson and the humour of Robin Williams.

Carol has written articles for and featured in several national women’s magazines including Take A Break, Choice, Woman’s Weekly and Woman's Own who also wrote about her journey to becoming a best-selling author.

Currently writing a series of novels and articles aimed at the ‘older’ woman and man, Carol is also engaged in writing by-line articles and posts for magazines and websites including Silver Travel Advisor and the Huffington Post.

Carol is also a regular Loud Mouth on BBC Radio Derby.

Last year, she took a crash course in stand-up comedy and is currently doing a comedy tour entitled Smile While You Still have Teeth to sell-out audiences, proving you’re never too old to try a new experience.

Safkhet Publishing:  http://www.safkhetpublishing.com/admin/authors.html

Website: http://www.carolewyer.co.uk

Blogs: www.grumpyoldmenopause.com

http://facing50withhumour.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carol-E-Wyer/221149241263847

Twitter: https://twitter.com/carolewyer

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5061207.Carol_E_Wyer

Member of Romantic Novelists Association: http://www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org/index.php/about/author/carol_wyer

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=116225863&trk

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/carolewyer/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5O-lvkAYO19S0AMW8VqJQ

                                                            

GIVEAWAY

1^st Prize – copy of the book (uk winner a signed paperback / non UK an ecopy)

2^nd Prize – Grumpy old git / cow travel mug

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

My Review

This is not a novel but a selection of places to go and things to do once you reach a certain age. Of course, it is all done in Carol Wyer’s inimitable style and will have you chuckling aloud. I love her ‘can-do’ attitude coupled with the ‘not blooming likely’ response of her Grumpy. Whatever your age, this book will encourage you to seize the moment and do something memorable – hopefully for all the right reasons. Arranged alphabetically there are loads of places that I’ve now added to my ‘wish list’ (I refuse to call it a bucket list). Whilst many are the stuff of which dreams are made – how I envy you at times Carol – there are plenty of things to suit every taste and budget. Nice to find quite a few that are not run of the mill. If you don’t fancy white water rafting, how about a safari or hot air balloon ride? If the worst comes to the worst, you can always leave your own Grumpy at home and take me.

4/5

A Song for Bellafortuna

Book Description for A Song for Bellafortuna:

A Song for Bellafortuna is an inspirational Italian Historical Fiction novel concerning a young man's desire to free his Sicilian village from the domination of one family's long reign.

For years, the beautiful, yet secluded, hilltop village of Bellafortuna, Sicily, was a great producer of wine and olive oil. The entire village prospered. However, after the arrival of the Vasaio family, production dwindles and the villagers soon find themselves in crushing debt to the Vasaios. Only one family in the village remains outside the control of the Vasaios, but the reason haunts Antonio Sanguinetti every day of his life. Antonio is determined to erase this legacy by offering financial and emotional support to his fellow villagers. He introduces them to the choral song from Verdi's opera, Nabucco, which becomes the rallying cry for the villagers and offers them hope for a better life.

When Antonio's only son, Giuseppe, discovers his family's past, he becomes determined to take on the Vasaios and remove them from power. Led by the young Giuseppe, a plan is hatched that could result in either complete freedom for the villagers, or if it fails, forever solidifying the Vasaios' control. Find out what happens in A Song for Bellafortuna, a sweeping epic historical fiction tale of love, drama, sacrifice, and redemption, set among the beautiful landscape of Sicily.

Where to buy the Book:    Amazon

Author's Bio:

Award winning and bestselling author, Vincent B. "Chip" LoCoco, lives in New Orleans. His first novel, Tempesta's Dream - A Story of Love, Friendship and Opera, became an Amazon bestselling novel and was awarded the 2014 Pinnacle Achievement Award in Historical Fiction. Amazon also has named his book as a Top Rated Novel in Italian Historical Fiction.

His most recent novel, A Song for Bellafortuna, was shortlisted in the William Faulkner - William Wisdom Competition. He is an estate planning attorney in New Orleans, where he lives with his wife and two children.

Connect with the author:    Website     Twitter    Facebook

Giveaway:​

Prizes: ​

Win 1 of 5 print or kindle copies of “A Song for Bellafortuna”(open to USA & Canada)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/defcd44e115/

My Review

This is such an unusual, quirky book that you can't help but like it. I loved the way the author transports the reader back to a different time and place through the daily life of the villagers of Italy. It is a lovely story, well-told and the characters spring to life, staying with you long after you put the book down.
I was holding my breath throughout, hoping for a happy ending to the villagers' predicament. I won't spoil it by saying what happens but the ending didn't unfold exactly as I had imagined. If you love Italy, opera or simply a good story, then you won't be disappointed.

5/5

The Inheritance

The Inheritance tells the story of a family disintegrating from conflicting loyalties in Calabria, Italy. Set during the period 1897 to 1913, the region was subject to earthquakes and tsunamis; the land harsh and poverty the norm. Superstition clashed with religion and a class system ruled the people. Calabria is the perfect backdrop for the tragedy that unfolds in The Inheritance.

Caterina is an atypical woman, and The Inheritance chronicles her life from birth to young womanhood. Born with an inheritance of loss into a society that has predetermined what she can and cannot do, she vows to live a life of her choosing. Caterina refuses to allow the limits of her gender, the constraints of her class and the demands imposed by those in power to stand in her way. Caterina remains steadfast in her commitment to become the woman she imagines. Her decisions ignite conflicts and fuel a chain of events that result in dire consequences for all whose path she crosses.

Praise for The Inheritance:

“Like a classic star-crossed love story, the novel is written with lush detail enriched with both likable and loathsome characters. In particular, Perry builds strong and decisive female characters. Although the key action doesn’t occur until the final chapters, Perry’s exquisite descriptions will transport readers back to the time and place of Lorenzo and Caterina’s romance-the brilliant colors in villa gardens, the smells and tastes of decadent food, and the menacing sounds of the ocean during an earthquake. After the engrossing storylines come to an abrupt end, a cliff-hanger will leave readers anxious for a sequel to continue Lorenzo and Caterina’s tragic story. Solid characters and vivid imagery capture the mood, traditions and uncertainty of the time.” – Kirkus Reviews, December 7, 2012

“The premise for The Inheritance was inspired by the author’s genealogical research in Calabria, Italy. Marianne Perry’s research trip to Cosenza province is obvious in her vivid descriptions of the setting of “The Inheritance”. The landscape, colours, culture, native food, plants and flowers, and even the weather are all vibrantly described……Perry deftly weaves secrets and betrayals throughout the entire book, not only among the two families but the supporting characters, as well….Marianne Perry weaves a very vivid tale that might well have happened hundreds of times over the centuries. “The Inheritance” will definitely make you think about how our ancestors came to be aboard a transatlantic vessel for a perilous three week voyage to being a new life.” – Amanda Morehouse, The Ontario-Canada Genealogical Society, August 2014

Buy the book:    Amazon     Barnes & Noble    Chapters/Indigo

Author's Bio:

Family dynamics, genealogical research to solve ancestral mysteries and international travel are Marianne Perry’s priorities. A second-generation Canadian-Italian, she is the author of The Inheritance, a historical fiction set in Calabria, Italy from 1897 to 1913 inspired by her grandmother’s early life in Calabria. With a thirty-year career in education and communications, Marianne holds a Master of Education Degree from The University of Western Ontario (Canada).

A past member of the Board of Trustees, the Canadian National Arts Centre Corporation, she has also published non-fiction genealogical articles throughout North America. As a girl, Marianne fell in love with The National Geographic Magazine and dreamt of exploring the world. With her recent visit to Antarctica, she achieved her goal of stepping foot on every continent. The mother of two grown children, Marianne and her husband live on the shores of the St. Mary’s River, which drains Lake Superior on the outskirts of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. She continues to research family history and write non-fiction genealogical articles. In addition, she is working on her second novel and planning further adventures.

Marianne blogs about genealogy, travel, family and writing on her website. Visit her at http://www.marianneperry.ca. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Goodreads.

Connect with the author:    Website   ~   Twitter   ~    Facebook

My Review

Set in Calabria and spanning the period from the late 1890s to the beginning of the twentieth century, this story depicts the lives of Anna and Caterina. Anna is married to Santo, a rich businessman who seems to treat his wife with disdain most of the time, and Caterina becomes entwined in Anna’s life after her mother dies in childbirth and Anna becomes almost a surrogate mother.

The descriptions of Italy re superb and well-researched so it came as no surprise to learn that the author is Canadian of Italian origin. The characters of the two protagonists are well developed and portrayed with great sympathy. On the other hand I found the men generally to be a little too one-dimensional. Moreover, there were numerous secondary characters that I had difficulty following and seemed to add little to the overall story. I think that is why the narrative started to flag a little in the middle. Having said that, I did enjoy the story and the love story element is just right. There were a few typos and grammatical errors though fortunately they didn’t spoil my enjoyment too much. It does mean that what is a good story could become a really good story with some sensitive editing as there is a lot of potential in the book.

3.5/5

Cover Reveal - Jenna's Journey

                                                                               

Release Date:  October 13, 2015

 “Dazzling Greek Isles can hide sinister secrets.”

Synopsis

Leaving town, heading to the Greek Isles without telling husband or friends, is heady medicine for a failing marriage. Seduced by Grecian sun and sky, Jenna innocently buys a bewitching urn that tangles her into the web of a criminal world more sinister than she ever imagined. Romance is always afoot in the Greek Isles and Jenna gets a large helping with the seductive Nikos. Family is important in Greece, and Nikos helps Jenna learn all the richness it brings, and pass it on to the next generation.

Twenty-five years later, Allie takes this same journey, and a little time travel, a big “what if” dream, a fated meeting with a taxi driver and a sprinkle of paranormal intrigue intertwine in a story that spans the lives of a mother and daughter. Twisty as the streets in a Greek island village, full of unexpected characters found on a faraway vacation along with frightening threats from nasty villains, Jenna’s Journey will keep you turning pages far into the night.

Working out a lifetime of secrets, imagining what might have been, eluding nasty antiquities thieves, exploring a new love—how would you have managed? Follow Jenna’s adventure and see how she changed her life in one journey!

When I heard back in March 2015 that Booktrope Publishing of Seattle wanted to republish my debut novel, Jenna’s Journey, I was ecstatic as you can imagine. Now that I’ve seen what the team can do, I’m beyond ecstatic and my heartfelt thanks go especially to Jennifer Givner, the cover designer.

Jenna’s Journey will be available on all major online retailers and for the very first time will also be available as a paperback. It’s also getting a thorough editing and revamp too but I just wanted you to be among the first to see this awesome cover. It sums up exactly what the book is about, don’t you think?

Author Bio

Julie Ryan’s roots are in a small mining village in South Yorkshire. After a degree in French Language and Literature, wanderlust kicked in and she lived and worked in France, Poland, Thailand and Greece. Her spirit enriched, her imagination fired, Julie started a series of mystery romances, thrillers set in the Greek Isles.

Jenna’s Journey is the first novel in Julie Ryan’s Greek Islands Series, a series she did not set out to create but which took on its own life and grew, rich and fascinating. This is the first of three published so far, and now as a newly released edition in the USA from Booktrope, it promises to delight readers looking for the hidden dark sides of dream vacations in the Greek Isles.

A prolific and well-known book review blogger, Julie does her writing and reviewing from rural Gloucestershire, where she lives with her husband, son and dippy cat with half a tail.

Social Media Links for Julie Ryan

Website/blog for the Greek Isles series:   https://thegreekurn.wordpress.com/

Book review website:  http://www.allthingsbookie.com/

Blog: http://juliesworldofbooks.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julie.ryan.3114

Twitter: @julieryan18

What people are saying about the book
"An absolute treat" Colm Herron
"Wonderful setting ..expect the unexpected." Linn B Halton
"A must read" Elise Williams
"Highly enjoyable" Effrosyni Moschoudi
"A promise of a journey to remember" Petra Rovere
"Jenna's Journey is a fantastic mystery novel with a beautiful underlying romantic element and plots that will keep you guessing to the end." 
Heidi Cosmochicklitan

Background for the Book  

Jenna’s Journey is the first novel in the Greek Islands Series series. The story was inspired by the time I lived in Greece during the 1980s. Some thirty years later I was looking out of the window of my home in Gloucestershire on a wintry morning, idly wondering how my life would have been different if I’d stayed in Greece. I hadn’t intended to write a novel. Jenna’s Journey started life as a short story and thanks to a timely encounter with a fellow writer who persuaded me to turn it into a novel, it took on a life of its own and became the start of the Greek Island mystery series.

I’ve always been interested in fate or destiny, whatever you wish to call it, and this book is about all the ‘what ifs’ in life. It’s also about grabbing a chance of happiness with both hands when it’s offered – life really is too short!

Now available on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Jennas-Journey-Greek-Island-Mystery-ebook/dp/B015545GT0/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B015545GT0?keywords=jennas%20journey&qid=1442421712&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

Paperback coming shortly