Hi there again,
I'm so pleased you've returned to read A Page of Love. I will be doing a post every now and then called "Writings - From A Page of Love" and this is the first one. It's where I will share with you short examples of fictional writing that either I have been working on, or I wrote sometime in the past. Not all of them have been developed into something more, and yet some of them capture a place in my heart and slowly weave their story onto the screen.
Todays "Writings - From A Page of Love" is entitled; 'The Small Price for Love' and has been developed beyond this point to tell a story in two era's - present day and the 1920s. The section I am sharing today is from the present era. I hope that you enjoy reading it, and I would absolutely love your feedback if you would be so kind and have the time.
I'm so pleased you've returned to read A Page of Love. I will be doing a post every now and then called "Writings - From A Page of Love" and this is the first one. It's where I will share with you short examples of fictional writing that either I have been working on, or I wrote sometime in the past. Not all of them have been developed into something more, and yet some of them capture a place in my heart and slowly weave their story onto the screen.
Todays "Writings - From A Page of Love" is entitled; 'The Small Price for Love' and has been developed beyond this point to tell a story in two era's - present day and the 1920s. The section I am sharing today is from the present era. I hope that you enjoy reading it, and I would absolutely love your feedback if you would be so kind and have the time.
"I decided to have a thorough spring
clean in the middle of November. My husband wanted me to rest. I bargained with him and closed the deal on
the understanding that I cleared the clutter only in the bedroom. A good deal I
thought. Just like the time I was at an antiques store and haggled with the
manager over a dressing table that was quite clearly not worth £950 and
celebrated my victory when he sold it to me for £480. In fact the dressing
table was where I first began my ‘clear the clutter’ zone.
I stroked the
beautiful mirrored surface and recalled the moment I first brought it home and
it immediately found its rightful place, nestled underneath the window. The
muslin sashes hanging in the window perfectly softened the rising sun as it
reflected into my room, greeting me with warmth each morning. I’d always wanted
a dressing table since a child, that along with a handsome man as my husband.
So when I saw this dressing table in that tiny little shop, I simply had to
have it to ensure both my dreams had come true.
My
gaze lowered to the drawers along the sides, choosing to delve into the depths
of those on the right side first. The top drawer gently opened to reveal the
beautiful gifts of jewellery laid out in all their glory. I removed each piece
carefully one by one. There were necklaces in an array of colours, some
inherited, and some bought specifically for me. Yet each piece told a story.
I reached
further into the drawer and pulled out what felt like a small circular button.
I looked down and noticed a strange looking coin. I’d never seen anything quite
like it before. I wonder how it got there. The date upon the surface of the
coin read 1923. "
© Dawn Brierley 2012
Published : 24 October 2013
Publisher : Sphere (Little Brown UK)
Pages : 482
Price : RRP £7.99 Amazon Price £3.80
Author : Carole Matthews
Reviewer Rating : 10/10
Cassie Smith has been out of work for a while but she has an idea. Drawing on her love of Christmas, she begins charging for small things: wrapping presents; writing cards; tree-decorating. She's soon in huge demand and Cassie's business, Calling Mrs Christmas, is born.
Carter Randall wants to make Christmas special for his children, so he enlists Cassie's help, and his lavish requests start taking up all her time. Thank goodness she can rely on her loving partner Jim to handle the rest of her clients.
When millionaire Carter asks Cassie to join his family on a trip to Lapland, she knows she shouldn't go...Suddenly Cassie finds herself facing a heart-breaking choice that could change her entire life.
If you are looking for a festive read - look no further. Calling Mrs Christmas has the capacity to become a firm festive favourite. From page one of this festive gripping novel you are drawn into the life of Cassie who very quickly becomes known as Cassie Christmas by Carter who demands an awful lot in a very captivating way. Cassie's love of family and that for her partner Jim is evident from the start where she begins working out a plan to get out the mess she and Jim are in financially and internally. You can't help but feel as though Cassie becomes a friend to you as you are allowed into the deepest depths of her heart and soul throughout all 482 pages. You feel her excitement, her determination, her love, her anguish and her pain as she most definitely captivates you on the romantic and emotional rollercoaster ride that is her life.
Alongside Cassie's gripping and heart-rendering journey, you also get a eye-opening insight into the life of her partner Jim who works as a prison officer. Jim has an emotionally charged job that you are gently eased into throughout the book that causes you to meet two young offenders who certainly have the capacity to warm your heart this Christmas and perhaps even alter your outlook - I know I have certainly felt stirrings of warmth, compassion and understanding for two fictional young boys who happen to be young offenders.
Carole Matthews has weaved Christmas magic full of Christmas spirit in this book that has that festive miracle of change, appreciation, compassion and love that could be likened to Charles Dicken's masterpiece that changed the Spirit of Scrooge in the splendid "A Christmas Carol"
I for one have been warmly touched by this story, so much so that it pulled me out of my own Scrooge and Grinch moments and had me on the edge of my seat eager to bring Christmas to my home - but I just had to keep reading! - I am so glad that I did because the twist in the story and the challenges the characters face had me up until all hours eager to find out what happened next, and the decisions the characters made.
I dearly hope that Carole is re-visited by Cassie at some point because I feel that her story is far from over and I for one am already praying for a Christmas Miracle for 2014 - in the guise of a sequel to Calling Mrs Christmas!
Carole Matthews is the Sunday Times Bestselling author of twenty-four novels, including the Top Ten Bestseller A Cottage by the Sea. She is published in more than thirty countries and her books have even sold to Hollywood. In 2013 Carole was shortlisted for the Melissa Nathan award for fiction about Life and Love.
For all the latest news from Carole, visit www.CaroleMatthews.com and follow her on Twitter and connect with her along with thousands of fans via Facebook.
Have you got lost in a Good Book lately? I have! In fact it happens to me so often that I think I resemble Alice in Wonderland falling down the rabbit hole on a daily basis as I fall into the mesmerizing words of Authors from all around the world of all genres.
Never Google Heartbreak by Emma Garcia
Published by Hodder
RRP £7.99 Amazon UK £5.59
As a Life Coach I have to say that one of the top areas clients request coaching for is relationships and love. We are a world that is so passionately head over heels in love with love that it is the most researched topic ever! It’s also the most effective way to sell anything – along with the “ways to get rich quick” advice that’s offered to us so freely at times it should carry a public health warning!
When we are in love we Google ’ways to keep the love flowing’, ‘ways to spice up the sex life’, and even ‘ways to get him to propose’! When we are single, we Google ‘ways to find love’, ’Will I ever meet my soul-mate?’ ‘How to enjoy being single?’ But in all honesty, how many of us ladies actually enjoy being single?
Then there are the times when we spot a hunk and the Google search heats up; “How to make him mine’, ‘How to look sexy’, ‘what to wear for a first date’, ‘How to bag your man’ etc…
We have all been there and there is certainly NO reason to feel ashamed! I’ve been there. I can claim to be a self confessed Love-A-Holic with the best of you ladies out there. So, in our modern times we not only hit the Google and work it to the max, but we abuse our plastic and search out those Self Help Love Manuals that tell us all the rules for LOVE – or so they claim. But how reliable are they? Should we really put all our hopes of love into one online shopping cart full of self help advice? Maybe – Maybe Not! Are Self help manuals the ONLY way in which we can get advice on Love? Hell no!
In my opinion some of the best dating advice, relationship counselling and coaching comes from the world of Fiction Authors! In a safe world of fantasy, we are more often able to admit our failures, our insecurities and work out plans of action to become the strong, powerful and independent women we desire to be!
Think about it, many of us have laughed and cried along with Rebecca Bloomwood created by Sophie Kinsella in her best-selling Shopaholic series, we found ourselves identifying with the girl in the green scarf. Maybe in the back of our mind every time we make a purchase we think of Rebecca and it may help us with making rash decisions regarding our finances. Is that not coaching at it’s most excellent?
What we should do though is caress our plastic and get a copy of “NEVER GOOGLE HEARTBREAK” by Emma Garcia! Seriously – I enjoyed reading this FICTION novel so much that I will recommend it to ALL my clients who want coaching on relationships and love because it shares the million dollar worthy Love Tip that we all should follow – Don’t go looking for Love – Let Love find You!
THE BLURB
When her fiancé Rob breaks off their engagement for the third time, Viv does what any girl would do – she Googles heartbreak.
Confronted by tales of misery, she decides to set-up her own self-help website for the broken-hearted. But as Viv passes through the three essential stages of grief (denial, vodka, disastrous haircut), she becomes determined that it’s not too late to try and get Rob back.
When things get out of hand after a drunken declaration of love at an extremely inappropriate moment, Viv’s scruffy, tequila-swilling best friend Max is there to pick up the pieces. Viv starts to realise that maybe the real thing has been under her nose all this time, and now – one ex and a massive error of judgement later – she has to face the question:What’s the craziest thing you’ll do for love?
THE BOOK – MY OPINION
What I loved about this book was that Viv was so blunt and honestly raw about her thoughts, feelings, desires and insecurities that it was easy to relax and get to know her as a friend for the length of the journey into her roller-coaster love life. I was gripped from the very first chapter. In fact the 3rd page gripped me because it began with Viv being in the place of love life denial that we have all been in at one point in our lives.
Throughout this book, Emma Garcia never faulted once! Each character was believable, relate-able and gripping. You could say it details the journey of a girl who thinks the life with a superficial dim-wit of a wealthy guy who “Looks” good but is rotten to the core – Rob, is amazing – that is until she grows into a beautiful swan who realises that the guy she should be focusing on is the one that “FEELS” good to be with – Max.
Throughout all her turmoil, including worrying about her ill Gran, she decides to set up a site called ; Never-Google-Heartbreak.com (Yes I did type it in the search engine – It simply had to be done!) which she dedicates to all the ladies out there who have relationship concerns – I won’t spoil it for you when you discover what the site can actually do by reading the book – not googling it!
Viv’s story is one that even I can relate to when in the end after all the heart break, confusion and denial, she finally finds the one she loves and who loves her right back!
I read this book whilst I was falling in love with my guy who loves me right back, and even though I had to contend with the love and romance in my own life, not to mention the threat of ear nibbles whilst reading the book, I couldn’t put the book down (much to my Mr Handsome’s avail 
)
)
If you’re looking for a LAUGH OUT LOUD, Summer Chick Lit for this summer I can HIGHLY recommend NEVER GOOGLE HEARTBREAK – especially if you are a fan of Sophie Kinsella! Seriously I have a new Lady Author Crush and it’s for Emma Garcia!
Emma, please write a follow up! I can’t wait to read more from this FABULOUS new Author! She is definitely one to watch – and READ
I urge you to get yourself a copy. You can Click to BUY HERE
Hi there!
Thank you for visiting my book-a-licious blog!
A Page of Love has been a dream of mine for a long time, ever since I was drawn into the world of Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City who spent many an episode sat at her laptop writing about her passion - sex! Well A Page of Love is where I will be writing about my passion - Books!
From as far back as I can recall I've always had my head in a good book, devouring my school library far quicker than they were able to add more interesting titles, so much so that every weekend Mum and I would hit the City Centre in Birmingham and head to Dillions (it's now called Waterstones - my knowing this is something that my Mr says 'shows my age' - Piffle). I would spend at least an hour in there choosing books that I wanted to take home with me. I'm grateful that my Mum and Dad supported my love of reading, and actively encouraged it. It's definitely something that has stuck with me through thick and thin - and I'm not just talking about the depth of the books ;)
In my more recent years, my early twenties (I'm mid-twenties now), I took a Creative Writing course with the Open University which is counting towards my degree, and I learnt so much about the art of creative writing. Many of those gems I've picked up along the way I'll be sharing here in various posts, along with many reviews of those books that I totally adore reading. I currently intend on their being 3 aspects to A Page of Love which is R.A.W - Reviews, Advice & Writings. The writings section will be where I write my little heart out from writing prompts (an exercise I love doing), and short stories that I've written.
So what kind of book reviews will I feature here? Do I have some top authors I adore?
Sure I do! My top 5 authors right now are;
- Sophie Kinsella
- Emma Garcia
- Carole Matthews
- Debbie Macomber
- Karen Thompson-Walker
I've reviewed many books over the past couple of years, mainly self help/personal development books that reflect my practice as a fully trained and qualified life coach, but I also had dabbled in a few reviews for chick-lit novels which are a huge passion of mine! It's those chick-lit titles that will feature here, along with author interviews, and recommended titles.
As well as reading pretty awesome books, reviewing them, being a life coach (& keeping a life coaching blog), I also happen to be a trainee teacher in a primary school which I adore doing! There is just something so wonderful about teaching and working with the little darlings, watching them grow up and then express tears when they leave because as much as they have annoyed you, you just can't help but miss them!
If you are an author or a publishing house and would like me to review your book, and are willing to send me a copy then you can send me an email to Dawn.Brierley@gmail.com
Please let me know in the email if there is a specific deadline for the book review, or want it posting at a certain time due to promotion and release dates, I'm happy to work around your needs. I'm also more than happy to review books that have been in publication for a while but you'd like readers to be reminded about them.
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