Rosie’s Book review Challenge – Tess reviewed Red Clay and Roses by S.K. Nicholls

Continuing our posts from Rosie’s Book Review Challengers, her is a review from Tess. Tess blogs at http://letscutthecrap.wordpress.com

She chose to read “Red Clay and Roses” by S.K. Nicholls

Red Clay and Roses – S.K. Nicholls

Here is Tess’s review,

Book Review: Red Clay and Roses

Publication Date: May 27, 2013

Format: Kindle and paperback

Genre: Historical / Fiction

 

Reviewed by: Tess

http://letscutthecrap.wordpress.com

 

 

A rushed visit to a small town in Georgia, family stories and times revisited, a hidden ledger and secrets abound.

Sybil, a smart woman ahead of her time, has gumption, is open-minded and knows about secrets. During the racial upheaval in the 50s to 70s, she remains open-minded and true to herself. Nobody tells her how to live unlike other women of the time. She owns a beauty salon, her husband is jailed and a coloured lover waits. She juggles her life and experiences loses she wishes she’d avoided. Who has secrets? Sybil, the good doctor, her husband, and Nathan’s family.

With probing, secrets are revealed. Are resolutions likely?

At the start, the transition from a necessary trip to Alabama to the unfolding of the fictionalized story occurred smoothly. The conclusion, however, felt disruptive in that the author inserted herself into the story and interrupted my reading enjoyment. I wish another approach had been taken to tie up the last loose end. Still, that revelation when it was exposed, satisfied.

Although this historical period is a painful reminder of the past, I enjoyed S.K. Nicholls’s novel.

 

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com or Amazon.ca (Kindle only)

 

It’s worth a mention all proceeds from this novel will be awarded to The Russell Home for Atypical Children.

Book Review Challenge – A review from Francis

Today we have a review from Book Review Challenger Francis.

Francis chose to read ” Red Clay and Roses” by S.K. Nicholls

Red Clay and Roses – S.K. Nicholls

Here is her review.

Red Clay and Roses by S.K. Nicholls

Nicholls’ novel is a story of real life events overlaid with a façade of fiction. Knowing this gives the stories an emotional impact that might not otherwise be present if one thought the author had simply ‘made it all up’. There is immediacy to the writing – as if one were turning the pages of someone’s diary.

A book, written in the way Nicholls has written Red Clay and Roses, breaks many of the conventions that readers expect when reading a novel – not necessarily a bad thing. We can all do with a shake-up now and then.

The story weaves together the life events of a small town doctor and his wife, a black family who work for them and a young woman determined to break through some barriers of oppression (opening her own business) but not others (being involved with a coloured man) – all of these stories come, in one way or another, through the voice or intervention of nurse Hannah.

The stories are overwhelmingly ones of unfilled dreams or dreams snuffed out only as they are about to be fully realized. The reader has a sense of pulling over to the side of the road to peer into a car wreck – the tragedy is quite real.

The Southern location leaps off the pages with artfully done descriptions of places and settings. Small details, like the way in which Hannah stops to wipe the red clay from her shoes onto the grass, sparkle with realism. The author has done an excellent job of conveying the type of racism that is ingrained in people’s thoughts and behaviours to such a degree that their actions appear, to them at least, to be the natural order of things.

This book does present challenges. The author admits to not taking a stand on a controversial topic that is central to the work. The result seems to be that none of the characters take a stand either and that makes the retelling less believable than it could have been.

Take the ‘good’ doctor, as he is constantly called. The man is a pivotal character in the story, yet he remains a shadow figure – the reader rarely hears his name. His actions are at times saintly, underhanded, criminal, racist, or down-right cruel. Women emerge from his at-home clinic either laughing in relief or suffering a botched procedure. Yet, Sybil, a character who has many personal experiences with the man, never expresses an opinion. Moses, the black man who has spent years in servitude to the ‘good’ doctor might come closest to actually taking a stand, though his is one of a forbearance born of oppression. Perhaps the author is hoping to convey the fact that people simply have no choice so what would be the use of getting all worked up. If so, I salute her efforts. And maybe the ‘good’ doctor must remain a shadowy figure as he operates in a world where there are no easy answers – right or wrong.

The writing of a local dialect, be it geographical or time-based (always hard to do) works in some cases – when the old black man, Moses, tells his story the atmosphere is palpable. It runs out of steam in other cases. The way in which colloquial expressions of the ‘50’s, ‘60’s and ‘70’s are used to the point of being somewhat comic and at times indecipherable to an audience unfamiliar with the times or place.

The book begins with nurse Hannah, the character who will bring the stories to the reader. But we lose sight of her as the book progresses and it becomes almost jarring when she pops back in to make a cameo appearance. When she re-emerges at the end of the book for a longish section of tying all the story threads together, the reader does not know her well enough to enter fully into the details provided about her work life.

Overall, a worthwhile read for the immediacy and powerful sense the book conveys of the racial oppression of black people in the South through a defining period of American history. A lesser but just as important theme is the way in which control of women was exercised through the denial of birth control and appropriate access to safe and affordable abortion services. These themes come together in the extreme suffering of the black women in the story.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

All profits from the book sales are now going to The Russell Home for Atypical Children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosie’s Book Review Challenge – Book Review by Susan

Today we have a review from Book review Challenger Susan Molloy. She blogs at http://www.susanmariemolloy.com

Susan chose to read and review “Red Clay And Roses” by S.K. Nicholls.

Red Clay and Roses – S.K. Nicholls

Here is her review

“Red Clay and Roses” by S. K. Nicholls is an honest look into the joys and ruthless realities of life in the Deep South during the 1950s and 1960s.  The novel predominantly delves straightforward into lust, rape, murder, criminal abortion, lies, adoption, denial, and love, and particularly how race and gender relations intermingled within those ruthless realities of life.

 

The author presents this story as roman àclef; that is, as a novel based on a real life overlapped with fiction.  She skillfully wrote to give the reader an interesting, eyes-wide-open view into the foul side of human attitudes and behavior, mirrored with the sweeter side that life can bring.  Not only does she present to the reader the ugliness of lust, rape, abortion, et al, she also lays out the misery of mental illness, financial chicanery, and the protracted goals for women’s rights and civil rights in general.

 

It is obvious that the author researched well, as not only were the historical events correct, but also were the everyday things of life:  Hair styles, clothing, language, place names, popular singers, and product names, for example.  She is meticulous is describing things, sometimes to the minute detail.  The reader, if familiar with places in the South, will recognize such places as Rexall Drugs, Kay Bee Jewelers, the Chattahoochee River, and Merritt Pecan Company.  Even the late Freddie Hubbard, an American jazz trumpeter, was spun into the story early on.

 

What also makes this novel real is the author’s expert use of medical terms and medicine in general.  As she is in real life a registered nurse, her knowledge becomes an excellent asset to the descriptions of the characters’ experiences with hospitals and their nefarious involvements.  She uses medical terms and medicine in such a way that the reader is at ease; the descriptions do not come across at all as dry nursing class lectures, but almost as a matter-of-fact professional descriptions that the reader accepts.

 

S. K. Nicholls writes with ease and clarity and give the reader rich, full scenes to imagine with the simplest of words, such as in the telling of “ . . . my first kiss in the midst of the rain of swirling pink crabapple petals . . .”  She proves that simplicity paints a masterpiece.

 

She also effortlessly shows the soul of a building where it “reeked of chemicals and pain.”  With just those five words, the reader feels and smells the repulsion of what once existed in one room.  Even the real, but imaginary, “fairy babies” with their stinging “insect-like tails” that Ms. Bea fears almost materialize within the novel’s pages.

 

The author is adept at using dialect to give her characters a real life to their voices.  Though a different dialect than those utilized by Mark Twain and Charles W. Chestnut, S. K. Nicholls nonetheless hears dialect well.  She also employs the use of early twentieth century and mid-century slang to a T.  “Slap me some skin!” was my thought as her characters, particularly Moses, spoke easily with words and phrases common decades ago.

 

“The word from the bird” is this:  S. K. Nicholls’ “Red Clay and Roses” is a well-written, factual fictional novel that will grasp the reader’s attention from start to finish.  I would place it among other well-known historical fictional novels (such as, for example, those written in the vein of Anthony Trollope and Margaret Mitchell) to be used as, perhaps, required reading in both high school and college English and American history, and social studies courses.

 

I highly recommend this novel.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

All profits from the book sales are now going to The Russell Home for Atypical Children.

 

Saturday slot – Talking about the book review challenge

Saturdays – Glorious – Long lie-ins- late lazy breakfasts- the Weekend newspapers – and still time to sign up for my book review challenge.

So if you only get time to read my blog at the weekend, what have you missed?

This week I launched an idea to highlight the importance of book reviews and to encourage more people to write and post reviews.

Authors have rallied to my call and we have over 60 free copies of books for anyone to read and review. (3 e-copies per book)

All we ask is you read just one book during July and then write a review which I’ll post here.

Starting on Wednesday 25th June we’re starting a series on writing book reviews and their importance to authors, then we’ll be e-mailing e-copies of books to everyone who has signed up to read and review a book.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

More books for the Book Review Challenge

Good Morning, Good Morning, come and pull up a seat once again. So how are you feeling? Glad it’s Friday? Come and take the weight off your poor weary limbs and take a relaxing deep breath. In and out, that’s it release the stress. Pull up a pew or find a comfy seat, kick off your shoes, nobody minds here, we’re all friends.

So what have you missed since you last dropped by? We’ve got some more delicious books for you, just whispering to be read…

If this is your first visit or you’ve been too busy to call we have a little book review challenge planned. It’s SO easy to play just a tiny part. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t like books, who doesn’t like a story? We’ve so many to tempt you.

What’s that I hear? It’s too much effort? Not at all. You haven’t got time? What a terrible shame. A whole month to read a book? Could you possible try? Just for me? Please? Pretty please?

I hear you sigh, what to you have to do? It’s JUST SO EASY. Skip on down the page and find a book to tickle your fancy, tweak your eyebrow, or nudge your curiosity.

LIFT your weary limbs and type a few words in the sign up form at the bottom of the page. Now relax and have a cup of tea.

Is that it, you ask? Is that all? W-e-l-l just one more tiny teeny weeny thing….when we send you the book, the one you’ll enjoy, you’ll fly through it in the month of July, I know you will, just one more teeny weeny ever so small….WRITE A REVIEW? WHAT?! I hear you gasp, not a REVIEW surely not? I can’t do that, I don’t know how, they take too long, what if I don’t like the book? Please not a review.

BUT, and my BUT is REALLY important please listen, how’s the tea? BUT when you read a book do you ever talk about it? Do you ever tell others about a good book you’ve read? I see you nod and purse you lips, is that a YES? So couldn’t you possibly, just for me, write down your thoughts on this lovely book, not much, I don’t need an essay, just a few lines. I pause, I see the cracks in your armour you’re beginning to agree, is that a smile and a twinkle in your eye? YIPPEE! I’d grab your hands and we’d dance a little jig but I don’t want you to think I’m more crazy than I am, QUICK, QUICK, QUICK pick a book now. And don’t worry next week we’re doing all sorts of posts about writing that teeny weeny book review that will mean SO MUCH to the authors and me. THANK YOU. Now GO, GO, GO CHOOSE A BOOK.

From July 1st 3 e-copies of the following books will be available FREE for you to choose to read. All we ask is for you to read just 1 and write a review which will then be posted here and other sites where possible. Starting next week on Wednesday 25th June we’ll be posting a series on book reviews to help and advise you.

We’re beginning the book review challenge on Wednesday 25th June with posts from guest book reviewers and authors. There will be book reviewing tips and advice each day in the build up to reading and writing a review.

When books are requested I will confirm by e-mail. Please check your SPAM folder if you think you haven’t heard from me. Similarly when books get sent out by authors they may go into SPAM please do check. I always try to reply within a reasonable time but super efficient spam folders do foil me sometimes.

First come first served.

  Do you fancy an adventure in the forests of Windemere with young warrior Luke Callindor sent to protect the heir of Duke Soloman? REQUEST A COPY OF BEGINNING OF A HERO BY CHARLES E. YALLOWITZ (Fantasy) (2 copies left)

  How about a modern twist on Tudor history? Relive the life of Henry VIII through the eyes of Harry Lanchester and his merry wives. REQUEST A COPY OF KINGS AND QUEENS BY TERRY TYLER (Contemporary) (1 copy left)

  Are you in a romantic mood? How about a romantic Highland fling? REQUEST A COPY OF TALL, DARK AND KILTED BY LIZZIE LAMB (Romance) (2 copies left)

  Or how about a romantic romp with journalists in Norfolk with wedding bells in the air? REQUEST A COPY OF BOOT CAMP BRIDE BY LIZZIE LAMB(Romance) (2 copies left)

  Want to escape your superpowers? Null City is they place to be in this New Adult paranormal fantasy. REQUEST A COPY OF ONE WAY FARE BY BARB AND HANNAH TAUB(Paranormal NA Fantasy) (2 Copies left)

  Perhaps you’ve read One Way Fare? Here’s a chance to read the second book in the series. REQUEST A COPY OF DON’T TOUCH BY BARB TAUB(Paranornal NA Fantasy)

  How about a bit of gruesome history? England 1647, civil war and Matthew Hopkins sweeps through the land as the Witchfinder. REQUEST A COPY OF THE BLACK HOURS BY ALISON WILLIAMS (Historical)

  Could you see yourself at a tournament of Gamesmen as they play a game of Comet? There’s a mystery man and a potion maker in this fantasy. REQUEST A COPY OF THE BIRR ELIXIR BY JO SPARKES (YA Fantasy)

  Love a thriller? Travel with John Cannon as his relaxing leave of absence turns into a nightmare when his boat is attacked by terrorists. REQUEST A COPY OF MY GRL BY JOHN W. HOWELL(Thriller) (1 copy left)

  Can we tempt you with a spiritual quest? Albion, is the oldest name for Britain. Wen and Don take you on a mystical journey through Myths and Legends of these blessed Isles. REQUEST A COPY OF THE HEART OF ALBION BY SUE VINCENT & STUART FRANCE ( A spiritual quest around England) (1 copy left)

  Crime? The first book in the Georgie Connelly crime series. Join feisty documentary film-maker Georgie as she dangerously plans to expose Gentleman’s Clubs. REQUEST A COPY OF BUSINESS AS USUAL BY E.L.LINDLEY(Crime) (2 copies left)

NON-FICTION here’s the chance to get some help promoting your work. REQUEST A COPY OF HOW TO PROMOTE AND MARKET YOUR BOOK BY MADI PREDA (Non-Fiction) (2 copies Left)

  There’s more romance on it’s way.  Marianne Coltrane’s writes an award winning scoop about the sale of babies. Destiny will take her to an island off the wild west coast of Ireland. Love a mix of Ireland and romance? REQUEST A COPY OF THE HOLLOW HEART BY ADREINNE VAUGHAN(Romance) (2 copies left)

  If you’ve read The Hollow Heart by Adrienne Vaughan, here’s your chance to loose yourself in more Irish themed romance with the second book in the series. REQUEST A COPY OF A CHANGE OF HEART BY ADREINNE VAUGHAN (Romance) (2 copies left)

  How about a murder mystery set in a coastal resort in Maine? REQUEST A COPY OF DEATH IN A RED CANVAS CHAIR BY N.A GRANGER (Murder Mystery) (2 copies left)

 Step back in time to Georgia and the deep south for this book, real people struggling to survive with segregation and inequality. This is a fictionalised real story. REQUEST A COPY OF RED CLAY AND ROSES BY S.K. NICHOLLS

 TJ Therien has his fantasy book for FREE on Smashwords and Barnes and Noble (Nook), so no limit on the number of copies but he’d still like reviews. (Fantasy) Only

 British Adult comedy comes in the form of the Derek series, we have the first book available as a kindle download for UK reader/ challengers only. REQUEST A COPY OF PLEASE CALL ME DEREK BY MAC BLACK (British Adult Humour)

 1867, the American Wild West. British raised girl Annie meets wild man Colt McCall after a stagecoach crash. Fantastic cowboy romance. (UK readers + we’re working on a plan for the rest of the world.) REQUEST A COPY OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN’S GUIDE TO THE COWBOY BY JUNE KEARNS (Historical romance) (1 copy left)

 1924, the English Shires. Jazzing flappers and a half share in a million acre ranch in Texas. (UK readers + we’re working on a plan for the rest of the world.) REQUEST A COPY OF THE 20’S GIRL, THE GHOST AND ALL THAT JAZZ BY JUNE KEARNS (Historical Romance) (2 copies left)

 16 year old Jade discovers her Grandmother was murdered. She sets out to find the mystery commune killer. REQUEST A COPY OF JADED BY KRISTY FELTENBERGER-GILLESPI.(YA Thriller) (2 copies left)

Reflections on the April 2014 A-Z Tour

The 2014 April A to Z Challenge, had over 2000 bloggers taking part this year it was an awesome tour to get involved in. If you’ve not heard about it, nip over to the April AtoZ Challenge website after you’ve read this post.

Firstly I want to thank Arlee Bird for continuing to organise the annual tour. Secondly A REALLY BIG THANK-YOU to all the authors who let me use their books for my challenge, without you and all your support sharing the posts it just wouldn’t be the same.

So how has it all gone? For me it’s all about planning. I began my journey at the end of January, I knew it would takes weeks to gather all the authors and the information I would need for the tour. I contacted friends and fellow authors and I sent out Tweets about my tour offering FREE advertising of work for authors. I even ended up stalking authors and inviting them to take part.

So what did we all get from the tour? Well hopefully readers were introduced to new books and new authors, TBR piles are now groaning under the weight of all the books on readers bookshelves. I’m hoping that the authors got some new sales and I, made some new blogging friends and supporters. At the bottom of this post I’ve highlighted bloggers that I’ve been particularly impressed by with their own tour. If you’ve not visited their blogs yet do take a moment if you can. I’ve been all over the world visiting bloggers taking part in the challenge. Each day I made a point of promoting up to 5 bloggers from the sign up sheet, some days I found they were no longer able to do the challenge, but people seemed to have had great fun. There really are some amazing bloggers out there.

On April 16th, this day in the tour also coincided with the end of a year long challenge which began this time last year. During last years challenge I set about reading a book called “A Year of Doing Good” by Judith O’Reilly. This wonderful lady spent a whole year doing good deeds. I decided to try it for myself. An enormous challenge I began with tiny steps, if I could make it to the end of April, then I would carry on. My deeds may not have been as great as Judith’s but I have made it, I’ve collected my small change, donated money, given books and clothes to charity, I volunteer at a local school, I pick up litter, bake cakes, send gifts and thank-you notes and letters to friends plus I’ve done a whole host of other deeds. AND I’m going to do it all again! YES I’ve decided to carry on, you can follow my challenge on Sunday’s when I blog about my latest weeks.

My own April A-Z tour was set around the theme of books, here are a list of books and authors who featured on this tour.

Top posts during the tour which had everyone talking were letter B – Boot Camp Bride by Lizzie Lamb, letter G – The Georgie Connelly series by E.L.Lindley, letter N – Nobody’s Fault by Terry Tyler and letter T The 20’s Girl, the Ghost and All That Jazz by June Kearns.

A – A World Apart by Camelia Miron Skiba http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yA

B –  Boot Camp Bride by Lizzie Lanb http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yy

C – Coronado’s Treasure by Randy Mixter http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yw

D – Derek’s Revenge and the Derek series by Mac Black http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yq

E – Everlasting by Candace Knoebel. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yn

F – Finding the Right Time by Stephanie Hurt http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yl

G – The Georgie Connelly Series by E.L. Lindley http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yi

H – Hidden Heart by Camelia Miron Skiba http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yg

I – The Imdaland Series by Rebecca Etherington http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4ye

J – Jaded by Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yb

K – The Bench by Sue Koenig http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4xb

L – Legends of Windemere – Family of the Tri – Rune by Charles E Yallowitz http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×9

M – My GLR by John W Howell http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×6

N – Nobody’s Fault by Terry Tyler http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×4

O – The Orphan and The Thief by M. L. LeGette http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×2

P – The Potter’s Daughter by Daniel A Smith http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×0

Q – Quentins by Maeve Binchy http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wY

R- Red Clay and Roses by S. K. Nicholls http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wW

S – Silk, Spice and Furry Dice by Andy N Robinson http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wU

T – The 20’s Girl, The Ghost and All That Jazz by June Kearns http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wS

U – Unforgiven by Barbara J Hancock http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wQ

V – Victoria by Stephanie Hurt http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wO

W – What it Takes by Terry Tyler http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wM

X – X by Jack Croxall http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wK

Y – Over Odyssey – Yellow by Tony Carnival http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wH

Z – Zen Master Next Door by Edward Kardos http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wF

During the tour I met so many great bloggers, here are some of the blogs which really impressed me.

Susan Scott at The Garden of Eden blog http://www.gardenofedenblog.com/

Vikki Thompson at The View Outside http://the-view-outside.com/

Hilary Melton-Butcher at Positive letters  Hilary  http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/

Co-host Damyanti at Daily (w)rite http://damyantiwrites.wordpress.com/

So it’s with a little sadness that I wave Goodbye to another year of the A -Z, but not without thanking, once more, all the hard working hosts and co-hosts who helped make it all happen.

 

All through the tour we’re asking readers to leave as many comments as possible on blogs, all supportive comments are much appreciated, thank you.

May Issues of Fleet Life and EHD

The May issues of both the local magazines that I wrote for are now out online, these are great opportunities for authors with approximately 7000 paper issues of the magazine being printed and online versions with endless numbers of potential readers.

Fleet Life is showcasing the following books – go to http://www.fleetkife.org.uk, click on the online directory and turn to page 14.

http://www.fleetlife.org.uk

Greening of A heart by Stepheny Houghtlin, Overlanding, How, What, Where and With Who by Andy N. Robinson and Kirsty McGregor, The Nosferatu Scroll by James Becker, The Royal Descendant by Fleet Author John P Ford and Red Clay and Roses by S.K.Nicholls.

The Elvetham Heath Directory has its set of books too. http://www.ehd.org.uk, click on the online directory and find my review on page 6.

http://www.ehd.org.uk

Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster, Roomies by Sara Zarr & Tara Altebrando, Dawning by Olivia Stocum, The Orphan & The Thief by M.L.LeGette and Murder at the Maples by Joanne Phillips.

Year 2 Good Deeds, Week 1

Welcome to my second Year of Good Deeds, a challenge I set myself during April 2013. I decided to do at least one Good Deed a day for a whole year. Last week I celebrated my completion of the year and announced I would be continuing on. Catch my Celebration post here http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4XA

So what have I been up to this week?

April 20th – Discussing with Author/Editor Alison Williams, the possibility of telling everyone about her editing  her services on my blog. The April A-Z challenge has a day off on a Sunday, but I still post a round up of posts for anyone who is too busy in the week to catch up.

April 21st – Have just finished reading Boot Camp Bride by Lizzie Lamb and will be writing my review next. I have a lovely long list of books awaiting review, so I’m on to my next book, The 20’s Girl, the ghost and all that Jazz by June Kearns.

April 22nd – The paper copy of May’s Fleet Life fell through the door this morning, really early. The online version won’t go up until the beginning of May, but I can tell you which books and authors got a shout out this month; Greening of A heart by Stepheny Houghtlin, Overlanding, How, What, Where and With Who by Andy N. Robinson and Kirsty McGregor, The Nosferatu Scroll by James Becker, The Royal Descendant by John P Ford and Red Clay and Roses by S.K.Nicholls.

April 23rd – Organised a night out for a group of friends tonight, it was good to go out and catch up. Finished reading June Kearns’s book The 20’s Girl, the ghost and all that Jazz by June Kearns. , wrote and posted my review.

April 24th – Stayed up way too late last night finishing “An Englishwoman’s Guide to the Cowboy” by June Kearns, couldn’t put it down, wonderful book. Gave money to the British Diabetes charity. Suddenly the April A-Z is rushing to an end, I’ve only 5 more letters left to go, but don’t worry, the blog is booked up into June with book reviews and guest author interviews to keep all your TBR shelves overflowing. Re-directed some lost delivery drivers.

April 25th – So with over 20mm (just under an inch) of rain today, it must mean it’s cricket season! 2 out of 3 games for this weekend have been cancelled for my son, so best laid plans need changing. Generously tipped my hairdresser this morning. Then received a lovely review copy of Terry Tyler’s latest book Kings and Queens which has been released today. Am reading Secrets of the Unaltered by Leti Del Mar, ready for review.

April 26th – Started  and finished Irish Inheritance by Paula Martin today after finishing Leti’s book last night. The third cricket match has now been cancelled, need to re-think some potential good deeds. Agreed to visit the parents this coming week to sort out a few computer issues.

April A-Z Tour Round up of letters A-W

Well we are nearly at the end, over 2000 bloggers signed up and started out on the month long challenge, here is a round-up of all my posts so far.

April 1st – A world Apart by Camelia Miron Skiba http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yA

April 2nd – Boot Camp Bride by Lizzie Lamb http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yy

April 3rd – Coronado’s Treasure by Randy Mixter http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yw

April 4th – Derek’s Revenge (The Derek Series) by Mac Black http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yq

April 5th – Everlasting by Candace Knoebel http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yn

April 6th -Round up of the tour so far http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-50X

April 7th – Finding the Right Time by Stephanie Hurt http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yl

April 8th – The Georgie Connelly series by E. L Lindley http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yi

April 9th – Hidden Heart by Camelia Miron Skiba http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yg

April 10th – The Imdaland series by Rebecca Ethington http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4ye

April 11th – Jaded by Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yb

April 12th – The Bench by Sue Koenig http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4xb

April 13th -Round up of the tour so far http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-516

April 14th – Legends of Windemere series – Family of the Tri-Rune by Charles E Yallowitz http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×9

April 15th – My GRL by John W Howell http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×6

April 16th – Nobody’s Fault by Terry Tyler http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×4

April 17th – The Orphan and the Thief by M L LeGette http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×2

April 18th – The Potter’s Daughter by Daniel A Smith http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×0

April 19th – Quentins by Maeve Binchy http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wY

April 20th -Round up of the tour so far http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-51f

April 21st – Red Clay and Roses by S. K. Nicholls http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wW

April 22nd – Silk, Spice and Furry Dice by Andy N Robinson http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wU

April 23rd – The 20’s Girl, The Ghost and All That Jazz by June Kearns http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wS

April 24th – Unforgiven by Barbara J Hancock http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wQ

April 25th – Victoria by Stephanie Hurt http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wO

April 26th – What it Takes by Terry Tyler http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wM

All through the tour we’re asking readers to leave as many comments as possible on blogs, all supportive comments are much appreciated, thank you.

Letter R on The A to Z April Challenge 2014

Today’s letter on the April A to Z Challenge is R. My Book is Red Clay and Roses by S. K. Nicholls. Genre: Historical, Life & Relationships.

Red Clay and Roses by S.K. Nicholls

Book description-

A fictionalized true story of life in the Deep South during the time of Jim Crow Law, and before Roe vs. Wade. Women were supposed to keep quiet and serve, abortion was illegal, adoption difficult, and racism rampant. The discovery of an old ledger opens a window into the dynamics of the 1950s-60s. Unspoken secrets are shared between Beatrice, The Good Doctor’s wife, and Moses Grier, their black handyman. The Grier’s daughter, Althea, suffers a tragedy that leaves her family silent and mournful. Her brother, Nathan, a medical student, looks for answers from a community that is deaf, blind, and dumb. A summer romance between Nathan and Sybil, an independent, high-spirited, white woman, leaves more unresolved. Nathan is thrust into the centre of the Civil Rights Movement. Sybil is torn between living the mundane life of her peers, or a life that involves fastening herself to a taboo relationship. Witness social progress through the eyes of those who lived it!

You can read my review of the book here http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4Ge and find out more about the author from her guest post. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4Hp

Find a copy of this book here;

Amazon US:

Amazon UK:

Amazon CA:

Smashwords:

Barnes and Noble:

Apple:

Kobo:

Find out more about S.K. Nicholls here;

Blog: http://redclayandroses1.wordpress.com/

Facebook author site:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/SK-Nicholls/352131918230990

Here are some links to other bloggers who are taking up the A to Z Challenge, please find the time to visit them too.

http://authorsusankoenig.wordpress.com/

http://alex-hurst.com/

http://www.claredavidson.com/blog/

During the challenge we are asking people to leave as many comments as possible on blogs, and supportive comments are much appreciated, thank you.