Letter Z April A to Z Challenge #AtoZChallenge

Day 26 April A to Z Challenge my theme is characters from books I’ve read plus some audience participation.

Letter Z is for Joss Zebediah from Yesterday’s News by Sam Cheever

Yesterday’s News is a fun cosy mystery with a couple of great ghosts. Anna Yesterday owns an antique shop in small town Crocker Indiana. Two resident ghosts are linked with the shop and their dialogue is superb. Language from yester-year with a full glossary of words at the beginning make their colloquialisms amply fit their characters. For instance;

“The boy’s a grafter. He’ll hornswoggle ya faster’n I can spit tobacco into that pan over there”

The storyline follows the discovery of an old newspaper story, which has been covered up by the townsfolk and when Anna begins some sleuthing to find out the truth she upsets more than one local. It’s not just the ghosts that appealed to me, there is Pierce an autistic young man and I was rather taken by Mrs Baker’s fierce family loyalty and hard working beliefs.

With the help of ex-cop Pratt Davies, Anna digs deep into Crocker’s past and exposes a dirty tale that many would rather forget. A well written story which left me smiling, sign me up for more.

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

For my audience participation I’m asking readers to create book titles using the letter Z for the picture below.

A book title and cover picture can often make or break a book sale. Is a book cover eye-catching? Does the book title appeal to the reader?

Have fun creating book titles from my own pictures, you might even think about a genre they could fit.

Leave your answers in the comments below and I’ll choose my favourites.

Randomly chosen fellow blog challengers for you to check out

http://doorwaybetweenworlds.com/

http://hungarykum.blogspot.co.uk/

http://rachelridlermumonamission.blogspot.co.uk/

http://mycreativelyrandomlife.blogspot.ca/

http://djinniaandtheenglishlanguage.blogspot.co.uk/

As part of this blog tour we are asking people to leave comments each day on the posts they read, thank you.

April Editions Of Magazines Which Feature My Book Reviews

Movers and shakers for April editions of Fleet Life and Elvetham Heath Directory the magazines which feature my book reviews.

This month Fleet Life has featured the following books, for the online version go to http://www.fleetlife.org.uk, load the online directory and turn to page 42;

The Serenity Stone Murder by Marianne Jones

Sea Witch by Helen Hollick

Walking On The Edge by Zee Monodee

Trading Vincent Crow by DJG Wardle

The Cheesemaker’s House by Jane Cable

Elvetham Heath Directory has featured the following books, for the online version go to http://www.ehd.org.uk, load the online directory

and turn to page 28;

Chasing The Devil by Tim Butcher

The Devil, The Diva and The Deep Blue Sea by Margaret Langstaff

Yesterday’s News by Sam Cheever

How To Complain by Helen Dewdney

Seventh Mark by W.J. May

Yesterday’s News by Sam Cheever

Yesterday’s News by Sam Cheever

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yesterday’s News is a fun cosy mystery with a couple of great ghosts. Anna Yesterday owns an antique shop in small town Crocker Indiana. Two resident ghosts are linked with the shop and their dialogue is superb. Language from yester-year with a full glossary of words at the beginning make their colloquialisms amply fit their characters. For instance;

“The boy’s a grafter. He’ll hornswoggle ya faster’n I can spit tobacco into that pan over there”

The storyline follows the discovery of an old newspaper story, which has been covered up by the townsfolk and when Anna begins some sleuthing to find out the truth she upsets more than one local. It’s not just the ghosts that appealed to me, there is Pierce, an autistic young man and I was rather taken by Mrs Baker’s fierce family loyalty and hard working beliefs.

With the help of ex-cop Pratt Davies, Anna digs deep into Crocker’s past and exposes a dirty tale that many would rather forget. A well written story which left me smiling, sign me up for more.

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

View all my reviews Goodreads

Good Deeds Challenge, Year 2, Week 42

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, now I am into my second year.

This week I’ve been doing the following;

February 1st – Online versions of the two magazines that I write book reviews for went to 7000 local homes and the online version went live today. Each magazine prints 5 of my book review recommendations for a total of 10 lucky authors. It’s been windy and there was loads of litter to pick up on my daily walk.

February 2nd – My morning at school volunteering my help to children learning to read. Just finished reading Yesterday’s News by Sam Cheever a cosy fun mystery. Picked up litter on my walk.

February 3rd – Am reading Walking the Edge by Zee Monodee a romantic suspense. Really busy day, but managed a late walk and picked up litter.

February 4th – Today I read Raven’s Choice by Harper Swan a short historical fiction and an introduction to a series about man’s genetic descent from the caveman. Each day I try to take a forty minute power walk and I pick up litter on my route.

February 5th – Helping out a new author find her way around the book reviewing scene. Read Baby Girl Book 4 by Elle Klass.

February 6th – Today I’m reading Mrs McKeiver’s Secrets by Margaret Morgan set in rural England in 1799. An icy blast was blowing when I went for today’s walk, but still found litter to pick up.

February 7th – I’ve lent some of my books out today, then whilst I was out for my walk I was astounded to find a think metal cable deliberately tied low across the path in a gloomy alley. It would have caused an accident to any cyclist, jogger, skateboarder or even another walker as I only just saw it in time. I decided to remove it completely and place it in a rubbish bin a little way away, to deter it being retied later. I have no idea why it was put there, kids? Angry residents if kids use it at night as a race track? But I don’t believe deliberately trying to endanger innocents should be allowed.

Reading What Happens To Men When They Move To Manhattan by Jill Knapp.