And that solution is? Get back to nature.

The illustrations by Rosie Balyuzi dotted throughout the book, lead you through its meandering pages as Bob relates how he unhooked himself from the negative aspects of his life.

For two years he went off-grid into the Welsh mountains. Sometimes with no electricity, no phone, and miles from, what we call, civilisation.

He reconnected with nature.

Away from the paraphernalia of his old life, he found himself embracing the peacefulness of nature, and the silence of his mind and body.

Bob Hillary is a man of our times, probably ahead of our times as we try to catch up with what he has been advocating for years.

We can’t keep burning the Earth’s candle at both ends.

We have to take responsibility for our actions, and have more respect for each other and this planet we are privileged to inhabit.

Bob gives us twenty-one practices to simplify our lives. From just allowing ourselves to take it easy, to meditation and breathing.

On page seventy-six, he advocates exercise. This can include dancing.

Apparently there is a practice called 5Rhythmsdance a sort of movement meditation where you can dance away your demons.

It reminded me of a session of Laughing Yoga I did with my sister and three other stranger in an open tent at a Sunday market in Ireland — I’m smiling now as I think of it.

The session lasted about an hour, and so engrossed were we in our laughing that we were completely oblivious to the passers-by stopping to watch.

It was a fantastic unforgettable and liberating experience as I think 5Rhythmsdance would be too.

Bob Hillary’s lifestyle is intriguing, and in Simplify, he is very generously giving us the tools to aspire to a better way of life, a life that has been lost in this mad, mad world we have created.

Available from Amazon.co.uk

Once upon a time I was scrolling through Instagram and I came across this interesting company called How Novel. What I was drawn to was the fact that they offer Mystery books which are wrapped, complete with illustrations to hint at the book that lies within.

I had many options to choose from and I ended up selecting two books: one was illustrated with hints such as ‘Espionage & Conflict’ and the second was illustrated with ‘ Witchcraft & Family’. I can not reveal what books I received, only that I am extremely happy with them.

I wanted to find out more about How Novel and they kindly agreed to answer some questions.

How the company came to be and why

I have always been entrepreneurial and wanted to run my own business. I started my first company when I was 16, where we provided sports coaching for children. When that came to an end I was on the lookout for a new idea. I was working in a school at the time, as a teaching assistant, and noticed that the children in one particular class loved reading more than any other. I worked out that the teacher was using her own money to buy books that linked to each individual child’s interests. That got my brain thinking and our sister brand, Reading Box (readingbox.co.uk), was born. We ran events for that brand over Christmas 2019 and wanted to offer something for adults too. I had seen ‘blind-date-with-a-book’ type things before, but thought we could do better; I knew a fantastic artist, put the two together and that is how the product in its current state came to be!

What is the ambition of How Novel?  

We want to make How Novel the go to brand for literary gifts. We have so many ideas, the sky is really the limit!

What does 2020 have in store for you all?  

Judging by the amount of orders that are coming in, more artists! As every single one of our Mystery Books is hand drawn, our capacity is limited to the speed at which our artists can draw and we will not compromise on quality. Most immediately, we will be launching our subscriptions, which will be more in line with memberships- you will really be part of a community. Every member will get a Mystery Book each month in one of our gorgeous boxes, along with an exclusive bookmark. Each member will also be given a personal pen pal to whom they can write each month and receive a bespoke response!

Did you have to go through a trial and error before you became established?   

Developing both brands to the point of launch took almost a year. For How Novel, the website, graphic design and product itself has all been done in house. However, once we launched it took off. We sent around five boxes out to people on Instagram with a decent following and within a day of them posting, we had doubled that in orders. The numbers have soared since then. So, even though it was a long slog to get going, once we opened our metaphorical doors people have welcomed us with open arms which has been really lovely. The support we have received has been immense.

How do you decide what books to use?  

Our Mystery Books are chosen either based on the recommendation of one of the team who has read it and enjoyed it, or we have heard great things about. We try and keep them current and in line with what our demographic tend to read, however we have plans to broaden our selection as we grow. Boring things like stock at our supplier are also taken into consideration. Once the books are delivered to us, one of our team chooses the four words that best represent that specific book before they are finally handed over to our Lead Artist, Jess. She usually sighs and gives us the odd annoyed look at us, once she has seen the difficulty of some of the words she has to draw but she always pulls it off! She’s incredible.

More information: https://www.hownovel.co.uk/

F*cked at 40: Life Beyond Suburbia, Monogamy and Stretch Marks

In her latest book, F*cked at Forty, Tova Leigh takes us on a rollercoaster ride through the ups and downs, and the highs and lows of her life as a single person, a married, divorced and married again woman, the trauma of childbirth to, finally, a place that makes sense to her.

She discovered that she was more than just an extension of society and her family.

This made me reassess what I was striving for in my life, not just what society and family expected of me.

However, extracting the me from society and family proved to be more difficult than you would imagine.

When I was married and the children were small, if anyone asked how I was, I would always reply in relation to how the children and my husband were; if they were happy, I was happy.

Or was I?

Tova Leigh has been where I’ve been, felt what I’ve felt but, unlike me, she has stuck her head above the parapet and shouted it to the world. She changed things, and with an honesty that takes your breath away, has made her life, and the lives of those close to her, richer and happier.

The secret is, there is no secret. Be honest with yourself and, even if it’s painful, be honest with those close to you. Think carefully about the life you want, then get out and have that life. Adapt. Change. Never stop moving forward.

I realise, now, that life doesn’t stop after marriage, children or, even, divorce. There is so much more to explore, and I, for one, am considering a trip to Nepal where, according to F*ucked at Forty, the freedom is terrifying.

Available in HB, £14.99. Ebook and audio.

What a novel: In the Full Light of the Sun by Clare Clark alternately fascinates, and moves,

Three Berliners are caught up in a devastating scandal of 1930s Berlin: Emmeline is a wayward young art student, Julius a middle aged art expert and Rachmann. Well, who is Rachmann? Is he really an art dealer?

A novel based on a true story about Van Gogh’s paintings and the rise of Nazis Germany in the ’30s, one which concentrates on these three characters caught up in the discovery of many unknown paintings by Vincent Van Gogh. But perhaps an equally important ‘character’ is Berlin: so edgy, so louche, so conflicted by the end of the war, so at odds with tradition, so despairing, chaotic, and what’s more, a city that is in the throes of giving house room to the monstrous Nazis regime. In this melee of damaged post war psyches where anything increasingly goes, this novel encompasses not just art, but greed, and always the uncertainty which impregnated post-war Berlinl ife. Masterly. Read it I beseech you.

Available in audio, e-book and paperback. Pub: Virago

Keep the home fires burning – By S Block

1940 Great Paxford, Cheshire, when a Spitfire crashes in the village the lives of an extraordinary community of women will change forever. Francis Barden’s greatest challenge is only just beginning. Pat Simms received a respite when her abusive husband went to war but now, he’s home, Pat doesn’t know who to turn to. And for newlyweds to Teresa and Nick, the plane crash on their wedding day may just be the start of their troubles. Meanwhile the life of the Campbell family will never be the same following a devastating tragedy.

Picking up from where the TV series cruelly ended I was finally able to see what became of the remarkable women of great Paxford, did Pat ever see her lover again? Was the baby OK? What did Francis do with Noah?

I became so invested in the characters and their lives the hurdles that they had to overcome whilst the world is at war. I couldn’t put it down I was gripped from beginning to end, Block describes with accurate detail the trials that people on the home front would face. A stunning story of love friendship and bravery during a horrible time of uncertainty for the people of Great Britain.

Phone off well rounded diverse and complex characters whose lives would never be the same again, leaving you sitting on the edge of your seat, praying for another tremendous instalment divulging into the lives of Great Paxford’s WI.

Perfect for fans of Annie Clark and Milly Adams and those that enjoy TV shows such as Foyle’s war and call the midwife.

The Letter – By Kathryn Hughes

Tina Craig longs to escape her violent husband she works all the hours God sends to save up enough money to leave him also volunteering in a charity shop to avoid her unhappy home. whilst going through the pockets of a second-hand suit she comes across an old letter the envelope firmly sealed and unfranked. Tina opens the letter and reads it, a decision that will change the course of her life forever.

Billy Stirling knows he has been a fool but hopes he can put things right. on the 4th of September 1939 he sits down to write the letter he hopes will change his future. it does in more ways than he can ever imagine.

the letter tells the story of two women born decades apart whose paths are destined to cross and how one woman’s devastation leads to the others Salvation.

if you came across a letter dated over 30 years ago and it remained unposted and unread would you have the courage to read it and do everything possible to find out the story behind it? a beautiful story of love friendship and heartache. a page turner that would leave you believing that everything happens for a reason, even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time. written in 2 different time lines exploring the lives of Tina and 30 years earlier the lives of billy and Chrissy a beautiful and complex storyline that I could not stop thinking about, I laughed, I cried and I was left feeling all warm and fuzzy. perfect for fans of The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan.

Everything but the truth By Gillian Mcallister

Do you ever check your partner’s phone? Should you?
Are you prepared for the consequences?

Everything but the Truth is Gillian Mcallister’s stunning breakthrough thriller about deceit, betrayal and one woman’s compulsive need to uncover the truth

It all started with the email. Rachel didn’t even mean to look. She loves Jack and she’s pregnant with their child. She trusts him.

But now she’s seen it, she can’t undo that moment. Or the chain of events it has set in motion.  Why has Jack been lying about his past? Just what exactly is he hiding? And doesn’t Rachel have a right to know the truth at any cost?

A truly unputdownable book. I was gripped from the first till last chapter. Gillian Mcallister is a fantastic story teller and I was kept in the know, i needed to know. Everything but the truth serves as a poignant reminder that everyone has their own secret, especially from people they love. You can’t help but put yourself in Rachel’s shoes, what would you do when you discover that the man you love has been keeping a colossal secret but yet, so have you.

I am now and forever will be a Gillian Mcallister fan.

What is the Teatime bookshop? In one word…genius. They offer a book subscription service where you can choose the theme you want, how long you want it for and whether you would like tea or coffee included as well a luxury biscuit option. The books are preloved but in a fantastic condition so the subscription boxes would make a lovely gift for yourself or a friend.

The genres you can choose from are:

Children aged 1-3 (Finger puppets are available instead of tea/coffee and biscuits)

Children aged 4-7 & 8-11 (tea/coffee is substituted for luxury hot chocolate)

Crime & Thriller

RomCom

Vintage

Top 20

You can choose if you would like to purchase a subscription for 1,3,6 or 12 months, you can even select the number of books you would like to receive, the options are 1,2 or 4 books. Prices start from £7.99 making them a fantastic value for money.

For my box I asked for Coffee, biscuits and selected the crime & thriller genre. Also included was a penguin postcard and a teatime bookshop postcard. I will be treating myself to more boxes and will recommend to any book lover or budding young reader.

www.teatimebookshop.co.uk

Tracy Baines will be familiar to many of you who have loved her short stories in women’s magazines such as The People’s Friend and Woman’s Weekly, so what better news than to hear that she decided  – roll of drums – to try her hand at sagas.

So what about The Variety Girls – her debut novel, published by Ebury Press? Is it a good move? Will we be impatient to turn the pages?

I should darned well think so, the woman has smashed it.

Another roll of drums –  an excellent saga series has begun, and what better subject than one with which Tracy Baines is familiar.

As a teenager Tracy  worked summer seasons at an end of pier theatre: shows, pantomimes – oh yes she did – and in time became Assistant Stage Manager, even meeting her husband there when he was appearing with the Nolan Sisters – he’s behind you …

All right, enough of the panto stuff.

But I have to share with you that I have had a tour around that theatre, and eaten battered plaice and chips at the restaurant. It was so lovely, I long to go again. The theatre, the stage,  the footlights… I could feel a song coming on, but was dragged out before I could humiliate myself. Oh, what a glorious world in which to set a novel. One of endeavour, doubt, and always, ‘the show must go on’.

So bring on The Variety Girls.

This heart warming saga is set on the brink of the 2nd World War, and circumstances have dictated that Jessie Delaney, her mum, Grace, and young brother Eddie, up sticks and move in with Jessie’s aunt and uncle. To call these relatives the sober-sides, the  ‘sucked a lemon’ brigade is to understate the case. Life is toxic, and miserable, but our Jessie is aspirational, she determines to escape onto the stage in her father’s footsteps.

Can she pull it off, especially as it means leaving her mum and brother, and what about Harry the boyfriend?

If she does leave, how can she rescue her mother and brother? Will she be the successful singer she craves to be? Will she still see Harry? Where will she live? Will she make friends?

So many questions, and to find the answers, and enter this razzmatazz world, you will have to read this well-researched song and dance of a novel in great gulps as I did, all the while so wanting Jessie to pull it off, just as the author most certainly has: an evocative, busy, entertaining read, which has well balanced touches of humour, vying with angst, and of course, more than a dollop of tension. Bravo, bravo.

But be warned, you’ll end up buying sparkly knickers, and dancing to the big band sound around the kitchen – oh yes you will.

The Variety Girls by Tracy Baines. pb, ebook and audio. Available from Amazon.co.uk WH Smith, and ASDA

image courtesy of In Charley’s Memory

In Charley’s Memory is a local charity based in Highbridge, Somerset which works to support young people.

So who is Charley?

ICM gave permission for this statement to be used in this Frost Magazine article:  Charley struggled with his mental health throughout his adolescence and in 2014 it all became too much and Charley took his own life. After Charley’s death his mum wanted to do something to raise awareness and reduce the stigma that is attached to mental health. So she founded In Charley’s Memory, known locally as ICM. Charley’s friends and family began raising money and supporting young people. In Charley’s Memory received official charity status in March 2015 (registration number 1160805) and since then has moved into premises in Burnham-on-Sea, with a team of volunteers and staff. In the 4 years ICM has been established the charity has grown considerably. 

Natalie Jayne Peake talked to a representative of ICM  and learned more about the crucial help the charity provides for those in need.

Tell me about Charley, what was he like?

Charley was a loveable rogue with a really cheeky sense of humour. He was very popular at school, had a large group of friends and was mad on sports. Charley adored his family and was very protective of his mum Jo.

ICM received charity status in March 2015, what services do you offer and who can use them?

Predominantly we offer 1:1 counselling to young people 11-25, aside from this we run drop ins at schools across Somerset, this enables young people at school to come and speak to us about anything that is troubling them. If they need further support we can arrange this or signpost them. We work a lot with other organisations such as Hinkley C, (we work with their apprentices) YMCA Dulverton and Sanctuary Housing, raising awareness around mental health and mental wellbeing. We do not have specific criteria to access support at ICM. If a young person can get to our office we will offer them counselling irrespective of where in Somerset they have come from.

What does 2020 have in store for ICM?

This year we have launched our over 26’s affordable counselling programme after becoming aware that there was a lack of affordable counselling in the area. We are working with The Space in Cheddar to develop a high standard training programme that we can deliver to in schools to help parents/carers/family members who need more support or understanding of young people’s struggles.

If someone is struggling with their mental health, how can they contact you?

They can call the office, 01278557490 or if they feel uncomfortable talking to someone on the phone they can email us at enquiries@incharleysmemory.co.uk

How can people get involved with fundraising?

We run events during the year and we are always looking for volunteers to come along and help us. We are so lucky that our community supports and understands what it is we are doing, it is their fundraising efforts that have helped us keep the doors open and enabled us to grow as quickly as we have. Any one wishing to raise funds for us just needs to give us a call or email.

Tell me more about your Ambassador scheme?

It is so important to us that young people are involved in the charity, because you cannot successfully run a young persons charity without listening to the opinions of young people. So each year we have a team of ambassadors (ages 14-18) that come on board, they receive some training from us on mental health awareness and then spend 12 months helping us at events, raising awareness of the charity, and importantly giving us input on what we do and how we do it 

How can others help spread the word about ICM ?

Like our facebook page, follow us on twitter. But importantly talk about mental health, ask your friend, neighbour family member, if they are ok, we always say to people you do not need to be qualified to care about someone’s mental health, and if you find out they are not ok then please signpost them to us.

We aim to get to the kids before the kids get to crisis, so if you know a person who is just struggling or going through a difficult time at the moment they may benefit from having someone to talk to, you do not need a diagnosis to come and see a member of the team.

A link to more information: In Charley’s Memory

credit Justine Stoddart

1. Your latest novel All the Rage is the fourth  in the DI Adam Fawley series, tell me a little about it and how the series came to be?

The series started with Close to Home, which is a story about a missing child. The heart of that story came to me in the form of the final twist. I remember Sophie Hannah once saying that you always know if you’ve got a good twist if you can get it down to four words (look at Murder on the Orient Express – ‘They all did it’). Close to Home was a four-word twist – and no, I’m not going to tell you what it is! I then ‘worked backwards’, as it were, and developed the plot that led up to that final moment. That included creating the police team who investigate the case. So that, in essence, was the birth of Adam Fawley! I had no idea, of course, that the book would even get published, never mind become a series, but I’ve been very lucky that the characters I came up with for the first book have turned out to be so interesting. I’m learning things about them now that I never knew at the start!

As for All the Rage, this new story starts with the discovery of a young girl in a distressed state on an Oxford road. She’s clearly been assaulted, but refuses to press charges. But why? And then another girl goes missing…

2. When did you first realise that you wanted to be a writer and how did you pursue your dream?

I used to write all the time when I was a little girl – I think every writer starts out that way. I always had a passionate love of reading too, and ended up studying English at Oxford (that was a dream-come-true as well). After that I spent a long time working in completely unrelated jobs like finance and PR, but I eventually found myself working as a freelance copywriter, which gave me some time to start writing creatively again. And the rest, as they say, is history.

3. Where do you get your information and ideas from?

I watch a lot of true crime on TV (my husband teases me endlessly about it!). I find real-life crime particularly fascinating, not just because of what people do, but why they do it. It’s the motivation for crime that intrigues me most. But that’s just one source – I pick things up all over the place, like a magpie. My brain is a bit like a great big melting pot, where I throw all sorts of bits and pieces: something I see in the paper, a person’s face glimpsed in the street, something remembered from a dream, something overheard in a coffee shop. And eventually, if I’m patient, some of those scraps start to cluster together and a story starts to emerge.

4. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

See above! I also reads a lot (more crime!), I enjoy theatre and music and art, and I adore travelling. We just got back from Iceland, which was out of this world.

5. Out of all the books you have written, which one is your favourite and why?

I have a fondness for Close to Home, because it started this whole rollercoaster ride, and because it was a Richard & Judy book. I think No Way Out probably contains some of my best writing, and my husband’s favourite is In the Dark. So I love them all in different ways – I guess it’s the same with children!

6. What advice would you give to a new or aspiring writer?

Three things: practice, practice, practice! You also need a lot of determination in this game, and a thick skin, because there’ll always be someone who doesn’t like what you write (go and have a look at one-star Amazon reviews for the great classic novelists like Austen or Dickens for proof – it’s absolutely hilarious!).

credit Justine Stoddart

7. How do you develop your plots, characters and settings?

One of the advantages of writing a series is that I have my police team already in place, so each time I sit down to start a new Fawley book it’s like meeting up with old friends. The same goes for my setting, Oxford. Everyone knows this city, and everyone can picture it, and that gives me the freedom to take readers to parts of the city which are darker and edgier. As for the characters in each separate story, like my plots, they come from all over the place – things I’ve seen or read, my own imagination, even bits of my own past, all mixed up together and reinvented as something new.

8. Who is your favourite author?

I have many! I’ve loved Tolkien since I was a child, I still read English classic fiction, and I admire many of the great crime novelists writing today – Ian Rankin, Shari Lapena, Fiona Barton, Peter James, Nicci French…

9. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

Those I just mentioned, and many others, both on page and screen. Joan Smith for her Loretta Lawson novels; Agatha Christie for her twists, Jed Mercurio for his mastery of pace, Ruth Rendell for her dark imagination. The list goes on.

10. If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?

Be more confident. I so envy the self-assurance young people have now. I’ve never had that.

11. What would you choose for your mascot/spirit animal?

A cat, no question. I have two (as readers of my newsletter and social media feeds will know!).

12. If you could invite any 3 people alive or dead, real or fictional, to a dinner party who would you invite?

Bryan Ferry (yeah, yeah, I know).

The Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who was not only a genius but apparently the greatest talker of his generation (no danger of awkward silences there, then!).

And Joan Collins, because I know she’d make me laugh.

All the Rage by Cara Hunter is available in all good bookshops and Amazon, in kindle, audio and paperback.