The Golden Fleece, by Shelagh Mazey – the Fourth novel in the Heart of Stone Saga. 

Frost Magazine has enjoyed Shelagh Mazey’s first three historical novels in the Heart of Stone Saga, and the first, Brandy Row, was admired by the judges of the Words for the Wounded Indie Author Award.

And here is the  fourth in the series. Such an evocative read, which hauls the reader straight in with a vicious murder that later enmeshes the lives of those who live on the Alvington Estate in the vicious criminal underworld. As with a good saga, it leads to an innocent man being imprisoned. So, will he, won’t he obtain justice?

Ah…

Let us tell you a little more: Billy Riddick is a stable boy who was at the Poor House until he found employment at Alvington Manor. When Lucy Warren, the love of his life from Home Farm, marries the arrogant Ashleigh Seymour, Billy is devastated and moves away to Wincanton. He finds work and a new home at Hatherleigh Farm, the original site of Wincanton Races. How interesting that is. However, his nemesis, Ashleigh Seymour turns up at the racecourse and Billy inadvertently becomes embroiled in his unsavoury drinking and gambling lifestyle.

Lucy begins to regret her marriage, but when Ashleigh’s gambling debts threaten to bring about his downfall, the good hearted Billy tries to help him. This leads to disturbingconsequences.

At the heart of all this is the continuing  life at Alvington Manor with its pulsing love stories, plus a few tragedies set amongst the local traditions, celebrations and customs. There are murders and weddings, a voyage to Australia and journeys to Europe, as this epic family saga continues in the way we have become used to.

Author Shelagh Mazey is based in the West Country and her knowledge of local history makes this series fascinating and illuminating. Written with pace and verve, it works. Enjoy just as much as we at Frost Magazine did.

Hopefully there will be a fifth?

The Golden Fleece   by Shelagh Mazey, available on Amazon.co.uk

A stand alone title which follows on from the earlier trilogy: ‘Brandy Row’ (9781780882451),’Dawn To Deadly Nightshade’ (9781783060238) and ‘Legacy of Van Diemen’s Land’ (9781784623067).

After my husband and son have left the house, the day is mine and is generally full of books and words; also neglected housework and uncooked recipes.

Somehow, I have negotiated for myself ownership of the spare room, which now houses my desk and shelves of books, papers and research. Large amounts of the day are spent there, with varying degrees of output. At the moment, I’m editing my second novel (set in Regency/modern day  times) A painful and protracted undertaking, when it’s all too much, I remind myself that a historical novelist is perfectly justified in spending a bit of time reading and browsing the internet for future research…especially if that means halting the edit at say, page 197, having realised I need to rewrite five of the existing seven paragraphs.

I’m compelled to write about people and events that have been lost or forgotten over time. When I discovered my maternal grandfather was one of four thousand Jewish immigrants expelled to Russia in 1917, I was inspired to write A Painted Samovar to memoralise this little-known episode. Of course, it is a work of fiction; my grandfather never spoke a word about his experiences, but it’s important to me that the history should not be forgotten.

I do have days away from my desk and on those I will most likely be doing something for our community library of which I am a passionate supporter, volunteer and trustee. I love pretty much all aspects of my various roles in the library – whether I’m on shift and serving customers, making a list of new books to purchase for the library shelves, constructing a themed book display or doing some committee work. I also love the free biscuits.

In the library, I run The Chalfont Writers’ Hub, a social gathering of local writers who meet once a month for encouragement. We are generally either moaning about rejections and writer’s block or celebrating our successes. In 2016, we were proud to produce an anthology of short fiction stories (St Peter’s Shorts) and have sold over 100 copies so far – all proceeds to the library.

After a day at my desk or in the library, of course I settle down with a book late at night, always hoping that somewhere, somebody else is settling down with mine. I am an Indie Author but I can always dream…

A Painted Samovar by Sarah Roux: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Painted-Samovar-Sarah-Roux/dp/1999795709/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528377700&sr=8-1&keywords=A+painted+samovar+by+sarah+roux

A Painted Samovar by Sarah Roux gained 2nd place in The WforW’s Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Award

www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk

Oliver Eade who won the Words for the Wounded’s Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Award, young adult fiction category with The Kelpie’s Eyes has created yet another belter of a book, The Parth Path.

With Iona Carroll author of Homecoming, he  is holding an exciting launch at Old Gate house, Scott Street, Galashiels on Saturday 14th July, and they would love to see you all any time between two and four pm. There will be refreshments, and the opportunity to support Words for the Wounded. Children very welcome.

The Parth Path is set in post-apocalyptic Scotland dominated by women, and Peter who has escaped from a mancamp hopes to reach the island with Rea, a beautiful clonie. How could he have known that this has all been engineered as part of the Parth Path’s parthenogenesis programme to create the Immortal Controller… an invincible leader whose clones will rule forever.

Homecoming is more contemporary as it explores the life of Oisin Kelly who has put down roots in the outback Queensland town of Kilgoolga. Here his life becomes entwined with Vietnam War veteran, Harry. Past traumatic events affect both men in similar and sometimes surprising ways. As Oisin discovers more and more hidden secrets he begins to wonder where his life is leading, and where his true home really is. Decisions have to be made as to which force is more powerful. Will it be the power of love over evil that will triumph and bring him home?

The third in the Oisin Kelly series, but a stand alone.

These are both heart warming and thought provoking books. Do pop in and chat to the authors.

Words for the Wounded was founded by author Margaret Graham, aka Milly Adams, and run by Margaret/Milly and two other grannies who raise funds to help injured and unwell veterans. The grannies absorb all expenses so every penny raised via literary events, and things like hoofing themselves over assault courses, or plunging to earth in skydives, goes to where it’s needed.

Supported by patrons including Julian Fellowes, Louis de Bernieres, Paddy Ashdown, work goes on unabated, because it is needed.

‘…We are honoured to be involved in this wonderful charity.’  Julian Fellowes

Words for the Wounded

Homecoming.

The Parth Path

Old Gate house, Scott Street, Galashiels on Saturday 14th July Between 2- 4 pm.

Michael Forester is the winner of the WforW Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Award for Independent Authors: Non-Fiction Category with If it Wasn’t for That Dog! A funny, and heart warming account of moving from the world of sound to silence in the company of Matt.

When I wake in the morning, my first act is to reach out, to check he is still breathing. He has been with me close on fourteen years now; fourteen years of inestimable joy, not only for me, but also for just about everyone whose life he touches.

His first job used to be to wake me in the morning when the alarm rang. Being close to profoundly deaf, I can’t hear it myself. Then he would delight to spend his day telling me about the other sounds I cannot hear in my home and workplace. When the doorbell rang, he would touch my knee and lead me to the door. If the smoke alarm went off, he would tell me in the same way, then lie down. You don’t want to be led into a fire, do you?

As the years rolled on, the light touch morphed into throwing himself at me – a quicker act than touching, then dashing to the door in frenzied excitement to see who was there. And there was always the reward, of course. Nothing does it for him like Bonios; or carrots. Later in life we discovered that carrots, too, transport him to a world of bliss – but only after dinner was finished. He knows the rules. But that doesn’t stop him negotiating for extra treats. He knows that once in a while I’ll melt at the sight of those eyes – the eyes do it to me every time. His love is in his eyes, and after all, I’m only human.

Matt has been my hearing dog for over thirteen years. Now, at well over fourteen years of age, his own hearing has gone and his eyesight is failing fast. I keep close to him when we walk at the New Milton Recreation Ground in the mornings, in case he panics at loosing sight of me and runs off home.

In the evenings we sit, watching the stars appear, his head on my lap, my hand stroking gently down the length of his body. Then it’s bed, where he snuffles and licks my face before settling for the night. He knows I’m only human. He knows I need to be told I am loved. Please be there tomorrow. Don’t go. Not just yet…

This article first appeared in New Milton Mail on 11.7.17 and Frost Magazine uses it with grateful thanks.

Michael Forester’s book If It Wasn’t For That Dog! is about his first year with his hearing dog, Matt, and is available, signed personally, from michaelforester.co.uk/books  .

Michael’s web site, michaelforester.co.uk is regularly updated with details of his activities and includes a widely read blog at michaelforester.co.uk/blog

If it Wasn’t for That Dog! by Michael Forester: pub Paralight Press. Available from Amazon.co.uk  in e-book and paperback.

http://tiny.cc/4xnsry

A few years ago I learned to swim properly. By that I mean putting my face in the water … Yes, sad isn’t it. To celebrate we went on holiday to Jamaica so I could dive on the reefs. Show off in other words. It was sublime. One day we went on a trip to a rum plantation, distillery or whatever one calls it. And bought some, of course.

Therefore I was delighted to taste the luscious rumbustious Jamaica Cove Black Pineapple Rum. Heavens …

A 100% pure Jamaican rum, it is laced with pineapple, for a really tropical flavour.  it brought my holiday right back into focus, and with the weather as it us, rush out and buy some. Just the right drink for these sultry evenings.

This rum is aged for up to three years and has an ABV of 40%. Jamaica Cove Black Pineapple Rum is the perfect base for adding depth and pineapple ‘kick’ to classic Pina Coladas – currently tipped by bartenders as the “Next Big Thing” on the UK cocktail scene.

Jamaica Cove Rum draws its inspiration from tales of smugglers landing on Cornwall’s beaches in the dead of night in small skiffs. The coves around Falmouth became a favourite smuggler’s haunt; shipwrecks were marooned off the rock Cornish coast and the coves were used to conceal the plundered cargo – including Jamaican Rum and pineapple.

Pineapple is the fruit most associated with the Caribbean.  It was “discovered” by Christopher Columbus on his inaugural trip to the region and subsequently plantations were established by the British, Portuguese, French and Dutch to satisfy demand. The pineapple has been adopted as a symbol of hospitality across many cultures and has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity both as an ingredient and design motif.

The Pina Colada

50ml Jamaica Cove Black Pineapple Rum

25ml coconut cream

15ml Single cream

25ml pineapple juice

Put all the ingredients into a blender, add a scoop of crushed ice & blend.

Pour into a sour or Collins glass and garnish with thick slice of pineapple.

Jamaica Cove Black Pineapple Rum has an RRSP of £26 (70cl) and is available from:

Master of Malt:  www.masterofmalt.com

Drink Finder:       www.drinkfinder.com

Amazon:              www.amazon.com

www.jamaicacoverum.com | Twitter: @jamaicaicoverum  | https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaicoverum/

“The bats waft around during the closing scenes”

Iris Theatre has now opened its double-bill of open-air shows in the glorious ‘hidden’ gardens behind St Paul’s Church, in the very beating heart of Covent Garden. The theatre programme has some really fascinating articles and, to quote one of them: It is interesting that the term ‘tempest’ in Alchemy means ‘sifting impurities from a mixture’.

How prescient a statement, as this bold production itself is in need of a little ‘sifting’. It’s a promenade presentation – the audience moved each time there was a shift in the play: totalling five times.From one hard bench to another. I just felt it completely unnecessary as the poor actors had to keep picking up the dropped pace and atmosphere that they had so gallantly been creating.

Prospero holding Miranda

A small cast of six actors, most playing two parts, valiantly fight their surroundings to tell us this magical tale. There are illusions and trickery throughout – these sleights of hand adding to the fantastical mood. Holding the fort is Prospero – played by a booming Jamie Newall. Joanne Thomson is his daughter, Miranda: wide-eyed and flirty. A pure moment of theatre happened as she slept – placed under a spell by her father – as a bespotted blackbird chick flew onto the stage, resting on her thigh for a few seconds. It waited it had the audience’s full attention before flying off…

Ariel

The brightest star in this firmament is Charlotte Christensen, as Ariel. She dances, sings, plays instruments and flits about: her beautiful and piercing blue eyes reaching the back row.

St Paul’s Church

After the interval – for the overblown masque scene to occur – we are led into the church itself. The audience gasped in awe, making me question why the whole play wasn’t performed in this space: Prospero’s ‘cave’. Acoustically and visually stunning it felt like a wasted opportunity.

The comedy, as usual comes from the drunken servants Trinculo and Stephano.

Trinculo, Stephano and Caliban

Paul Brendan and Reginald Edwards are delightful and fun, adding to the gaiety of their scenes. They will, no doubt, get funnier as the run progresses. The ensemble is completed by Prince Plockey (who plays the slave Caliban, coming to life in the drinking scenes) and Linford Johnson (the love interest!). Linford’s Prince Ferdinand is a little too quiet and bland for my liking – maybe I prefer my Prince’s to have a tad more oomph!

The bats waft around during the closing scenes in the garden – even in central London! Who knew?! – and it all ends happily. Two and a half hours, with no onsite toilet… No wonder I was a little distracted from the play.

Photography:     Courtesy of Nick Rutter

Venue:               St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9ED

Running:            Until Saturday 28th July 2018 at 7.30pm, plus matinees at 2.30pm

(Please refer to their website for exact performance schedule)

Running Time:   2hr40m (with an interval)

Tickets:              £15 – £20

www.iristheatre.com

Twitter:               @IrisTheatre #IrisTempest

Producers:         Iris Theatre

Director:             Daniel Winder

Musical Director: Tim Shaw

Set Design:        Mike Leopold

Where the Missing Go by Emma Rowley

Written in the first person Rowley delicately drives this tense and twisting novel through a situation that no parent wants to even consider. A missing child. Where are they? Have they been taken? Are they in pain? Are they alive? The protagonist, Kate volunteers at a missing persons helpline – for runaway youngsters to call with messages to be passed on  to their loved ones, no questions asked. Those she receives are usually  crank calls, but sometimes – like this one – a girl called Sophie calls to say she’s safe, and could her parents be contacted and told. But Sophie is Kate’s daughter, and is this really Sophie?

Obsession and love are the themes of this novel, which unravels a tangled knot but will the echoes ever go? Who knows.

Where the Missing Go by Emma Rowley. pub Orion. £7.99

Widows by Lynda La Plante

It is 35 years since the original release of Widows and what will the new generation think? Probably they’ll be as hooked as I was originally, with its cast of female perpetrators who ooze ‘make my day’ dynamism. No snowflakes here.

Enjoy Dolly Rawlins as she scythes through the darker side of life – with her pack, all of them set on completing their husbands’ unfinished task, that of raiding a security van. Unfinished because they were killed. However, only three bodies were found, and they realise there should have been four. Where is the survivor? Why did he survive?

Widows by Linda La Plante. pub Zaffre. pb £7.99

Can you Tolerate This? by Ashleigh Young

The winner of the Windham-Campbell Award for Non-Fiction has created a collection of essays that explore isolation, debilitating shyness, the limitations of the body and the challenges of personal transformation.

Young discusses her youth in New Zealand and expands her subject matter with the years as she develops, deepens, allowing her curiosity to enhance her observations of herself and the world around her. Young is also a poet, and it shows.

Can You Tolerate This. pub Bloomsbury. hb £14.99 please note publication 9th August 2018

Betty Church and the Suffolk Vampire by M.R.C. Kasasian

It’s September 1939 in Sackwater. Inspector Betty Church, one of the few female officers on the force has arrived to fill a vacancy. But for Betty it is familiar if unwelcome territory; the place she grew up in but thought she’d left forever.

I love this sort of book. Betty’s first incident is the case of the missing buttons, but things move on to a missing bench that actually reveals a missing body. Oh my word – there are two puncture wounds in his throat. Could it be the Suffolk Vampire? Or so the locals wonder. Betty has no truck with such nonsense and sets about hunting a real life present day murderer. Yay Betty.

Is this a rival for MC Beaton, my favourite of all time? We shall see.

Betty Church and the Suffolk Vampire. pub Head of Zeus. hb £18.99 Note: pub 12th July

Milly Adams is a Cornerstone author (Penguin Random House Group)

Frost Magazine is thrilled to learn more about Oliver Eade, the winner of WforW Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Award for Independent Authors: Fiction for Young Adults Category, with his fabulous novel, The Kelpie’s Eyes. Let’s  take a look into his world to see how he weaves his magic.

T

After waking up, often around six am, I can no longer remain in bed. With fading dreams confined to hidden folds in my brain, I’ll be hitting my computer, attacking it with whatever crazy notion appears in my head. Something, I hope that could be turned into a story that others might wish to read.

For me, mornings are best. With my wife still asleep, and the birds doing their morning thing in the garden, it feels as if there’s just me and an empty screen waiting to be filled. Curiously, I cannot write in the evening. In fact, after nine pm I’m not up to much at all. But I am at my most critical, so if there’s nothing to watch on the telly, it’s a good time to proofread… Did I write that? But it’s dreadful!

Although once an avid reader, I have less time, as a writer, to read the writings of others. Late evenings, just before falling asleep, are put side for reading: mostly fiction, but I do try to keep up-to-date with the New Scientist and Amateur Photographer, my other passion being photography.

Feet up on the sofa, living in the past? You’ve gotta be joking! Retirement is, in some ways, as busy as was my, on average, sixty-seven-and-a-half-hour week as a consultant physician. Just keeping the pair of us (wife and me) afloat takes up a lot of time. Bills, house repairs, family matters… how on earth do these things occupy so much space on the daily timetable?

But, depending on the weather and the time of year, one thing has always meant a lot to me: our garden. It’s almost as if a garden becomes an extension of oneself. With advancing age, ‘self’ becomes unavoidably less attractive whilst the garden retains a certain beauty. Nature, albeit tamed? So, for those moments of ‘spare’ time, after the early hours of dawn, garden and writing have to fight it out for my attention.

And the rest? Just being with my wife, I guess. We’ve been together for fifty-five years and, to be honest, nothing else really matters. Apart from our immediate family in Texas and Switzerland. So, going to concerts together (we met all those years back playing piano duets as students), the opera, theatre, cinema and just being with our lovely granddaughters add meaning to my life. Thankfully, we mostly like and enjoy the same things.

And I love her cooking!

A prolific award winning author, Oliver Eade’s books can be obtained on:

www.olivereade.co.uk

p.s. Oliver will be launching The Parth Path – set in a post-apocalyptic world – on 14th July 2-4 at Old Gala House, Scott         Street, Galashiels (with donations welcomed to Words for the Wounded)

Author Iona Carroll will be there also to launch Homecoming, a moving novel about the struggles facing a wounded soldier on his return to his family.

Iona Carroll’s novels can be obtained on Amazon.co.uk

Images used with the permission of Oliver Eade