London, 1910. A cruel twist of fate means Daisy must give up the job she loves – painting for a theatre company – and move to Devon. Only the silver bangle she wears on her wrist brings comfort, reminding her of a young man who once promised her his heart.

In Devon, life is very different. Lodging with her uncle at his busy tavern, Daisy must forget her painting and scrub and serve food for her keep. But forget her art? Daisy can’t altogether, so when her uncle catches her sketching, he is furious and forbids her to draw.

But a chance meeting with two travelling artists offers Daisy a different path, and summoning her courage, Daisy runs away with them to Lamorna, Cornwall, home to a famous group of bohemian artists….
Our Editor, Margaret Graham knows Lamorna well, and all that she tells me fits in completely with Linda Finlay’s  evocative portrayal of that world. Add to that the fact that  I am a west country girl through and through,  is it any wonder that Finlay, who has been dubbed the Queen of West Country Saga, is just up my street.

I adore her work. It’s not every day a reviewer has her two loves combined, as I have, in each Linda Finlay work.

Each novel is exceptional in its own right. In The Girl With The Silver Bangle  Finlay once again provides us with  a historical romance set in a setting, so genuine that you feel as though you are there.

To me, that is what puts Linda Finlay a shelf above the rest, her authenticity to settings, characters and story. The Girl With The Silver Bangle is nothing short of sensational. So if you are looking to live in the world of a beautiful young artist who experiences heartbreak, uncertainty but above all else- hope, then you need to look no further.

Just read The Girl With The Silver Bangle,and  whether this is the first book by Finlay that you read or if you are an old hand,  I promise you will not be disappointed.

Available in kindle audio and paperback.

So, what’s the plot? Malie Pukui doesn’t believe in happy ever after. After a tragedy caused her to flee her family and friends in Devon she found a fresh start in Hawaii. Here, working at a surf school, she can give back to those in need and try to overcome the greatest loss in her life.

Moved around foster homes throughout his childhood, Todd Masters has worked hard to be able to offer a brighter future to young disadvantaged children. Now he has his own charitable foundation working with a surf school in Hawaii, a job he loves, but he still can’t put his past behind him.

When Malie rescues Todd from the sea a spark ignites between them, and the two wounded souls find a common ground. But amidst the surf, sunsets and sizzling kisses, can Malie let go of her past and risk something she’d locked away forever… her heart?

These days can easily be described as dreary, dull and repetitive, one of the many reasons I adore reading books is because you can escape to a different country, a different time even a different world, all the while staying exactly where you are.

I am so glad that I was able to read meet me in Hawaii, Georgia Toffolo writes well, the very first sentence immediately transported me from the low cloud   to sitting on a surf board in the warm calm ocean. Perfection.

Meet me in Hawaii is  fun, tropical, and of course romantic. The perfect summer read. If.you enjoyed Meet me in London then naturally you will also enjoy Meet me in Hawaii.

Available in paperback, ebook and audio book 18^th March 2021

I was my great pleasure recently to interview Linda Finlay on behalf of Frost Magazine – a pleasure made all the  more so because I am such a fan. So off we go.

Your characters and their lives always seem so authentic, how much research do you do before you write your books? Do you visit the locations that books are set? 

 I spend many weeks researching the period my characters live in, everything from dress to what they eat. Each story has a craft woven into it which I undertake to learn – albeit some with better results than others! However, it does mean I have an understanding of what motivates my heroines and what is involved in their day-to-day lives. I am immensely grateful to all the very talented crafts people I have met who, without exception, have been generous in passing on their knowledge. I am proud to say I have visited the locations mentioned, again in the hope my stories reflect their authenticity.

What book of yours was the most fun to write and why ?       I have loved writing each book but if pushed, would have to say The Girl with the Red Ribbon was the most fun, not least because I had to learn about charms and enchantments, the effects of the moon on the earth, not to mention creating a fictitious asylum on Dartmoor. I’m not sure what that says about me though!

Your characters always have such unique beautiful names, how do you come up with them ?      I do think names add to the feel of a story and wherever possible, try to use those that are endemic to the area and era I am writing about.

What do you like to do in your spare time ?   I am lucky to live by the coast and like nothing better than strolling along the seashore, plotting the next part of my current novel whilst indulging in the delicious Devonshire ice cream. I also adore cooking fish bought straight from the local boats. I relax by knitting whilst indulging a box set and glass of wine.

Do you like to read ? If so what genre/ author?  I love reading anything from Regency Romance to Spells Bibles and would be lost without my local library. I have so many favourite authors, I’d be afraid of omitting one here.

What West Country location is your favourite to visit ?    St Mawes on The Roseland Peninsula, for sailing, scenery and seafood and then crossing the Causeway from Marazion to St Michael’s Mount for its tranquillity.

What does 2021 have in store for you ?    Seeing family and friends again has to be the priority and I can’t wait. Then hopefully a self-catering holiday with some sailing on the Fal. Then more research for my next novel.

What nugget of advice would you give to any aspiring writer ?    Believe in yourself and never give up. Also take advice when it is offered – I’m so glad I did.

Have you always loved to write ?    What prompted you to start writing your amazing books ?  Thank you for the compliment. Although I’ve always loved to write (and even won a newspaper competition whilst at school) it wasn’t until my husband was seriously ill and I had to give up my business that I began creating short stories. Amazingly they were commissioned by women’s magazines and then the story I was writing about lacemaking grew and grew, eventually becoming my first novel The Royal Lacemaker. My lovely Nan used to say that when one door closes another opens – how very right she was.

How long does it take for you to write a book ? Do you have a strict schedule that you stick to ?     I average two books a year, although lockdown restrictions on publishing meant I only had one published last year. I’m at my most creative first thing in the morning and love to write as the sun is rising over the water – sometimes during the summer that can be as early as 4 am. But, of course, there are always strict deadlines to meet.

If you could live for a week in any of your books, which one would you chose and why?     It would have to be Colenso in the Bonbon Girl. Living the life of a Romany, travelling the lanes of Cornwall, visiting the local fairs and foraging for food would be exciting – not to mention the fun of making all those sweets.

If you could invite any 3 people, real or fictional to a dinner party, who would you invite and what would you serve ?

The Queen to learn about the woman behind the royal persona, Beatrix Potter for her wonderful story telling and to hear about the land she left to the nation along with David Attenborough to hear what we should be doing to save it. And Tim Peake who could tell us where in space we can go if we don’t manage to. (sorry I never could count.) I would serve a platter of local seafood, aioli made with wild garlic and home-made bread, followed by strawberries with Devon clotted cream. All washed down with a bottle of bubbly or three!

The Girl with the Silver Bangle by Linda Finlay is out in paperback, kindle and audio.

Multi-generation family using a laptop, tablet and phone at home

We’ve become particularly dependent on internet and electronic devices this last year. Before lockdown many of us thought Zoom was a camera setting, yet now we’re all joining Zoom yoga classes, work meetings and family chats without a second thought.

In fact, a study of over 2,000 UK adults by broadband provider Zen Internet concluded that, even after Covid our Zoom habits are here to stay. Zen found that 71% of the UK spent more time with family online during the pandemic, and distant grandparents are playing a more active part in their grandchildren’s lives, by reading them Zoom bedtime stories and even impressing them by turning into a cat, or Pingu, using filters like Snap Camera.

But it’s easy for our devices to become cluttered with apps we don’t even use, consequently we don’t get the best out of expensive technology.

With this in mind, Zen Internet has some tips for digital decluttering:

Step one – Switch Things Off

Tablets and smartphones often work in the background even when not being used. So switch off the WiFi option on anything you’re not using and completely shut down every day.

Turn off specific streaming settings – for example HD streaming. Netflix allows you to change the data usage setting in ‘playback settings’, which can prevent dreaded buffering mid-stream.

Step two – Remove ‘Shadow’ Devices From Your Network

Use your router’s admin interface to delete unrecognised devices on your network and prioritise the most important devices via your broadband provider’s router settings page and wireless settings.

Step three – Create Device-Free Zones

Devices like Alexa and automated WiFi plugs may cause excessive strain on the router. Make certain rooms internet-free zones, especially the bedroom. This will bring ‘zen’ and health benefits too.

Step four – Show Your Router Love

Place your router as close as possible to the centre of your home for a consistent connection. If your router is downstairs, keep it as high as possible, and, if it’s upstairs, as low as possible. You can also try a ‘mesh’ product like Zen EveryRoom for guaranteed WiFi connectivity throughout the house. Keep the router as far away as possible from domestic appliances. Even the microwave can reduce WiFi signal – as can baby monitors, stereos, speakers, TVs and halogen lamps.

Step five – Consider Plugging In

If close by, plugging your laptop into a router can help high speed connectivity and keep latency low whilst reducing congestion on your network for other devices too.

For more advice visit www.zen.co.uk

Zen Internet is one of only two Which? recommended broadband providers and offers ultrafast ‘full fibre’ and G.fast broadband, plus enterprise networking, cloud and phone. Founded in 1995, their ethos is ‘happy staff, happy customers, happy suppliers.’ Worth taking a look if you are considering switching.

Concept of chaos in the office with flying objects and furnishings

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

Flapjacks and Feudalism: Social Mobility and Class in the Archers. Edited by Cara Courage and Nicola Headlam. Published 16^th March 2021. £16.99

I have been an ardent fan and loyal listener for 38 years, and together with fans around the world, we tune in our radios or download onto other electronic device, to hear 12 minutes of the happenings of group of families who live in the village of Ambridge, in the county of Borsetshire, courtesy of BBC Radio 4.

Like all such programmes, we listen to the banal occurrences, punctuated with points of high drama, from Coercive Control to modern day slavery, and we listen to both with equal attention.  A radio programme that has run for 70 years has no need to rush story lines, so we have become an audience appreciative of the slow burn, and even slower reveal. We have grown up with the Archers, and listened, as characters have been born, got married and had children of their own.

We are invested, but not uncritical, and character traits that seem out of character or storylines that do not begin or end satisfactorily, will cause much debate on social media and beyond.  As an audience we have a thirst for knowledge, we are not content to simply listen and move on with our lives.

The Academic Archers formed by Cara Courage and Nicola Headlam, recognised this need, and pulled together academics to discuss The Archers from a variety of viewpoints before an audience of experts, the latter, us, the listeners. Following each conference, those that delivered papers submit chapters for a book. Expect thoughtful, lively, and totally immersive chapters, that dig that bit deeper and make the reader think,or rethink the storylines.

Flapjacks and Feudalism is the fourth and latest book edited by Cara Courage and Nicola Headlam and plunges headlong into the issue of Social Mobility from a variety of standpoints.

Despite the book having sound academic credentials this is no dry tome, rather it, is a thoroughly entertaining read, as I can attest. I began reading my review copy, intending to read just a few pages to get a feel of the book. When I next looked up, I was three chapters, in and was considering ‘just one more chapter.’

The book avoids cliches, but I am afraid that I cannot, so I will say quite brazenly, this book has something for everyone, regardless of your life or career experience and yet it loses nothing of the warmth and affection that we all feel for the Archers.

The seventeen academic contributors are to be congratulated for presenting us with such a thought provoking, finely nuanced book, that is nothing short of a page turner. The Fall of the House of Aldridge is sure to delight those of us that root for the underdog, whilst the Modern Slavery hidden in plain sight, will give many a pause for thought.

Dysfunctional families are the meat and drink of any soap opera, but here they are dissected and put on trial for all to see. Another Chapter refers to the Ambridge Fairy, who listeners have long since realised is the scriptwriter’s way out of any storyline problem. Need a job, an extra bedroom or just a windfall? The Ambridge Fairy provides for all, to get us out of a tricky plot point or to move the story on. We smile with benign incredulity, whenever she is deployed, but forgive, because after 70 years there are bound to be some things that can only be resolved with magic.

A fascinating book that should appear on the shelf of any self- respecting Archers’s Fan, the ideal birthday or Christmas stocking filler, or in these times when we are restricted in our movements, the perfect way to while away a few hours, in an imagined countryside, whilst keeping the brain cells ticking over.

Flapjacks and Feudalism : Social Mobility and Class in the Archers. Edited by Cara Courage and Nicola Headlam. Published 16^th March 2021. £16.99

I am not sure if it is my age, or the effects of Lockdown, but either way these days that I find myself craving more variety at breakfast.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I am a keen advocate of the ‘Full English’ and I am equally partial to a ‘Continental Breakfast’ but surely there must be more? Which is why I was so delighted to learn that the multi award winning Romulo Café & Restaurant, has launched a nationwide delivery service of their Breakfast Boxes (£25.00).

Romulo opened in 2016 in West London and was the first in the capital, to introduce the capital to fine Filipino dining and now has launched a breakfast box complete with bakery items. The latter spearheaded by Romulo’s iconic Pandesal – the last word in fluffy freshly baked bread rolls, although this description barely does them justice. The collection has recently been expanded to include the melt in the mouth Ensaymada, soft and sweet dough pastry covered with butter and sugar and topped with oodles of grated cheese, Dulchende Leche Pan and Mamon, a light and airy orange – flavoured chiffon cake, each as delicious as they sound.

Equally moreish, is Lola Virginia’s Pandesal Loaf, perfect with lashings of Romulo’s Ube Mousse Jam – a classic Fillipino delicacy made with purple yams that is also part of the home delivery offering and so putting the yum into yam.

Filipinos love to start the day on a full belly and the team is now sating early morning appetites with a box filled with authentic breakfast essentials- one dozen pandesal, ube mousse jam, choriza de Cebu, and what is quite possibly the most delicious butter spread that I have ever tasted, with tuyo (salted dried fish).

The Breakfast Box arrives carefully packed, so that the contents are as perfect when you take them out of the box as when they were packed back at the restaurant suitably chilled with ice packs. Ideal for that surprise breakfast or a breakfast in bed treat. The helpings are quite generous, so it is good that much of it can be frozen, though given how delicious this is you may not have the need.

Orders are dispatched Mondays and Thursdays for next day delivery and can be placed by emailing delivery@romulocafe.co.uk please note that 48 hours’ notice is required. Romulo Café & Restaurant, 343 , Kensington High Street, Kensington, London W8 6NW www.romulocafe.com

Finally, the good news is that Romulo have launched a ‘Finish at home’ kit, now that Mother’s Day has been and gone. Details can be found on their website.

https://www.romulocafe.co.uk/menus/#delivery-takeaway-menu

 www.romulocafe.com