Episode cover reveal and release date!

 

Scheduled for release 31 July 2019!

I just hope that date isn’t too optimistic, but that’s the target I’ve set myself and I’ll strive to stick to it! After all, it’s been five years since I wrote and published a book, thanks to that four letter word called life!

The book’s readership is aimed at 9-12 years and I have placed it in the science fantasy category, because it covers two genres: science fiction (the time travel theme inspired by Ali’s powerful epileptic seizures) and fantasy (the ancient Greek gods). I follow the belief of the ancients that every aspect of their lives is controlled by the work of a god or goddess, so one of the prominent goddesses is Selene, Goddess of the Moon, who was said to have bestowed the curse of epilepsy or epilēpsía, although in my story the gods insists it’s a blessing, not a curse. Ali bumps into Travis (Epiworld), a boy from her future in Britain, who also has the ability to time travel with his seizures. He disputes Selene’s influence over their seizures and denies the existence of the gods altogether, even though, like Ali, he can see them for himself!

Helen, princess of Sparta, is promised in marriage to Menelaus, prince of Mycenae, but prays to the gods to free her of the union. Her prayers are heard by Zeus, King of the Gods, who is annoyed at the rivalry between his wife Hera and Athena, who both want Helen to marry Menelaus, and Aphrodite, who has promised Helen to Alexandros Paris, Prince of Troy, if he judges her to be the most beautiful goddess of the three…

But I’m telling you the plot!

One more thing: I said I was never going to do this again, because with Epiworld it was a nightmare, but I have written the book in the first person present tense, mixing it now and then with past tense. Well, rules are made to be broken, aren’t they?

Advertisements

Warleggan: a review

 

At last, the villain in Poldark gets his own show! Francis Poldark has died in tragic circumstances and so George Warleggan, Ross’s rival and enemy, moves in on Elizabeth, but not before Ross does the unthinkable to show her he disapproves of her remarriage. Where will that leave his relationship with Demelza, already threatened by problems in his mining venture? Up until this point, she has battled with her emotions with regard to Ross’s feelings for Elizabeth and his act of stupidity throws their relationship into serious doubt, so much so that Demelza contemplates an illicit liaison of her own, which ends in disaster.

Meanwhile, Dwight Enys, the friendly neighbourhood doctor, has proposed marriage to the conceited and self-obsessed Caroline Penvenen, who loves him in return despite her faults, and who is prepared to go against the wishes of her Uncle Ray, abandon her fortune and set up home with Dwight. Unfortunately, that doesn’t go to plan and Dwight considers a career in the navy. Ross steps in to do a good deed for Dwight, but any compassion I had for Ross up to this point has been destroyed by his behaviour against Demelza and Elizabeth. He has shown himself to be weak and selfish, and so all my sympathies have been heaped on Demelza, but then I always did prefer her character to his. I don’t blame her for trying to get her own back on Ross with Captain MacNeil.

As for Warleggan, his baddie persona comes delightfully to the fore: he is wickedly nasty to Aunt Agatha and shows no remorse when Demelza is shot when straying on his land. He has great pleasure is taking over the Trenwith estate, Ross’s childhood home, on his marriage, and although it’s clear he genuinely loves Elizabeth, the reader takes great pleasure in loving to hate him. He’s also not very bright when it comes to the question of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.

A thoroughly enjoyable read and the soap opera goes on!

 

Sneaky peeky book cover reveal for Episode

Designed by my clever husband using images taken from pixabay.com (with acknowledgements, of course!), this will be the front cover. It shows my main character, Ali, along with Helen of Troy, and the bright light of the time travel portal through which Ali travels back to ancient Sparta in order to help save Helen from her marriage to Menelaus. I will reveal the entire cover soon!

I finished Episode before Christmas and wanted it published in the New Year, but as usual other events took over. Apart from having to wait for the cover (don’t I always!), I had a sort of a mini breakdown. I’m not going there now, but I am getting help. It’s even inspired me to think of my next book, but I ca’t reveal much about that yet.

But stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

 

Book review: In My Liverpool Home

 

Being Liverpool born and bred, I had to get this book! ‘In My Liverpool Home’ is a very popular local Liverpool folk song I heard many times growing up, but I confess I never knew all the words! What sticks in my mind are the lyrics: ‘We speak with an accent exceedingly rare; we’re under a statue exceedingly bare; and if you want a cathedral we’ve got one to spare; in my Liverpool home!’ My dad used to sing it, as well as his other favourite, ‘Liverpool Lou’. I never knew, though, that ‘In My Liverpool Home’ just kept going on and on. It’s true about the 163 verses: they are all written down here and more keep being added by anyone who wants to contribute! It has to go into the Guinness Book of World Records as the song that just goes on and on.

For those who may be interested in the verse I’ve quoted above, the statue is Dicky Lewis, named locally, proudly naked above the door of what was the iconic Liverpool’s own Lewis’s department store (now sadly turned into flats and not to be confused with John Lewis, which is still going) and we have two cathedrals: the Anglican, completed in 1978 and which took 100 years to build, and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King (affectionately known by all denominations as Paddy’s Wigwam because of its shape). Other cities may boast two cathedrals, too, but ours are bigger and harder!

I loved this book and knowing that John and Gerry have written others on local song I now need to get my hands on those!

Amazon.co.uk; Goodreads

 

Confessions of a social media cheat (but I still love you, Twitter!)

Back in December, I blogged that I had rejoined Instagram. Originally, I wasn’t impressed with it because you can’t post without a photo, and my photos are terrible, especially my selfies. Camera shake is one of my biggest problems! But I got a new phone for Christmas and found my pictures were clearer (but the camera shake is still there slightly), so I gave Instagram another go as a platform to promote my books.

Since then I’ve posted over 70 times and am amassing book-loving followers and fellow authors. I’m getting more likes for my book posts than I do on Twitter (I blame the football for that; because it focuses more on words, Twitter is the only place to be when Liverpool FC are playing and I’m guilty of letting that outweigh my book promotion!) On Instagram, not only can I post photos, I can post screenshots, too, of my web page, blog, and sites where I promote my books. I do post about Liverpool FC now and then because my team is important part of keeping me sane (but not for my heart!), especially right now in the run-in to the Premier League title, and those posts are not just liked by Liverpool fans. There’s nothing wrong in focusing on other aspects of my life as long as I don’t overdo it!

So I’ve become addicted to Instagram and feel like I’m cheating on Twitter, but I still love it! I might have to rethink how to use it for book marketing, though; perhaps I might need to start another account and keep my footie tweets separate. The thing is, I have a lot of Liverpool fans who have read my books.

You can find me on Instagram as @traceymoraitauthor and on Twitter as @tmoraitauthor

 

My review of Jeremy Poldark

The Poldark saga continues in the aftermath of the death of Ross and Demelza’s daughter Julia. More heartache awaits the couple: Ross is to go before the Bodmin Assizes accused of wrecking two ships and Demelza does all she can to support him through this dark time. She remains dedicated to him, despite the obvious tension in their marriage. Ross needs her support against the scheming rich banker George Warleggan, who will stop at nothing to see Ross hang.

The theme of uncertainty and worry weighs heavily throughout the book, but does not distract from the enjoyment of the story. Elsewhere, the world goes on turning. Despite the darkness and despair, there is still the welcome relief of comedy, provided as usual by Jud and Prudie, a nervous Verity meets her stepchildren for the first time, Dr Enys continues to feel confused by his feelings for the spoilt, rich Caroline Pendeven and Francis Poldark is in the depths of despair. There is also talk of war with France, where revolution is raging. When Jeremy Poldark makes his entrance into the world, however, there is hope for the future.

This review is available on Goodreads and Amazon.co.uk.

My latest reading list

 

 

Above you see the queue of books currently on my reading list, starting with:

1. These happy golden years by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The last book in her autobiographical series tracing her fascinating pioneer life in the American west will complete the series of seven books I’ve been reading over the years
2. In my Liverpool home by Gerry Jones and John Haines. John is a Facebook friend of mine. I’ve had a quick flick through and oh, the happy memories of my childhood and early adulthood in Liverpool! I’ve always been homesick for my home city, but I think this might tip me over the edge!
3. Warleggan by Winston Graham. Book four of the twelve book Poldark series I began reading last Christmas. I love them: there’s humour mixed with poignancy and drama. Better than any soap opera!
4. How to be a heroine: or what I’ve learned by reading too much by Samantha Ellis, who studies the heroines of all the novels she has read. Looks like an interesting non-fiction read
5. The Stepney doorstep society by Kate Thompson. Like the title above, this was a Christmas present from the in-laws, and again non-fiction. Not coming from Stepney or indeed London I’m not sure how I’ll get on with it, but I’m prepared to give it a go

I wish you all happy reading as well as writing!