UNCOVERED PICKS: Five September Releases

Once again, it's the start of a new month, which means a selection of new books to start autumn with. September's picks include new releases from Miranda Dickinson and Veronica Henry, along with novels from Melissa DeCarlo and Leah Marie Brown...

A Parcel for Anna Browne by Miranda Dickinson
Anna Browne is an ordinary woman living an ordinary life. Her day job as a receptionist in bustling London isn't exactly her dream, yet she has everything she wants. But someone thinks Anna Browne deserves more . . .

When a parcel addressed to Anna Browne arrives, she has no idea who has sent it. Inside she finds a beautiful gift - one that is designed to be seen. And so begins a series of incredible deliveries, each one bringing Anna further out of the shadows and encouraging her to become the woman she was destined to be. As Anna grows in confidence, others begin to notice her - and her life starts to change.

But who is sending the mysterious gifts, and why?

The Art of Crash Landing by Melissa DeCarlo
Mattie Wallace has really screwed up this time. Broke and knocked up, she’s got all her worldly possessions crammed into six giant trash bags, and nowhere to go. Try as she might, Mattie can no longer deny that she really is turning into her mother, a broken alcoholic who never met a bad choice she didn’t make.

When Mattie gets news of a possible inheritance left by a grandmother she’s never met, she jumps at this one last chance to turn things around. Leaving the Florida Panhandle, she drives eight hundred miles to her mother’s birthplace—the tiny town of Gandy, Oklahoma. There, she soon learns that her mother remains a local mystery—a happy, talented teenager who inexplicably skipped town thirty-five years ago with nothing but the clothes on her back. But the girl they describe bears little resemblance to the damaged woman Mattie knew, and before long it becomes clear that something terrible happened to her mother, and it happened here. The harder Mattie digs for answers, the more obstacles she encounters. Giving up, however, isn’t an option. Uncovering what started her mother’s downward spiral might be the only way to stop her own.

High Tide by Veronica Henry
Pennfleet might be a small town, but there's never a dull moment in its narrow winding streets ... 

Kate has only planned a flying visit to clear out the family home after the death of her mother. When she finds an anonymous letter, she is drawn back into her own past.

Single dad Sam is juggling his deli and two lively teenagers, so romance is the last thing on his mind. Then Cupid fires an unexpected arrow - but what will his children think?

Nathan Fisher is happy with his lot, running picnic cruises up and down the river, but kissing the widow of the richest man in Pennfleet has disastrous consequences.

Vanessa knows what she has done is unseemly for a widow, but it's the most fun she's had for years. Must she always be on her best behaviour?

Finding It by Leah Marie Brown
Falling in love is the ultimate faux pas.

Anything can happen in a year! Unemployed, homeless, and left at the altar, Vivia Perpetua Grant could see her future as a flannel pajama wearing spinster—or worse, a bag lady shuffling around Golden Gate Park. But for a girl obsessed with rock music, Chinese take-out, and the color pink, misfortune is another word for opportunity. Vivia has found her niche as an international travel writer and the long-distance lover of Jean-Luc de Caumont, an über-hot French literature professor and competitive cyclist.

Still, even with so much going right, Vivia can't help but wonder if something isn't missing. The long distance thing is taking its toll on a girl who didn't have that many tokens to begin with. And fate seems to be tempting her at every turn, first with a hunky Scottish helicopter pilot, and then with a British celebrity bad boy...Will Vivia continue to keep it real or will she discover some old habits die hard?

All the Difference by Leah Ferguson
New Year’s Eve. A time for resolutions. A chance to make a change. And for thirty-year-old Molly Sullivan, a night that will transform her life forever…

All it takes is one word—yes or no—to decide Molly’s future. As the clock counts down to midnight and the ball slowly begins to drop, Molly’s picture-perfect boyfriend gets down on one knee and asks her to marry him. She knows she should say yes, especially considering the baby-sized surprise she just discovered she’s carrying. But something in her heart is telling her to say no…

Now, Molly’s future can follow two very different paths: one where she stays with her baby’s father, despite her misgivings and his family’s unreasonable expectations, and one where she ventures out on her own as a single mother, embracing all the hardships that come with it.

And by the time the next New Year is rung in, Molly will know which choice was right—following her head or listening to her heart…

UNCOVERED INTERVIEWS: Emma Burstall

Being a fan of stories set in Cornwall, I was extremely happy to hear about Emma Burstall's book, Tremarnock. In the novel, Liz and her daughter have come to the little seaside village to seek sanctuary, but there's trouble on the way. Emma has joined us for the Q&A session so that we can find out more about her intriguing new novel...

Tell us about your latest novel in 15 words or less.
A shocking turn of events causes havoc in a small Cornish community.

What inspired you to write Tremarnock?
My first three novels are based in and around London and when I started thinking about the next one, and particularly the character of Liz, who was very clear in my mind, I knew that it had to be set somewhere completely different.

Liz isn’t close to her relatives and feels very isolated when her relationship breaks up, leaving her to raise her young daughter, Rosie, alone. She wants to escape her old life and start afresh and where better to go than to a small, tight-knit village community where friends and neighbours soon become the family she lacks?

I’ve always loved Cornwall, so this seemed like the ideal bolt-hole for her. I spent many happy summers there as a child and rediscovered the area in my twenties when I landed my first job as a cub reporter on a Westcountry newspaper, based in Plymouth. From there, it’s only a short ferry ride into South East Cornwall and I enjoyed going on long walks and exploring the colourful fishing villages on which my fictional village is modeled.

Of course, the fact that Tremarnock is so small, warm and welcoming makes it all the more shocking when trouble strikes at the very heart of the community and Liz has to find a way through the secrets, ambitions and lies.

Where do you do most of your writing?
I’m a bit of a nomad, to be honest. At the moment, I’ve taken up residence in our dining room in South West London. I’m afraid I’ve spread my things across the whole table, so that we can’t possibly have friends round to eat because tidying up would be too daunting!

At other times, however, I’ll use my small study upstairs, or even pop to my Mum’s round the corner and work in her lovely, airy room at the back of the house. I get bored of being in the same place and find a change of scenery inspires me.

What is your favourite book?
I love all sorts of fiction but I guess my favourite book of all time has to be Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I’m a huge Dickens fan because of his humour, his unique perception of the human psyche, his unforgettable characters, great plots and unflinching message about poverty and charity. He wrote many amazing novels but for me, Bleak House stands out the most, probably because of Esther, Lady Dedlock and the ghastly Mrs Jellyby and Harold Skimpole.

Which part of Tremarnock did you enjoy writing the most?
I loved writing about the village itself, because there was something thrilling about bringing to life an imaginary place with its beach and harbour, cobbled streets, painted cottages and quirky characters. I could see everything so clearly in my mind’s eye.

An even more enjoyable part, however, was probably writing the ending. In real life you can’t always make things happen the way you want, but in fiction, you get to play God. I liked resolving things for Liz and the others in the way that I thought most fulfilling. I wrote more two versions of the very last pages, though, because I couldn’t decide which was best. I hope readers approve of the one I eventually chose!

Who is your favourite literary heroine?
Jane Austen’s Emma, and not just because we share a name! She’s stubborn, spoiled, willful and a little vain, but her heart’s in the right place and we can’t help but forgive her when she recognises the error of her ways and tries to put right her wrongs. And I do love Mr Knightley!

Do you have any tips for readers who are looking to become published writers?
Develop a thick skin, because you’re going to need it. You’ll almost certainly receive rejection letters, perhaps lots of them, it’s par for the course. If you’re lucky enough to find a publisher, you’ll probably think you’ve made it. That’s until the reviews start coming in when people you’ve never met will say that you’re a terrible writer, even if they can hardly string a sentence together themselves.

Accept that you can’t please everyone. Believe in yourself, write something every day and relish every compliment, whether it’s a passing comment from an acquaintance in the street who enjoyed your book, or a fab, five star review in a national newspaper.

Are you working on anything else at the moment and if so, can you tell us?
Yes. Tremarnock is the first in a trilogy and I’m in the thick of writing the second book in the series right now. I’m loving re-visiting the characters of Liz, Rosie, Robert et al, and also introducing new people and a whole new plot.

Thanks, Emma!

Tremarnock by Emma Burstall

Tremarnock is a classic Cornish seaside village. Houses cluster around the fishing harbour. It has a pub and a sought-after little restaurant. It is here that Liz has found sanctuary for herself and her young daughter, Rosie - far away from Rosie's cheating father. 

Liz works all the hours God sends. First thing in the morning she's out, cleaning offices. At night she is waitressing in the village restaurant, while friends and neighbours rally round and mind Rosie. But trouble is waiting just round the corner. 

As with all villages, there are tensions, secrets - and ambitions. Emma Burstall's wonderfully engaging first novel about Tremarnock is the story of what happens when one shocking turn of events sweeps a small community. 


GUEST BLOG: Please Retweet by Emily Benet

Emily Benet, author of The Temp, is back with her new novel Please Retweet, about a celebrity social media manager. Today - the publication date of Please Retweet! - Emily joins Uncovered to share her thoughts on how social media can often take over our lives, and especially that of heroine May...


Check it, check it - a novel for all us social media addicts

Do you ever randomly open your front door to check if someone's there? Even though no one's rung the door bell, do you think: let's just have a quick look
And after you've opened it and found no one there, do you go back and open it again a minute later, just on the off chance there's someone there now. Two minutes later, do you open it again?
No. You don't. You only open the door when someone knocks.
SO WHY ARE WE ALWAYS CHECKING OUR PHONES WHEN WE HAVEN'T EVEN RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION?!!!
As soon we wake up: We check our phone.
At the bus stop: We check our phone.
When we have to do something difficult to do at work: We check our phone.
At lunch: We check our phone.
When we go to the loo.... Ahem. Some people check their phones.
What are we hoping for? Well, I reckon we're hoping for a little high. 'Likes' on our Facebook post gives us a little high, a 'retweet' on Twitter gives us a little high, an email reply from someone gives us a little high, a comment on our blog gives us a little high...
How long does the little high last?
Approximately 1 minute.
Which is why we keep checking our phones! We need the the next high!
The main character in my new book, #PleaseRetweet, is always checking her phone because it's her job. May Sparks is paid to manage the online profiles of several C-list celebrities. They're a bunch of loose cannons who would offend half the planet if they were left to run their own Twitter and Facebook accounts by themselves. May has to be careful to get their voices right and not mix up accounts. As her client number grows it gets increasingly challenging.
Posting as several people means May is always getting notifications on her phone. She's experiencing so many highs and lows in her day it's like being on an electric seesaw that won't stop...
Imagine if your phone was going off every second of the day. And every notification required a clever reply.
Welcome to May's world. Coming out this August.

#PleaseRetweet is out in ebook from today, and paperback on 5th November  

NEW RELEASES: I Wish For You by Camilla Isley

Camilla Isley's new novel, I Wish For You, was released last week. What would you do if you had the power to have all of your wishes granted? Ally is about to find out...

If all your wishes could suddenly come true, what would you do?

A year ago, when the love of her life dumped her for no apparent reason, Ally thought she had hit rock bottom. But now that she has seen him with another woman, and one she knows only too well, her life seems to have reached a whole new level of low.

Yet, when she stumbles across an ancient object infused with magical powers and a stranger with a dark past appears out of nowhere promising to grant all her wishes, she finds herself hoping again.
Suddenly Ally’s life is turned upside down; she has a mystery to solve, a rival to beat, a millenarian curse to break, and well, she wants to have some fun playing with her new “gifts”...

But can she wish her way to happily ever after?

BOOK NEWS: Letting You Go by Anouska Knight

Letting You Go by Anouska Knight is published in September, in which Alex, who blames herself for a past tragedy, is forced to return home to the place from which she previously escaped...

What if a tragedy occurred and you only had yourself to blame? How do you move on from the past? 

Alex Foster lives a quiet life, avoiding the home she hasn't visited in eight years. Then her sister Jaime calls. Their mother is sick, and Alex must return. Suddenly she's plunged back into the past she's been trying to escape.

Returning to her hometown, memories of the tragic accident that has haunted her and her family are impossible to ignore. Alex still blames herself for what happened to her brother and it's soon clear that her father holds her responsible too. As Alex struggles to cope, can she ever escape the ghosts of the past?



SUMMER READS: Deep Fried and Pickled by Paisley Ray

Paisley Ray's 'Rachel O'Brien' series of novels continues with the latest in the series, Deep Fried and Pickled, which is available now. Taking place in the 80s, the college tales incorporate humour, romance and mystery - stories for those who remember the eighties, as Paisley says, 'as fondly or as cringe-worthy!'

It’s ’86, the era of Pop Rocks, Jelly shoes, and big hair bands. Rachael O'Brien's freshman plan seems simple: Attend a southern college away from her hometown of Canton, Ohio, earn a degree, party, and meet cute guys—hopefully acing the latter two. 

But being threatened by a jealous She-Devil, avoiding the advances of a thirty-something redneck, and discovering an art fraud scheme mess with her “to do” list. Her problems deepen when her compulsion to reveal a fake take her on a dangerous misadventure.
Bad decision-making, law-bending behavior, and surprise romances make freshman year more challenging than expected in Paisley Ray’s DEEP FRIED AND PICKLED, a quick-witted, south-of-the-Mason-Dixon romp.

EVENTS: Festival of Romantic Fiction 2015

Fans of romantic fiction can attend the UK festival dedicated to the genre, which takes place in November.

Started in 2011, the Festival of Romantic Fiction is open to readers and writers of romance, and will take place in the historical town of Stratford-Upon-Avon between 6th-8th November. The festival is supported by a host of publishers including Piatkus Entice, Mills & Boon, Impulse and Choc Lit, with special guest authors Adele Parks and Milly Johnson.

To view the programme and book tickets, head on over to the website, or follow @romancefest on Twitter.