A well written romance/contemporary fiction that goes deeply into character. Although this is not an action book, I still couldn't put it down. I felt so much for the central character that I just had to know what happened and how he handled his challenges. This is a very real story about very real characters. Many people may find themselves or someone they know reflected in one or more of the characters. Recommended for anyone who likes character driven stories. This is so beautifully and deeply written that you could call it literary romance. I also read the second in the series and enjoyed that as well. It’s unusual for me to read such real stories, as I usually prefer fantasy and sci fi, so the fact that I read two books in this series is a good indication of their quality. More about the book: The Wishing Shelf Award: 'A totally engrossing, powerfully written family drama. A finalist and highly recommended.' Part One of the Wild Water Series. The tragedy and comedy … [Read more...]
Yay! Whoopee! The Locksmith’s Secret is OUT NOW & with a great review already.
My 9th book has just been published and it feels great. I can't believe I've actually written and had published so many books. Not only that but The Locksmith's Secret already has one review and its AWESOME. It's written by Amazon Vine reviewer, Dreambeast. It starts with: "In The Locksmith's Secret, Tahlia Newland has woven several narratives into a complex story about the joys and pitfalls of love and the enduring power of the imagination. ..." Then she goes onto talk about the story and she gives a really good summary of it. She ends with: "Newland interweaves all of these threads with consummate skill. Not once do they get tangled. Not once does the suspense flag, which is especially impressive in a contemplative novel like The Locksmith's Secret. The credit goes to Newland's mastery of narrative structure, to her concise and transparent prose that is eloquent without ever drawing attention to itself, and to her wonderfully varied and complex characters. The worlds … [Read more...]
You can order my new steampunk murder mystery/ contemporary romantic mystery NOW!
Having a book published is a very exciting time for an author. It's great to see all those hours of work finally come together into something others can read. So I'm very excited to be able to say that at last The Locksmith's Secret (the second in the Prunella Smith Series) has a publication date (8th of April). AND you can pre-order it NOW and get USD$1 off. Though it's the second in a series, it can also be read first. If you're a Prunella Smith fan, you'll want to snap this up while it's cheap and if you haven't met Prunella yet, then this is a good place to start. It has the same elements that impressed all those reviewers of Worlds Within Worlds. This book is more than just a steampunk murder mystery or a contemporary romantic mystery, it's also a transrealist and metaphysical work of literary fiction. I sum it all up by calling it magical realism, and that's what it is really because it blends fantasy and reality, and uses extended metaphors that become a world of their … [Read more...]
Realistic and Relevant: Pieces of Love by PJ Sharon; Review
‘Pieces of Love’ by PJ Sharon is the story of a grief-stricken, grumpy and slightly wayward teen sent to her grandmothers for the summer to keep her out of trouble. Lexi has been busted twice for weed possession and her mother is in hospital due to a nervous breakdown, so her stepfather sends her off to give the couple time to get things on an even keel without having to worry about her. Grandma decides to take Lexi on a cruise around the Mediterranean, and Lexi isn’t pleased about it, not only because she’s going to be stuck on a ship with a bunch of old people, but also because she suffers from motion sickness. But this is a romance, so, enter the handsome young man and things turn out better than expected. This is a character driven story. Unlike Sharon’s dystopian series, you’ll not find much action, but you’ll find character depth and growth, as Lexi’s relationship with Ethan and her don’t-call-me-grandma-call-me-Maddie grandmother deepens, forcing Lexi to face things … [Read more...]
WWW #14 Editing Lovers in the Forest
This post is part of 'WORLDS WITHIN WORLDS', a series of writings about Prunella (Ella) Smith, author, editor & reviewer, and the many worlds she inhabits: her physical reality; her online world where disgruntled author Dita stalks; the worlds of the books she edits; her dream world, and the world beneath the veil of her ordinary reality. Click here for the previous offerings in reverse order, or here for links to them in order. Today Prunella is editing a romance novel: Kelee's story. WWW#14 Lovers in the forest Kelee snuggled up to Blade, hoping that Miramar’s herbs worked. they did—mostly. She certainly couldn’t afford an unwanted pregnancy. Part of her knew it wouldn’t be totally unwanted though; if the choice were possible, she would choose Blade to be the father of the children she would one day have one day. Perhaps, if she did find herself pregnant with his child, they may allow her to marry him. She sighed and opened her eyes. The forest closed in around them like a … [Read more...]
WWW #13 Romance
This post is part of 'WORLDS WITHIN WORLDS', a series of writings about Prunella (Ella) Smith, author, editor & reviewer, and the many worlds she inhabits: her physical reality; her online world where disgruntled author Dita stalks; the worlds of the books she edits; her dream world, and the world beneath the veil of her ordinary reality. Click here for the previous offerings in reverse order, or here for links to them in order. I'm enjoying editing Kelee's World. The author writes well, so there isn't much in the way of line-editing to do on it, just a bit of copy-editing. Her grammar's good, but she often misses punctuation marks. The scene laid out on my computer screen is in Kelee's bedroom in the Menhir Mansion. The way the author describes the house makes me think of the old buildings in the south of France - terracotta tiled roofs, thick granite walls, small windows, polished floorboards and heavy rugs. Kelee's bed is a lush four poster complete with drapery - as … [Read more...]
Kelee’s world: Worlds Within Worlds #3
Worlds Within Worlds is the working title of a series of loosely connected writings that are shaping themselves into a story without my conscious direction. These are essentially unedited first drafts that I have made no attempt to shape with my conscious mind. An introduction to the series and a list of the posts in order (should you want to begin at the beginning) is on the Writer's World page. This follows on from Worlds Within Worlds #2 www.informationliberation.com. New World Disorder: Patterns Of Psychopathy And Other Fractal Anomalies Kelee's World: Worlds Within Worlds #3 Kelee slammed the dusty tome on the table and froze. The thump had sounded far too loud in the silent household. But no querying mother's voice rang along the corridors, and Kelee reminded herself that the walls were thick stone. She breathed again. Dust motes danced in the sliver of rising sun that pierced the library's gloom. She shouldn't have to wake before everyone else just to read a book, but that … [Read more...]
Moving & thought-provoking women’s fiction: ‘The Widows To Do List’ by Stephanie Zia
The Widows To Do List is a moving, thought-provoking and occasionally funny story about a recently widowed woman in her fifties as she tries to come to terms with her new status. Sally comes across as very real, which makes her easy to relate to. She mothered two children--now grown and left home--and loved her husband, but an accident took him away and left her grief stricken. The majority of the story takes place one year after Dom's death. Sally is managing by making a list of things to achieve, as suggested by a book on being a widow, and slowly working towards achieving each thing on the list. But Sally's old friend Ramone, thinks the list is ridiculous and suggests some alternatives, one is to have sex as soon as possible, because a widow, having been with one man for so long, is somewhat like a virgin. It's so long since she dated anyone that it's like starting at the beginning again. Sally doesn't like being alone, but she doesn't want to date anyone either until someone … [Read more...]
An elegant & moving historical romance: Salvation by Harriet Steel
Salvation is the moving story of woman, Meg, and a man, Tom, who lived in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the first. Meg, married off by her parents to a man she can never love, has a lover, her childhood sweetheart, Tom, but Ralph, an unsavoury character finds out and bribes Tom to leave town. If he doesn't, Ralph will tell Meg's husband, a rich and powerful man, and neither Meg nor Tom's life will be worth living. When Tom's employer is found murdered and Tom gone, the police assume that Tom committed the murder and so begins a tale that takes the reader on a vivid journey through life in 16th century London set against the backdrop of the threat of Spanish invasion. It's a story with many unpredictable turns, and so riveting that I truly couldn't put it down. Meg leaves her husband and, along with her maid, sets out to find Tom. Her journey takes her from a life of luxury to that of a washer woman, and many things in between. Tom ends up in prison and if it weren't … [Read more...]
Different & poignant: Secret Reflection by Jennifer Brassel
Secret Reflection Jennifer Brassel Escape Publishing, Harlequin Enterprises Australia Fantasy romance Secret Reflection is a good read for anyone who likes contemporary fantasy romance and gentlemen from the nineteenth century. The story of a man trapped in a mirror in the mid nineteenth century by a Druid sorcerer is unusual and poignant, in this case, especially because of the circumstances surrounding the incarceration. Kelly is an American reporter visiting her long time friend in England where she and her husband are in the process of turning an old English home into a hotel. They ask Kelly to investigate the ghost that is supposed to reside in the house. The idea being that an article proving the ghosts existence will bring customers. so Kelly sets out to disprove the ghosts existence. She soon discovers that he does exist, but not as a ghost. The magic that has imprisoned him means that only the person who sleeps in his bed can see him. And only for eighteen days every … [Read more...]
