Focus On The Truth Lies Buried and Some Book Recommendations

I’ve had a very strange experience over the last week. Following on from my post on 5 August 2024 about my first novel The Girl on the Beach, where I shared the first chapter on my blog, I moved on to look at my second novel The Truth Lies Buried. Intending to look at the first chapter and maybe share that too, I had the slightly weird experience of carrying on reading.

It was almost as if I was reading someone else’s work. Bear in mind this novel was first published in 2018. I found that the book contained lots of references to things that had happened in my life, even the dustbin lorry that crashed into our house in 2016 was referenced!

So, I was happily reading and enjoying my own work and reliving memories included in the pages. Of course, readers picking up this title will have no idea how many of the story elements are real and how much is fiction.

I’m still recovering from the Romantic Novelists’ Association conference (the subject of last week’s blog). It seems to have taken a long time to catch up with lost sleep and to process all that I learned from the workshops, but it was a very positive experience overall.

I thought I’d finish today by recommending a couple of books, apart from my own (Lol), that I’ve enjoyed lately.

Maggie in the Middle by Debbie Viggiano

Maggie in the Middle -A poignant and moving romantic comedy

When Maggie King turned sixty, she thought her life complete.

Now she’s sixty-one, and everything has gone horribly wrong.

Husband Greg has abruptly upped and left leaving Maggie bewildered. But there’s no time to question his departure because her ancient parents are all-consuming.

Once fondly referred to as the Golden Oldies, they’re now the BOBs – Bad-Tempered Old Buggers.

Sister Freya is never available to help, and Maggie is rapidly reaching the end of her tether.

She wants her life – and husband – back.

Instead, she’s trapped in what has been coined the Sandwich Generation – supporting both children and parents – except this particular sarnie is in danger of falling apart.

Maggie needs to learn that when life is like a club sandwich, it needs the best ingredients – and that includes lashings of love and some knee-trembling romance!

I really enjoyed this title but with the benefit of hindsight, as my mother who had dementia passed away two years ago now.

New Dreams at Polkerran Point by Cass Grafton

A surprise inheritance will open the doors to her future, and also the past…

When Aunt Meg leaves her cottage to Anna Redding in her will, Anna immediately packs up and heads to Polkerran, the Cornish fishing village where she was so happy as a child.

With ambitions to turn the cottage into a B&B, a job working for the enigmatic historian, Oliver Seymour, and the return of her childhood crush, Alex Tremayne, it seems the stars have all aligned for Anna.

But Aunt Meg left behind a mystery for her to solve, and a shock discovery reveals she may be living a dream that isn’t really hers to hold. Can Anna rescue the new life she’s made for herself? Who in Polkerran can she really count on in her time of need?

Cass Grafton has a skill to draw you into the close knit community of Polkerran with all of its support systems and gossip network. I really enjoyed this rollercoaster of a romance.

Some late night reading hours occurred, as I read the book very quickly wanting to know what would happen and was even shouting at my kindle in certain places when I disagreed with the decisions heroine, Anna was making.

Thoroughly recommended for anyone who has ever wanted to start a new life in a new location. Great read.

So this week’s recommended reads:

Maggie in the Middle by Debbie Viggiano buying link here.

New Dreams at Polkerran Point by Cass Grafton buying link here.

The Truth Lies Buried by Morton S. Gray buying link here.