When Estella’s Revenge arrived at Frost HQ I made an audible gasp. The gorgeous cover, the fact it’s a retelling of Great Expectations, Miss Havisham’s daughter is the main character…, I mean, come on. what is there not to love? Was I let down? Not even a little. The writing is exceptional and the story is dark and delicious.
It is obvious that a huge amount of research went into this novel, but also a very deep love for Great Expectations and the characters. The love and knowledge is obvious in every single page. This book is original, gothic and completely unforgettable. It belongs on the shelf next to Great Expectations itself. When reading the novel it feels like not much has changed for women, yet there is hope in this novel. Of women saving themselves and enduring. Of survival. A must-read.
The Memory of Us is a fantastic book. How long did it take you to write it? The Memory of Us took approximately one year to write. I don’t write particularly quickly and would panic if I had to produce a book any faster. When I gave up work to write full-time I thought I’d begin at nine o’clock and work through until five (with an hour for lunch, of course). It wasn’t long before I realised I’m not disciplined enough for that. People might be surprised it takes me twelve months to write a book, but I’m just amazed it doesn’t take even longer!
Where did the idea come from? My books have recurring themes of love, family, and friendship, often set against a life changing moment or event. From the outset I knew I wanted this story to feature two sisters and the unshakeable bond between them. Lexi and Amelia were a joy to write, and I miss spending time with them.
The book has many themes. How did you manage to thread them all together so well? I’d like to say it was a result of meticulous planning – except I don’t plan at all. However, I knew the important plot points, so it was a matter of letting the story unfold naturally and trusting everything would fall into place.
What is your writing routine like? My day starts with a dog walk, when I’ll formulate my plan for that day’s writing and often get ideas for conversations between characters. Before I begin, I go back and edit the previous day’s work. I know many authors prefer to keep their eye on the finishing line, but I’m not happy going forward if I think there’s something that needs fixing. Mornings are not my most productive time, so it’s mid to late afternoon before I usually hit my stride. Before turning off my computer I read that day’s work out loud. I find this to be a useful way of checking both the pace of the story and the authenticity of the dialogue.
What advice would you give writers who want to maintain a career? First, to keep reading in many different genres. Seeing how authors tackle a story, handle the pace, the dialogue and the plot can be very inspiring. It motivates you to bring all you have to the table the next time you begin to write. Next, is to just write. Don’t tell yourself that ‘one day I’ll write a book’. Do it. Do it now. It’s easy to think you don’t have time to write, but you just need to be disciplined and determined. Don’t set impossible goals. If you aim for just 1000 words a day, in three months you’ll have a novel. Lastly, write the book that’s in your heart. It’s more important to be aware of current literary trends than it is to follow them. At the end of the day, you must write the book you want to write and tell the story you have to tell. Perhaps it isn’t the same one that everyone is reading right then; perhaps you are bucking the trend… but it’s just possible you’re starting a new one.
What’s next for you? My next book is well underway and has a working title of PROMISE ME – although I’m sure that will change – they usually do. It is another emotional drama with some strong characters who I hope people will fall in love with every bit as much as I’ve done. I don’t want to reveal too much more, but I will say that I made myself cry writing the very first chapter, which was a first for me.
The Memory of Us’ by Dani Atkins is just published by Head of Zeus in hardback. I loved it. It is a beautiful and heartfelt novel which takes many themes and ties them together beautifully. The characters are divine and I adored the love story. I was fully immersed in this beautiful book. Superb writing mixes with a novel that keeps you guessing all of the way. I can’t recommend it enough.
Who hasn’t had the daydream of travelling for free, or even making money while travelling? This daydream is a reality some travellers are experiencing today thanks to unique work arrangements that allow them to make money abroad.
Let’s look at the two most popular avenues for making money abroad and see if one of these could offer you your dream lifestyle.
Work Contracts Abroad
Finding your next career move is a big task: the stars need to align for the right company, location and career advancement opportunity. This process becomes even more difficult when you zoom out from focusing on your home country and look for jobs in other countries.
Instead of trying to land your dream job in another country, you can make money abroad by taking on a temporary contract outside of your field. Some popular industries include:
● Teaching English as a second language
● Tourism/hospitality
● Agriculture
● Yachting
The variety of work opportunities available will probably surprise you. Did you know that you can get paid to work in Antarctica?! It might not be your dream job or a calculated escalation of your career, but it’s a strategic way to leverage your 40-hour workweek to allow you to travel.
An alternative to paid contracts abroad are work exchanges. These are arrangements where you volunteer your time and are given something free in exchange, such as housing or food. Explore these work exchange platforms:
Not all work arrangements require you to pause your career building in order to travel. If you have the ability to work remotely, consider travelling as a digital nomad.
The term digital nomad refers to remote workers who use their flexibility to work from anywhere. Digital nomads typically fall into one of these categories:
1. Fully remote employee
2. Hybrid employee
3. Self-employed
Beyond the varieties in the type of work, there are a few different ways that this lifestyle can manifest:
1. Mental health break: get permission from your employer to temporarily work remotely for your mental health
2. Working holiday: secure remote work and go away for a few weeks/months of the year with the plan of returning home
3. Working gap year: seek a remote job and travel for a predetermined period of time
4. Fully nomadic: secure remote work, move out of your home and travel indefinitely
I first became a digital nomad in 2017 because I felt like life was passing me by at the nine to five job. Since then, I’ve moved between the labels of digital nomad, expat and immigrant. The journey had twists in the road: I’ve taken on work exchanges and in-person odd jobs when necessary to get by, and ultimately spent years building a business of my own.
It all started with the realisation that I had more options than deferring all of my travel plans for “someday.” If you dream of travelling, I hope that you can leverage technology to turn your world upside down in the same way.
I love Helga Jensen’s books. They are the perfect mixture of exotic destinations and romance. Her character’s are always unique and different. My Heart is in Venice is set in Wales and Venice. It’s lovely to see a book set in Wales.
The characters are also older which is refreshing. Helga has a way of writing highly original and fun characters. I loved Libby and was rooting for her. If you want a great midlife second chance romance novel then this is it.
I highly recommend this entertaining and enchanting novel. It has wonderful, unique destination in Wales and Venice, along with wonderful characters and a great plot. I loved this escapist novel. Grab a copy now.
Venice was where it all began… Libby and Will spent a glorious honeymoon in this magical city. They didn’t have much money, but they had a whole lot of love and a bright future ahead of them. And Venice was where it all went wrong… Two kids and twenty-five years later, they are struggling with money problems but somehow Will manages to fulfil his promise to Libby to take her back to Venice for their anniversary. This time, they are doing it in style and a masked ball awaits. But among the beautiful buildings and romantic canals, Libby learns that her husband has a secret that breaks her heart. The trust is broken and the marriage is over. But there are decades of love and two grown sons between them. Can they ever find their way back to each other or have they missed their chance forever?
January is always a bit meh. We’re supposed to reinvent ourselves but it’s cold and dark. We need all of the help we can get. 52 weeks of wellbeing is a fantastic book written by an author who is smart, original and full of fantastic advice.
The authors personality is shot through with an incredible amount of research. This book is so inspirational and I will be dipping in and out of it for the rest of the week. Brilliant.
52 Weeks of Wellbeing to Transform Your Life - from ‘Kintsugi’ to embrace your flaws to ‘Cold Therapy’ to boost stress tolerance & ‘Timebox’ to handle email overload
A simple wellbeing technique for every week of 2024 – to go from frazzled to fulfilled
WHY THIS BOOK MATTERS
Three billion people are miserable at work according to Gallup. And, unsurprisingly, anger, stress, worry and sadness hit record highs in 2021 and have been rising for 10 years
The book is packed with 52 simple, practical, accessible habits, techniques and tips – one for every week of 2024 – that ANYONE can do to cultivate a happier life and make you your priority
After a rugby accident left him unable to walk for a year and suffering from depression, suicidal thoughts and bulimia, author Ryan Hopkins embarked on a mental health mission
Now Chief Impact Officer at pioneering mental health platform JAAQ and Deloitte’s former Future of Wellbeing Lead, he delivers talks everywhere from TEDx to Microsoft to Jimmy Choo on mental health and regularly writes for everyone from the FT to LinkedIn
Ryan Hopkins is on a mission. He wants to reach 1 billion people to transform our wellbeing – from the toilet. That probably needs some explaining…
Many of us prioritise work over wellbeing. A third of UK workers eat ‘aldesko’ (aka at our desks) and 67% feel pressured to be available at all hours of the day. Global unhappiness has risen by over a third since 2010. Something needs to change.
Back to the toilet then. After a rugby accident left Ryan wheelchair-bound for a year and suffering from severe depression, anxiety, bulimia and suicidal thoughts for nearly a decade afterwards, he began building doable wellbeing habits and techniques into his everyday life. They’re so simple ANYONE can do them, even on the loo, but, combined, they have the power to radically improve our wellbeing. To prove it, he created his now viral ‘Toilet Break Wellbeing’ video series – which has reached tens of millions of people and counting.
In his new book 52 Weeks of Wellbeing: A No-Nonsense Guide to a Fulfilling Work Life, Ryan reveals a simple wellbeing technique for every week of the year to help transform us from anxious and frazzled to happy and fulfilled. Combining the latest academic thinking with his powerful experience of recovering from rock bottom, the book is a highly practical, accessible, funny and engaging guide to improving our mental health.
To make real, lasting change, wellbeing and self-care should be something we proactively make space for every day, not only addressed reactively in response to a problem. Packed with small, smart wellbeing habits you can easily fit into even the craziest of busy days, they accumulate to make drastic change. They include:
Breathwork for stressful times
The Japanese art of ‘Kintsugi’ to embrace your flaws
‘Cold Therapy’ to boost stress tolerance
‘Timebox’ to handle email overload
Cosmic insignificance theory to combat anxiety
Bringing back the Great British Tea Break to kickstart productivity
Wellbeing is a lifelong pursuit – some weeks it’s easier to master than others – but armed with the knowledge, tips and tricks from this book, Ryan hopes to provide 1 billion people with the tools needed to lead a healthier, more fulfilling life at work and at home.
“The ultimate guide to a better you. A fascinating and inspiring read.” Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer for Google X
“Ryan combines his trademark sense of humour with a pragmatic view of well-being, making this an engaging and informative read.” – Dr. Clare Fernandes, Chief Medical Officer, BBC
“A book of bite-sized bits of brilliance.” Isabel Berwick, Financial Times
52 Weeks of Wellbeing by Ryan Hopkins is published by Kogan Page, 3rd January 2024, RRP £12.99
I adored this smart speculative thriller. It’s original and lots of fun. This is in development by Archewell, Prince Harry and Meghan’s production company. This brilliant book is a about a woman who is murdered, brought back to life as a clone, and then solves her own murder. A must read.
The Returned Amanda Cassidy
This book had me completely hooked. It is about a woman who is told her son died in a fire, only for her son to seemingly come back to life decades later. A detective is called back to her hometown and the memories she left behind. It was smart and full of stunning prose. Amanda Cassidy is a writer to watch. I rarely reread a book but The Returned has earned a place on my book shelf. Cassidy is a stunning voice in Irish crime fiction. This book is disturbing and twisty. Leaving me hooked from the first page.
The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair Natasha Hastings
This dazzling historical fantasy novel sweeps you up to a beautiful world. Natasha Hastings is a stunning writer. This middle grade novel is heartwarming and perfectly written. My children aren’t quite old enough for it yet, but I loved it. I can’t wait for the follow up next year.
It’s winter, 1683, and the Great Frost has swept into London. By day, thirteen-year-old Thomasina and her friend Anne peddle sweets on the frozen river, hearing rumors of the magical Frost Fair that awakens there at night. They say if you can find it, Father Winter himself will grant any wish you have. And Thomasina has an impossible wish: the return of her twin brother, whose death left her family fractured.
Unfortunately Yours Tessa Bailey
I love Tessa Bailey and these two characters from Secretly Yours were my favourite and I could not wait for the sequel. I was not disappointed. This enemies-to-lovers story fizzles with chemistry and racy sex scenes. It is fun and heartfelt as Natalie and August find their way to each other.
The Last List of Mabel Beaumont Laura Pearson
This book about an eighty-something woman who’s husband dies and then she decides to tick of his last list. It says Find D. Mabel decides to find their old friend Dot. What follows is a heartwarming story with great characters. Fantastic.
Nineteen Steps Millie Bobby Brown
I loved this historical fiction novel from the star of stranger things. While there was some controversy around the ghostwriting, it is a fantastic and immersive novel based on Millie’s grandmother’s story. I loved the ending.
The American Boyfriend Ivy Ngeow
The American Boyfriend has all of the hallmarks of a great thriller. Fantastic characters, a great location (Florida) and a plot that keeps you guessing. This pacy book is full of great moments. I loved the ending. Just brilliant.
The Shallows Holly Craig
The Shallows was definitely one of my favourite books of 2023. I could not put it down. Everything from the plot to the characters is pitch perfect. It’s a brave and wild ride.
Emma and Ariella, neighbours in one of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs, appear to have it all—perfect homes, perfect husbands, perfect lives. But they both know dark secrets lurk beneath the surface and shallow waters can’t hide Ariella’s. Now she has been found murdered.
The Christmas Love Letters by Sue Moorcroft, reviewed by Morton S Gray
Classic Sue Moorcroft.
I enjoyed being back in Nelson’s Bar, Norfolk reading about Ruthie, Maddy and Raff. A Christmas novel with twists and turns in the present and the revelation of secrets from the past too as Ruthie shares her treasured love letters.
A romance between Maddy and Raff seems inevitable, as they help Ruthie heal wounds from her past, until Maddy receives a message about her own mystery and the world changes.
Sue Moorcroft has a skill of carrying you along with a story and leaving you wanting for more.
A story to tug at your heart strings.
The Recipe for Hope by Fiona Valpy, reviewed by Jane Cable
I fancied a Christmas story, and for me this one was close to perfect. For a start it’s a novella, just a touch in under two hundred pages, and for a relatively simple festive romance it doesn’t need to be any more. And the cast of characters is small, and yet still a community is created for Evie to fall into when she escapes to France to avoid Christmas.
What really made this book stand out for me was the way I almost instantly slipped inside Evie’s heart and mind, and cared about her. I finished the book hours ago, and still she’s with me. On top of that, the customs and settings of rural south west France are described so beautifully, and with love. As is the food. The icing on the cake was a proper, real world, grown up ending. Five stars from me any day of the week.
New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage by Georgia Hill, reviewed by Morton S Gray
A great read that will have you thinking about Christmas and maybe buying Baileys!
I loved reading this book, which was a complete tonic in a stressful time for me. I always say that a book that can produce an emotional reaction is a good book and this one produced not one, not two, but three heart affecting scenes that had me thinking and reaching for the tissues. A cosy read, but with serious underlying themes of starting again after loss.
The characters are likeable and relatable, particularly Jago, trying to be the responsible son and brother, whilst nursing his own demons and heartaches, Honor, the primary school teacher with a big venerable heart and the amazing vicar, Verity, who is mad on ABBA. Merryn is a very wise little girl beyond her years. Georgia Hill weaves her story around community of Lullbury Bay, with each person living there having a distinct role and backstory. It sounds like somewhere I would enjoy living. I’d even take part in the yarn bombing brigade!
Highly recommended to get you in the mood for Christmas.
Secrets of the Shell Sisters by Adrienne Vaughan, reviewed by Jessie Cahalin
Magical tale of secrets, second chances and sisterhood
Set on Ireland’s ancient east coast, the Morgan sisters are in crisis. Cassandra runs the family hotel and it’s struggling, as secrets from her past threaten to resurface making things worse. Greer is fleeing a failed relationship with a powerful man, but if she returns will she stay? And then there’s Orla – fey, funny and mysterious – insisting messages from the shells must heeded or what will become of them all?
Returning to Rosshaven was a delight, especially as this story, while fresh and original, is cleverly intertwined with characters from the first book, Summer of Secrets.
A beautifully written tale of relationships, lost love and second chances, laced through with a touch of Irish magic – so deftly delivered it feels as natural as the sea itself.
A rich reweaving of Circe’s story with threads from a number of other Greek legends pulled expertly together into a spell-binding book. How very appropriate for a witch.
It did take me a while to get into the story, but when I looked back at the end, not an incident – even from her childhood – was wasted. Everything was poured into making Circe the woman she became; everything fitted, nothing jarred. An absolute masterclass in building a character.
And indeed, in building worlds. Worlds of faraway and long ago, inhabited by gods and mortals, and creatures somewhere between the two. Once I was past the initial chapters I became totally immersed in the story, even when it was so brutal I did not want to be. Story-telling at its best.
The Socialite Spy by Sarah Sigal
The sense of place and time in this book was wonderful and I was transported back to the highest echelons of society in 1930s London, which was at times far darker than I might have imagined.
Fashion journalist and socialite Lady Pamela More finds herself drawn into the world of espionage as she is asked to report back on Wallis Simpson and her circle, in particular any fascist sympathies she might have. The historical characters including Simpson, the King and the obnoxious Moseley are blended seamlessly with fictional ones, and as Lady Pamela becomes more immersed in their world the plot stretches and thickens and, in the best tradition of Le Carre et al, it becomes hard to know who to trust.
My only issue with this book is that the personal story of Lady P’s childlessness seemed superfluous to the main plot, and sat rather strangely alongside it. The spy story was quite enthralling enough on its own.
No 23 Burlington Square by Jenni Keer
Such a great premise for a book; a sliding doors-type story based on which prospective tenant sentimental yet wise Agnes Humphries will choose. Perhaps in will be her troublesome niece, Clara. Or the very respectable Mr Thomson, or even shy Mercy Mayweather who lost her husband in the war.
Set in 1927, the book is structured to take each scenario in turn, and for me Clara’s story took a tad too long to reach her turning point. Once it did I was certainly more invested in the characters’ individual tales and the way they twist together with the existing residents of 23 Burlington Square – and eventually with each other.
The Perfect Golden Circle by Benjamin Myers
A beautifully crafted work of literature that pulled me in, night by night, and circle by circle. Many small stories of the lives of cornfields after dark, drawn together by a single summer in the lives of Calvert and Redbone, unlikely friends and co-conspirators with a single purpose.
This is a literary novel; don’t expect a fast paced plot or a satisfying ending. It’s one to savour during the journey. The descriptions that take you into the countryside at night; the interactions of the characters, the designs they create and the reasons for it. Four stars not five because of the retrospective preachiness as the book nears its end.
