A Countryside Christmas, Authorsoundrelations, Facebook, non-fiction, Rachel Brimble, Special offer, stress-busting

What’s On In January…

Eleven days into the new year, and I’ve just about managed to stick to my resolutions. How are you doing?

This month, I’m working on a non-fiction project that’s very close to my heart. I’m lucky enough to have lived in the countryside nearly all my life, but most people these days live in towns. The disconnect between living and working peacefully at our own pace and the frantic pace of city life is at the heart of a lot of the world’s problems.  The working title of my current Work In Progress, Country Into Town, gives you an idea what it’s about. It’s a year’s worth of  small, stress-busting changes anyone can make to their busy life. I’ve already written a short magazine article called A Countryside Christmas, ready for publication in December this year. How’s that for forward planning?

Today (11th January) I’m blogging for Rachel Brimble, and on 14th January, I’ll be blogging for authorsoundrelations in my usual monthly spot.

For news of a very special offer coming later this month, follow me on Facebook by liking my author page.

Rachel Brimble

Focus on…Rachel Brimble.

Today, the spotlight falls on Rachel Brimble who lives not far from where I grew up in the UK. Here’s the lowdown and an extract from her latest release, Paying The Piper…

Nightclub manager, Grace Butler is on a mission to buy the pub where her mother’s ashes are scattered – except the vendor wants to sell to anyone but her. And the vendor happens to be her father…with a secret Grace will do anything to uncover.
Social worker and all-round good guy, Jimmy Betts needs cash to buy a house for three special kids before their care home closes. In a desperate bid for cash, he agrees to a one-time ‘job’ for bad-man Karl Butler. But in a sudden turn of events, Jimmy finds himself employed by Karl’s beautiful, funny and incredibly sexy daughter, Grace.
Their lives are so different except for one unifying thread – they are both trying to escape the binds of their tyrannical fathers. But is the key to their liberty each other?

Grace’s mouth dropped open and stayed open.
He was huge. Huge and muscular, tall and strong. The saliva drained from her mouth, forcing her to snap her jaw shut so she could swallow. She felt her eyes expand in awed fascination as he stepped out from under the cover of chairs, crates and crap to stand in front of her. She met his gaze.
He held out a hand and nodded in the direction of the teenager who now stood behind him smiling like a demented clown. “Sorry about Billy. He can be a cheeky son of a gun sometimes. I’m Jimmy. Jimmy Betts.”
His voice was deep and rich. Warm and smooth. Grace blinked, licked dry lips and tentatively slid her palm against his. It was hot–in a nice way. Not in a clammy “I’ve-just-had-that-down-my-pants-hot,” more…open fire in a log cabin kind of hot.
She snatched her hand away, snapping her brain back into gear despite the fact her nipples now tingled. These two were trespassing. They had no right. “What are you–”
“Doing rummaging around in your rubbish?” The Adonis smiled.
She smiled back. She couldn’t help it–much to her irritation. His boyish grin kicked her in the stomach and sent her heart ricocheting to the back of her throat. His thick, black hair shone beneath the overhead lights, and even in the semi-darkness, his eyes glinted blue like cut Bristol glass.
“Exactly.” She nodded, not trusting herself to use full sentences. Her physical reaction to him was terrifying. Since when had Grace Butler wanted to grab a man’s face and mash it between her breasts?
He turned away and gripped his companion’s collar. “Billy and I come here from time to time to see if we can pick up a bargain or two. Say hello to Miss Butler, Billy.”
Her gaze shot from Billy back to Jimmy. “How do you know my name?”
He grinned. “What can I say? I read the occasional gossip magazine. You’re Grace Butler, daughter of the Great Karl Butler, and future heir to the infamous Butler Empire.”

Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. Having always believed there’s someone for everyone, Rachel started writing her own tales of love once her children were at school. Since then, she’s had several books published with The Wild Rose Press, Eternal Press and Lyrical Press. She has recently acquired a US agent with her second Victorian historical. A member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, Rachel cannot imagine her life without romance or writing!
When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. And in the evening? Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is never, ever refused…
Thanks for sharing, Rachel!
You can find out more about Rachel and her work from: 
www.rachelbrimble.com
www.rachelbrimble.blogspot.com  and
www.twitter.com/rachelbrimble