Blog Tour: The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club by Chrissie Manby, Q & A and Review

The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club by Chrissie Manby

Published: 21st September 2017

Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks

Pages: 384

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Pre-Order now from Amazon

Rating 5/5

Today I am super excited to be welcoming one of my favourite authors to the blog Chrissie Manby. Thank you so much Chrissie for taking the time to answer some of my questions about her writing and in particular her latest novel The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club.  So please enjoy this first stop on the blog tour for The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club and make sure you follow along with the other stops all week. 

Q & A with Chrissie Manby

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to become a writer?

What inspired me to become a writer?  Failing at becoming anything else!  Growing up in Gloucester, what I wanted to be was a fashion designer.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get much support for that career plan so I went off to Oxford to study Experimental Psychology instead, with a view to becoming a clinical psychologist.  I dropped off that career pathway when I got a 2:2, which meant I couldn’t get onto a graduate training course.  In a moment of desperation, I moved to London and became a temp.  I got a temp job at an audio book company, which is where I met science fiction writer David Garnett.  He dared me to write a novel (I’d already written and published several short stories). I took the dare up.  He passed my manuscript to his editor. She liked it.  And the rest is history!

The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club is your seventeenth ( I think) book, is it difficult to keep coming up with new ideas for books after so many?

It’s actually my twenty-second book as Chris / Chrissie Manby and my thirty-sixth book overall (I think!).  I also write as Stephanie Ash, Stella Knightley and Olivia Darling.  Coming up with ideas isn’t a problem for me (obviously).  Seeing them through to the end sometimes is. I am always suspicious of people who can’t come up with at least ten book ideas in a day.  It suggests to me that they’re really not engaged with the world around them.  Ideas are everywhere and if you’re going to be a novelist, you better learn how to spot them.

Can you sum up The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club in one sentence?

Three strangers, hopeless both in and out of the kitchen, find friendship and happiness through a beginners’ cookery class.

What was your inspiration for writing The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club?

Well, not cooking.  I’m a totally terrible cook and have very little interest in becoming a better one.  I was inspired more by all those smug healthy eating blogs in which twenty-two year olds bang on about their ‘journeys’ and call a slice of apple with a blob of peanut butter on it a ‘recipe’. They make me howl.  At twenty-two, you could live off chips and Tizer and still look like a goddess.  They should all sod off and come back when they’ve hit the perimenopause, then tell us about the healing powers of kale.

Liz, John and Bella are very different characters, which was your favourite and why?

Liz is my favourite because she gets all the laughs.  I love writing mad-cap funny characters.

How did you want readers to feel after reading The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club?

Inspired to post a five star review on Amazon? J

What can we expect to see from you next?

More Newbay (my made-up Devon town), more laughter, more cooking (totally made up. Do not try any of my recipes at home).

Who are some of your favourite authors?

I will read anything by Lucy Dillon, Juliet Ashton, Michele Gorman, Fiona Walker, Rebecca Chance and Alexandra Potter.  Also Anne Tyler, Carl Hiaasen and Michelle Lovric. Oh, and Alex Marwood writes amazing thrillers.

Which three books have you enjoyed reading the most so far this year?

Juliet Ashton’s The Woman at Number 24 was smashing.  We read it at my book club.  Everybody adored it! I’ve also enjoyed rereading Michelle Lovric’s Carnevale, which is set in the Venice of Casanova and Byron. It’s a huge book but every page just sings.  And last week I devoured The Other Woman by Laura Wilson, which is the cleverest, funniest thriller I’ve read in years.

How do you intend to celebrate publication day?

By working. Unless someone buys me a bottle of champagne. Hint hint!

Describe your writing process?

What a terrible question. Worse than ‘how long is a piece of string’.  It’s impossible to describe my writing process except to say that I plot really carefully, I work out how long I’ve got until my deadline, then I set myself a word count and stick to it.

What advice would you give to anyone wishing to pursue a writing career?

Write. Too many would-be writers spend more time worrying about how to get an agent than actually finishing their first book.  Having a whole manuscript ready to go puts you at a huge head start when it comes to getting an agent anyway.

Quick fire questions:

Tea of Coffee? Tea.

Sweet or Savoury? Both.

Cosy fires or summer sun? Both.

High heel or flats? Flat. Though I wish I could wear heels.

Drive or be driven? Drive. Definitely. Hate being a passenger.

Blurb

In the quaint seaside town of Newbay, a beginner's cookery course is starting. And three very different students have signed up...
Liz's husband has left her for a twenty-something clean-eating blogger, and she's determined to show the world - and her daughter - she's just as capable in the kitchen. John, newly widowed after fifty years of marriage, can't live on sympathy lasagnes forever. To thirty-year-old workaholic Bella, the course is a welcome escape from her high-pressure job. Their only common ground: between them, they can barely boil an egg!
Enter talented chef Alex, who is determined to introduce his pupils to the comforts of cuisine. As Liz, John and Bella encounter various disasters in the kitchen, the unlikely trio soon form a fast friendship. Their culinary skills might be catastrophic - but could the cookery club have given them a recipe for happiness?

Review

The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club is the latest novel by Chrissie Manby and features four people brought together at a cookery course run by chef Alex. Liz has joined the course after daughter Saskia has started has started taking more interest in the food cooked by Brittany, her husband’s new girlfriend who is a health food blogger rather than the luxury ready meals Liz dishes up. Bella has joined up to reignite her passion for cooking which has been lost since her father died and John has joined as he’s getting sick of not being able to fend for himself after his beloved wife Sonia has died. Throughout the six week course the three become friends along with Alex and all begin to deal with problems they’ve been hiding from.

The characters in this book are a little stereotypical but I think the way Chrissie Manby has added comedy to this novel makes the characters work perfectly together. Liz is your typical working mum in her late forties who’s having trouble with her philandering husband Ian and difficult teenager Saskia. Saskia seems to have started idolising Ian’s new girlfriend Brittany, deciding to be a vegetarian and turning her nose up at everything processed that Liz tries to feed her. Poor Liz, despite trying her best for her family she never seems to get it right and more than one cooking experience ends in disaster. My favourite moment involving Liz was the processed meat incident which had me in hysterics and still makes me smile when I think of it, I would so love to have been a guest in the hotel watching the whole scene. I also loved the inclusion of the Waggy Weight Loss club for Liz’s poor dog Ted, the rivalry at the meetings reminded me so much of weight loss groups I’ve attended for myself, brilliant fun to read about.

Liz was by far my favourite character in the book, both Bella and John seem to have more serious less chaotic lives. Bella has joined the cookery club to regain the passion she once had for food and despite numerous interruptions from her work as a duty solicitor, her love for food isn’t the only thing that gets reignited. It’s not long before Bella has decided to make some big changes in her life.  Even John has a little secret which he’s been keeping which added a little mystery to the book.

I loved everything about this book, it has a little romance, a little mystery, and great insights into family dynamics but most of all its hilarious. It’s Chrissie Manby at her absolute best and is the funniest book I’ve read all year. Thank you so much to Hodder and Netgalley for sending me a copy to review and inviting me to be part of the blog tour for The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club. Thank you also to Chrissie Manby for taking time to answer my questions, I can’t wait to read your next book.

Blog Tour: Blood Sister, Q & A with Dreda Say Mitchell and Review

Blood Sister by Dreda Say Mitchell

Published: 11th August 2016

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Pages: 458

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 4/5

Today it's my stop on the Blood Sister tour and I'd like to welcome Dreda and thank her for taking time to answer a few of my questions:

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to become a writer?

I’m an east End girl who grew up on a Council estate. My family came over to Britain from the Caribbean island of Grenada in the 1960s. I was a chambermaid and waitress before realizing my dream of becoming a teacher. I got the writing bug from coming from a family who loved telling stories and I visiting Whitechapel Library as a child. It was years later that I decided to write my first book about a character that wanted to get out of the underworld. The East End was in my blood, so I decided to write about it.

Blood Sister is part of a new trilogy, how does it differ from your previous book

It’s similar and different to my past books. My Gangland Girl series is set in East London’s badlands, but they are very much very fast paced thrillers whereas my new Flesh and Blood Trilogy still thrills, but it spends more time getting to know the characters lives and relationships. Then I went on to write a series of thrillers about a black, female cop – I adore DI Rio Wray – which are fast paced, but also police procedurals.

Can you sum up Blood Sister in one sentence?

Women behaving very badly!

 What was your inspiration for writing Blood Sister?

I was inspired by the strong and independent women I knew and grew up with on the East London housing estate I lived on. My estate was filled with people who just wanted to make a good life for themselves and their families but there was also a lot of ducking and diving going on and it’s that which interests me. So Blood Sister, the first in the Flesh and Blood Trilogy, is about two sisters, who want to get off their estate, but they both try to do it in different ways. Jen wants to settle down with the perfect man and Tiff wants the good life of the criminal underworld. And then they meet a tough and ruthless woman called Dee…That’s when the crime hits the fan!

Jen, Tiffany and Dee are all strong women, which was your favourite character in the book and why?

I can’t help but love a bad girl, so it’s Dee. She so fierce and determined to rise to the top of the criminal world, but at the same time she’s generous and so vulnerable because of her childhood. A big thing for me is writing about flawed and troubled characters because I think that reflects much of the world I see around me. 

How did you want readers to feel after reading Blood Sister?

Super excited and rearing to read the next book in the trilogy. I want my readers to feel entertained, engaged with the characters, shocked at the twists and turns, but also hope it gets readers reflecting on their own lives.

What can we expect to see from you next?

The next book in the trilogy, Blood Mother, which is out February 2017 and then the last installment, Blood Daughter, out later that year. Blood Mother takes the story right back to 1972.

Who are some of your favourite authors?

Lee Child, Martina Cole, Gillian Flynn and Alice Walker.

Which three books have you enjoyed reading the most so far this year?

Darktown by Thomas Mullen. This hasn’t come out here yet so I was honoured to get a sneak peek.

The unseeing by Anna Mazzola

Cut To The Bone by Alex Caan.

The last two are gripping books by debut authors. Must reads!

How do you intend to celebrate publication day?

Chillin’ out! And spreading the word.

Describe your writing process?

I’m a plotter so I spend a good amount of time plotting before committing to the page and shape who my lead characters are. This means that I don’t face the blank page syndrome when I start writing.

I also have a very structured writing page, so I’m an early bird and will keep writing, usually two scenes, which is around 3,000 words. This means I can write a novel pretty quickly.

What advice would you give to anyone wishing to pursue a writing career?

Go for it! I started mine when I was well into my thirties after working in education for many years; so it’s never too late. I joined a writing group, so this may be the way to kickstart your career. Or you may the Lone Ranger type who prefers to do it alone. Whatever you decide, do it now!

Quick fire questions:

Tea of Coffee? Herbal tea. Love Matcha green tea

Sweet or Savoury? Sweet, but no gluten please!

Cosy fires or summer sun? Both.

High heel or flats? Flats

Drive or be driven? Driven, in more ways than one.

Blurb

There are two ways out of Essex Lane Estate, better known as The Devil. You make good, or you turn bad.
Jen Miller is determined not to make the same mistakes her mother did. She's waiting to find herself a good job and a decent man.
Her younger sister Tiff is running errands for a gangster and looking for any opportunity for fun and profit. But she might just be in over her head...
The choices you make and the plans you have don't always turn out like you expect. Especially if you live on The Devil's Estate. When their paths cross with the unstoppable Dee - a woman with her own agenda - Jen and Tiff will learn that lesson the hard way.
At least they can rely on each other.
Can't they?

Review
Blood Sister is the first book in Dreda Say Mitchell’s new trilogy Flesh and Blood which follows one family from the Essex Lane Estate over forty years. This was the first book that I’ve read by Dreda Say Mitchell and I’m hooked already on her writing and cannot wait till Blood Mother is out next year.

Blood Sister focuses on the Miller sister Jen and Tiffany.  Jennifer is studying at art collage and longs to be a fashion designer and make it out of Devil’s Estate where they live, hopefully on the arm of her prince charming. Tiffany at sixteen is a bored teenager who goes looking for trouble to get her kicks, this time she’s taken on the job as a run around for a big-time gangster and it’s not long before Tiff realises she might be in deeper than she can handle.

Across town Dee Clark is working on making herself indispensable to John Black, nightclub owner and hot shot gangster on the verge of making it big. Dee is a woman who gets what she wants and this time she wants a ring on her finger and a massive fortune to go with it and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

When these three find themselves mixed up with the wrong kind of men will they be able to get out without any bloodshed and will their lives lead them down the path towards their dreams?

Blood Sister is a novel which is based on the criminal underworld of East End London, something I don’t really know much about so I found it enthralling at times. The novel is split into two parts the first in 1993, the second ten years later in 2003. Honestly I found the first half of this novel much more intense as it dealt with the criminal comings and goings based around The Alley Club and John Black’s gangster ring, the second half of the book I didn’t find as believable but I did enjoy the twist at the end.

I loved that the stronger characters in this novel were the women and I found all three women interesting in their own ways. I liked Jen because she was determined to better herself and wasn’t going to settle for any old man to take her out. I did feel she was a little naive in certain situations and not quite as savvy as she would like people to believe. I liked Dee because she was scary and wouldn’t take any nonsense from anyone. I did feel she was strong enough to make her dreams come true on her own without the need for a man to provide for her, but maybe she just wanted to be loved. Tiffany was definitely my favourite character and I love how she changed over the course of the novel from a whiny teenager thinking she knows it all to someone who works hard for her dreams and knows how to make them happen on her own, even if it means not be completely honest all the time.

Blood Sister is a gripping and at times a violent novel which had me hooked from the start. I really enjoyed that there was a focus on the home lives of Jen and Tiff as for me it made the story more real. I’m looking forward to reading Blood Mother as I’m hoping it will tell us more about why the Millers and the Ingrams don’t get on.

If you’re a fan of Dreda’s previous novels then I’m sure you will this new book and if like me your new to her writing I’m convinced you will enjoy this as it was full of twists and turns right from the start and like me will be eagerly awaiting the next book.

Thank you so much to Hodder for inviting me to be part of this blog tour and for sending me a copy to review.

Release Day Round-Up #19

Welcome to a bumper release week, there is something for everyone this week:

A Home in Sunset Bay by Rebecca Pugh

Published: 9th February 2016

Publisher: Carina UK

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

There’s no place like home…

Enough is enough! The always perfect Laurie Chapman had jumped in her car and raced as fast as she could from London heading to Sunset Bay and (she hopes!) the open arms of her estranged sister…

Mia Chapman loves running Dolly’s Diner in the picture-perfect coastal Cornish town of Sunset Bay. Now that her and Grandma Dolly’s dream is finally a reality Mia has never been prouder! Until Laurie suddenly turns up on her doorstep… How can she forgive the sister who walked away?

Once upon a time Mia and Laurie were best friends. Back together after so long, the time has come for the sisters to figure out what went so wrong all those years ago – and whether they can ever put it right!

I love the sound of this book, I just love uncovering family mysteries. This is Rebecca's second novel, sadly I haven't yet read her first one Return to Bluebell Hill but its on my list. If her writing is anything like her lovely book reviews it will be a delight to read.

Time to Say Goodbye by S. D. Robertson

Published: 11th February 2016

Publisher: Avon

Pages: 352

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Is there ever a right time to let go?

HOW DO YOU LEAVE THE PERSON YOU LOVE THE MOST?

Will Curtis’s six-year-old daughter, Ella, knows her father will never leave her. After all, he promised her so when her mother died. And he’s going to do everything he can to keep his word.

What Will doesn’t know is that the promise he made to his little girl might be harder to keep than he imagined. When he’s faced with an impossible decision, Will finds that the most obvious choice might not be the right one.

But the future is full of unexpected surprises. And father and daughter are about to embark on an unforgettable journey together . . .

I just finished reading this last night and it was stunning. It has some incredibly heart-wrenching moments in it which will make you cry. I found it a very original read as I've not read anything like it before and it really made me think about  life in a new way. This is going to be one of those books that stays with you long after you've finished it as I know it will me. Thank you S. D. Robertson for such a wonderful book. This is a must-read 2016.

Song of the Sea Maid by Rebecca Mascull

Published: 11th February 2016

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Pages:  312

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

As a child living on the streets of London, then in an orphanage, Dawnay Price grows up determined not to let her background stand in the way of her ambitions.

In an era where women rarely travel alone, especially for scientific study, Dawnay sets sail aboard The Prospect to the beautiful Iberian Peninsula. Amid rumours of mermaids in the sparkling waters, she makes some unexpected discoveries, including what it means to fall in love.

Having fought hard against convention, Dawnay is determined to put her career above all else. Yet as war approaches she finds herself divided by feelings she cannot control. 

I'm about a third of the way through this book and so far I'm enjoying it. Dawney may be a character who has not had the best start in life but she is on a constant mission to improve herself and I love that. The writing is very detailed and delivers a real sense of place which is a joy to read. Looking forward to following Dawnay's journey more.

So that's my three favourites from this week, are you going to read any of them? Check out my release dates page for links to other books released this week.

The Love Dectective by Alexandra Potter

The Love Detective by Alexandra Potter

Published: 2nd January 2014

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Pages: 359

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Blurb

"People always ask me what kind of books I write and I guess you'd call them love stories, but I also think of them as mysteries. After all, what makes two people fall in love? I've written three novels on the topic and I'm still looking for the answers.

In a way, I'm a bit of a love detective. Because what's a greater mystery than love?"

Ruby Miller has lost her faith in love. In an effort to forget her cheating ex and clear her writer's block, she joins her sister for a week's holiday in India... and embarks on an extraordinary adventure.

Swept up on a magical mystery tour, amid silks and spices, palaces and weddings, Ruby investigates different stories of love lost and found.

But will a romance of her own remain always out of reach? Or can she find her happy ever after?

Review

Alexandra Potter is an author whose previous books I have loved, they are full of romance and quirky female characters that you just can’t help but fall for and they all seem to have that added bit of sparkle which makes them special. The Love Detective is the first book in a new series, but it can be read completely as a stand-alone novel.

Ruby Miller a romance writer who puts sparkle and romance into her novels. Until now, she’s just found out her fiancé has been cheating on her and Ruby’s faith in love has been lost. So when little sister Amy invites Ruby to join her out in Goa Ruby packs her bags and heads to India. All is perfect at the blissful beachside yoga resort until Amy goes missing, on the day they are both due home. Ruby being the protective sensible older sister embarks on a journey across India to find Amy and bring her home. What starts as a journey to find Amy turns into a journey for Ruby to find herself again among the magic of India.

I have to confess I did nearly give up on reading this book after a few chapters, I just wasn’t engaging in the story for some reason. It wasn’t until after around page 100 that I became hooked. I think initially the story seemed a little flat as Ruby was predominantly by herself and the dialogue with other characters was very minimal. However when Ruby meets Jack on the train something caught my interest and I couldn’t put his down.

I loved Ruby as a character, she’s full of romance ideals, more than a little clumsy and is fiercely loyal to her sister Amy, who I actually found quite self-absorbed.

I loved the chemistry between Ruby and Jack, initially they don’t hit it off and their conversations are mostly bickering it was easy to see the spark between them, they made for an enjoyable and funny read.

India has never really been a country which I’ve longed to visit, but through the writing I can sense it must be a really special place. Every place visited Ruby’s visit has been brought to life perfectly and I really felt a sense of the colours and aromas of the county, well done Ms Potter for capturing the essence of India so completely.

After a wonderful journey with many twists and turns Ms. Potter’s signature magical element helps to bring this story to the perfect, if not predictable ending. Fans of Alexandra’s previous books will adore this book as it has her same magical, romantic style. If your pick this up and struggle a bit with the beginning, please don’t put this book down as you will miss out on a wonderful story. I give this book 4/5.

Book Review - One Small Act of Kindness by Lucy Dillon

 

One Small Act of Kindness by Lucy Dillon

Published: 23rd April 2015

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Pages: 480

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

 

Blurb

What can you do to make the world a better place?

Libby helps a stranger, and transforms her life in the process.

Libby and her husband Jason have moved back to his hometown to turn the family B&B into a boutique hotel. They have left London behind and all the memories - good and bad - that went with it.

The injured woman Libby finds lying in the remote country road has lost her memory. She doesn't know why she came to be there, and no one seems to be looking for her.

When Libby offers to take her in, this one small act of kindness sets in motion a chain of events that will change many people's lives . . .

Review

After reading a couple of Lucy’s previous novels I was really excited to read her latest offering, One Small Act of Kindness and it’s just as good, if not better than what I was expecting.

Libby and her husband Jason have recently left London and returned to his hometown to turn his mother’s  ailing B & B into a small boutique hotel. On the surface these two seem happy but as the story unfolds memories from London come back to haunt them.

Pippa has been hit by a car outside Libby’s hotel, she has no recollection of her previous life or exactly what has brought her to the hotel.  Libby offers Pippa refuge in the hotel and slowly as these two women begin to make sense of their lives again, the lives of those around them begin to change.

I loved this book, the sense of mystery of Pippa’s previous life really had me hooked and I did find this side of the story more interesting than Libby’s. I was longing to find out why Pippa was at the hotel and as the story continued there were even more elements of mystery that I wanted answers to. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Libby, she was a lovely bubbly character, I just didn’t really like Jason and the way his mother worshiped him just annoyed me.

Another thing I loved was “Sir Bob” and the way Lucy has made him have a real presence in the book. I’m not a dog person at all but even I could have a soft spot for Bob and his droopy face longing for some bacon titbits.

The idea that one small act of kindness can change people’s lives is brilliant and I thought it worked so well with these characters. It was very uplifting to read about all the other people’s acts of kindness throughout the book and I think we should all take this idea into our own lives as who knows what might happen when we help someone.

I did feel the ending was a little rushed but think this could have been because this book ended far too soon for me, I was totally absorbed with the characters and was sad to let them go. Luckily for me I have Lucy’s previous novel A Hundred Pieces of Me to keep me going until she writes another brilliant book.

Fans of Lucy will adore this book and if you haven’t read anything by her then this is the perfect one to start with full of realistic warm characters, an intriguing sense of mystery and a story which will leave you feeling good about the world.

I would like to thank Hodder & Stoughton for sending me a review copy via bookbridgr and would rate this book 5/5.