BOOKWORMS AND VILLAINS

This week I'd like to share the book 'Christmas at The Secondhand Bookworm' which is the third in a series of six novels published so far on Amazon Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and in paperback. It makes for a lovely uplifting and enjoyable read over Christmas as we spend the week leading up to the Christmas celebrations in The Secondhand Bookworm, a three floored rambling labyrinth of a shop crammed full of books upon books upon books! Christmas at The Secondhand Bookworm is a delightful Christmas read, part of a growing series with familiar characters you'll grow to like and customers you'll love to dislike but can;t help like with all their eccentricities and crazy bookshop antics. In this book, Nora Jolly meets the Duke of Cole (a future regular) who has moved into his newly renovated castle and is out taking a secret stroll around Castletown which has been deluged by snow. A visit to The Secondhand Bookworm introduces him to Nora and a friendship grows o

Today (Friday 20th December 2019) my sister had her eye test in Specsavers so afterwards we walked down to Badgers Books, a secondhand bookshop in Worthing just off of Montegue Street. I was interested in buying some cheap old books for mixed media collage canvases that I have been doing lately. I am now not immune to the smell of used books having not worked in a bookshop since 2012. I had become immune to it after ten years running a secondhand bookshop in Arundel (and Worthing and Chichester) but no, it was strong and familiar again like when I first started in my bookshop in 2002... Badgers Books is smaller than the bookshop I worked in and the one that features in my series of novels 'The Secondhand Bookworm'. It was easy to navigate and my sister said she loved the mess, with books piled up everywhere. I have to admit it would have driven me crazy, I like books really neat on shelves and none on the floor, but it was fun to have a look about. Being low on the

I have been working on some story-line improvements in the first TWO novels in my bookworm series over the past few weeks and hope to have the updated versions ready and available to READ within the next couple of weeks. The Secondhand Bookworm and Nora and The Secondhand Bookworm were first written over ten years ago as a compilation of stories and experiences working in a bookshop for ten years, written and privately published for my work colleagues. I made them available on AMAZON KINDLE a few years back and have been enjoying extending and continuing the series into SIX so far, with more to come. I haven't been COMPLETELY happy with the first two because they do lack gripping story arcs even though they are a fun, enjoyable read, and because I have had a bit of a break working on my bookshop series and wanted to read through them to refresh my memory, I decided to add some wonderful twists and turns and gripping story-lines to make them more of a fabulous introducti

THIS WEEKEND I am making available my novel 'Summer at The Secondhand Bookworm' which is book 4 in my series of happy, funny novels set in an English bookshop FREE to download through Amazon Kindle. The novels are based upon my ten years experience running three antiquarian and secondhand bookshops in Sussex, England, primarily the branch in Arundel, West Sussex until 2012. 'Summer at The Secondhand Bookworm' naturally includes a wry look at running a bookshop during the summer season with plenty of mishaps and book-related sub-plots. Have you ever attended the Festival of Flowers? Have you been on the Gallery Trail in Arundel? Ever been up to the castle or, of course, into the bookshop in the town below? This book can be enjoyed as a stand alone novel and could serve as a taster for the series of which I currently have 6 in publication. The book will be available to download from free until Monday at midnight, worldwide through Amazon. Here's the blurb

I first wrote 'House of Villains' twenty years ago (or more) when I started writing for fun. THIS WEEKEND I shall be making the novel available to purchase and download FOR FREE - Friday June 28th - Monday July 1st. Romance without the sex scenes. Violence without the glorification. Neat Catholic elements (miraculous medals, Confession, old recusant shrines and more) Gorgeous English houses and locations. Can it still be an epic thriller? Try it out and see. Something different to try on Amazon Kindle: bookmark the page and download it this weekend. Fun to write, possibly fun to read.... Supporting Indi-Authors: KINDLE

Part of my writing hobby as an indie author of The Secondhand Bookworm series of novels is planning and designing future books. I am currently (June 2019) writing book 7 - Book Club at The Secondhand Bookworm - with several more to follow. While they are easy to write (and an easy fun read) I am really impatient about getting them done once I've planned the content and designed the cover. I love having them in paperback (Amazon does a stunning job in paperback production) and like to line them up on my bookshelf. I also love to read them through myself. Here are some of the titles coming soon to enjoy in The Secondhand Bookworm series. Books 1-6 are available to read now through Amazon on kindle, kindleunlimited and paperback. Here's a sneak preview of the following three - I shall blog about more soon! Book 8 is called Valentine's Day at The Secondhand Bookworm. Yes, it set during the week leading up to and including Valentine's Day so there is romance in

This is the lovely uniform I wore in the magnificent Kim's bookshop where I helped to run two-three antiquarian and secondhand bookshops in Sussex, England for ten years (the uniform endeavour only lased a year). Although I am no longer in the book trade business (I'm in the film production business now) I enjoy writing a series of novels loosely based upon my experiences there under the series 'The Secondhand Bookworm' available worldwide through Amazon kindle, kindleunlimited and in paperback. I introduced uniforms in the series in the last couple of books. First we started out with hideous bright t-shirts. Fortunately the managerial staff (me included) were able to upgrade to nice blouses, but we soon all got fed up with them. So I have included this in the novels. We had fleeces too (you can see one hanging up in the background) and they remained for emergencies when the door was left open (which happened a lot). It's June and I'm working on book

The Secondhand Bookworm novels are a series of lighthearted, amusing reads set in a rambling and rather eccentric used and antiquarian bookshop on the south coast of England. Based around Nora Jolly and her (sometimes crazy) co-workers, in each novel we spend a week in the bookshop with excursions to various houses in the little bookshop van where anything and everything relating to the world of buying and selling books can and does happen! Kick-starting the series is 'The Secondhand Bookworm' where we are introduced to Nora, her co-workers, friends and large array of new and regular customers; as well as the three story bookshop that contains over 27,000 books in shelves, cases, piled upon floors and even filling the attic room of the rickety old Tudor building. With chapter headings including 'Pretty Shoes', 'A Room with a Tree' and 'Concerning Ravens', Nora Jolly spends a week in this first book battling torrential rain that floods into the fro

I've been reading through the text I have written so far for my seventh novel in The Secondhand Bookworm series of books (kindle and paperback) and have been laughing away to myself. I thought I would share this snippet from chapter three 'The Almost Shortest Day' as a sneak preview. Here goes: Coming soon - book 7 in the series The door opened and a burly man appeared in the doorway. He wore a cap and a trench coat. “Excuse me! The antique centre’s closed. What’s up with that?” “Oh. Yes the owner’s gone to China for Christmas with his girlfriend.” Nora explained apologetically. Amy looked interested. “I’ve got some guns for sale!” The man hollered and held them up like an American gunslinger. Nora dove behind the counter. “They ain’t loaded.” The man said, offended. Amy was laughing loudly. “You numpty.” She told Nora, taking her arm and hoisting her up. “I don’t like guns.” Nora said. “When’s it open again?” The gunslinger asked. “I’m not su

I am keen to get back into my The Secondhand Bookworm series of novels set in an English bookshop and based upon ten years of my experience running and managing three used and secondhand bookshops on the south coast of England. This series of novels is an uplifting, amusing, pleasant read with 'Book Club at The Secondhand Bookworm' set to be the seventh installment. I have been writing this on and off over the past six month with numerous delays due to film production work and other projects but hope to have it available on Amazon kindle and to read for free with Kindle Unlimited soon. Check back for updates!

Millionairess: the new and addictive gorgeously epic edge of your seat romance thriller Kindle Edition is now available to download and read. Here's the blurb: What would you do if you caught the eye of a wealthy psychopath? Unworldly and innocent, Rachel Guardarsi is a woman who has it all; beauty, admirers, a lavish estate, loyal bodyguards, a dedicated chauffeur, devoted servants, an expensive wardrobe, stunning mansion house, an influential best friend, a gorgeous would-be lover, an unwavering strong faith, kindhearted yet willful nature, a perfect figure, eyes that stop the heart of every man and an imminent inheritance of millions. However. Her father is an elite killer, head of a ruthless billion pound criminal empire, her brothers are violent, controlling and unreasonable, her would-be lover Sean has been missing for three years and Rachel has lived as a virtual prisoner under the constant guard of her father's villainous men in her magnificent home. B

I have been taking a break from my 'The Secondhand Bookworm' series of novels to write under one of my pen names and release two new novels this year. In addition I have decided to give one of my early books, the first in a series, a fresh new revamp. Originally published under the title 'House of Villains' in 2017 (with little to no response), I have set about attempting to revamp it this Bank Holiday weekend. Publication on kindle and kindle unlimited is currently in review. It can take up to three days sometimes for approval and publication so fingers crossed it will be available soon, if only for my own satisfaction. I intend to retire 'House of Villains' from publication and present the series afresh as I set about working on the second novel in this vein. My pen name for this epic romantic thriller series (written in a more lavish, detailed and epic-like style than my humorous easy reading 'The Secondhand Bookworm' series) is: Erica Stonebank

Six bookshop novels available to read Summer is drawing near and book 4 in The Secondhand Bookworm series of novels is a great read for the season. I dedicated this novel to Jason Hill who was a work colleague of mine for several years back in the early-mid 2000's. We worked together in the bookshops I helped to run for ten years in Sussex and I have a lot of fond memories of him. The Secondhand Bookworm novels in paperback Jason was killed last year with his brother and friends when their helicopter crashed at the Grand Canyon. I was shocked and saddened. I had already been writing memories of him at the time in book three and planned to especially recapture numerous events and experiences we had in book 4. I worked with Jason especially over the summer in the bookshops, so it was bittersweet to write 'Summer at The Secondhand Bookworm' and a day spent with him. I love this book, it's funny, interesting and a great read - a week spent in a secondhand bo

Like epic crime and romance stories set in lavish English locations? Here's a book trailer available NOW to watch on my personal youtube channel but also embedded here in this blog post. It's for my first published novel 'House of Villains' which was released in 2017. A large epic story that kick starts a series (I have been dipping in and out of writing the second novel over the past few years) once you get into the story it's an enticing, absorbing and a satisfying read. Available on Kindle, Kindleunlimited and in paperback (almost six hundred pages) it's a good choice if you are looking for something different and new to try out. If you like to read epic stories packed with stunning locations, ruthless villains, murder, mystery, betrayals and bullets, with a sprinkling of romance and humour and plenty of suspense, House of Villains kick starts an epic new series of novels to keep you gripped and guessing. Rachel is the daughter of Signor

And here is Evangeline...she has a story to tell...what is she carrying in her hand, what is the circle, as she walks out from among the branches? She found it in the forest as she was taking her walk in her dress of lace. Her heart is warm and full of dreams. She loves to share them as she gazes silently from between the trees, while memories of balloon rides (she likes to take them with the mad professor, and drops the sand bags over the side, he allows her to do that) float about her and little circles of glittery silver drift out from the trees too. Her hair is white and...she likes to think...full, like armfuls of clouds or soft white lambs fleece, and sometimes it glitters (those are her dreams and wishes too). Her dress is made of paper, crumpled like the horns of cows or magical beings that wander in and out of her daydreams. Pink is her favourite colour, she finds it helps her make up stories to tell the professor (so she told me). Evangeline is almost

I admit that it's easier to pick up a thriller or crime novel these days so as to keep your mind engrossed and gripped in a gritty, dark, heart-pounding story, rather than to embark upon a gentle, lighthearted read. While I love to write psychological thrillers under a pen name, I really enjoy writing my The Secondhand Bookworm series for the setting, the humour (the sprinkling of friendships and romance) and an unfolding week spent among every sort of book imaginable (within reason...) I am currently writing book 7 in the series but it's slow going because work is currently manic and I have a lot of projects underway. However, I do like to pop into The Secondhand Bookworm occasionally for a re-read and a little more writing. So far there are six completed novels in the series all available on Amazon Kindle and free with Kindle Unlimited. They can be read in sequence or stand alone, and they're perfect for a nice, amusing uplifting few hours at a time. So far I h

I really enjoyed making book three in my bookshop series of indie-novels available to purchase for free this past weekend (8th, 9th and 10th of February) through Amazon. I love self-publishing through Amazon and have had an amazing response about The Secondhand Bookworm series over the past year and a half that I have had them available on Amazon (paperback too). I checked back on my sales reports this morning and was so pleased to see that 31 people had downloaded the free copy of Christmas at The Secondhand Bookworm. I wanted to make it available for people to try out and see if it's a series they would enjoy. I really enjoy writing it, love my characters and settings and have several more to come! I hope it will kick start a few people to read them all. I have them as low priced as possible to purchase at £1.99 each, the lowest you can have your kindle books for sale on Amazon. All monies go into my film production apostolate that I run with my sister to purchase costumes

I have completed updating all six volumes (so far) in my bookshop series of novels - The Secondhand Bookworm - which are set in an eccentric English used and antiquarian bookshop in the fictional county of Cole on the South Coast of England. I originally began my series a decade ago for my work colleagues based upon our daily book-selling adventures. The series has grown and I am presently writing book 7 (Book Club at The Secondhand Bookworm). To celebrate refreshing and updating the series (see previous post for more details) I have organised to make one of the books available to purchase for free on Kindle between Friday 8th February to Sunday 10th February. I have chosen 'Christmas at The Secondhand Bookworm' for this promotion. Although not my favourite in the series (because I really love my Halloween (book 5) and Black Friday (book 6) installments), I do absolutely love re-reading this. Its set during a very snowy week in the town and one of my now current regulars

This week, to kick off February 2019, I shall be uploading NEW second editions of my six books in my 'The Secondhand Bookworm' series. After a lot of thought I decided to go for it and change the title of one of my main characters. The Duke of Sussex was written about ten years ago into my bookworm series of novels (loosely based upon my ten years of book-selling) and since the Queen bestowed the title upon Prince Harry it has ruined my hobby writing and fantasy. So I have taken the plunge and gone through all six of my novels to replace the Duke of Sussex with the Duke of Cole. Why 'Cole'? The County of Cole on the south coast of England doesn't exist in real life. But it now exists in my novels. And it has actually lifted my series up in my mind into a better place. Castletown is situated in Cole and the Duke of Cole is gradually introduced, moves into his newly built castle and becomes a regular in the series. I actually worked on the history/legend of

I have been working on a couple of film scripts the past few weeks, charging the many batteries for Mary's Dowry Productions' little faithful cameras as we prepare to start filming in a few weeks for some DVDs,  but I am back reading through the chapters I have written so far on my latest novel, book 7 in my bookshop series, titled 'Book Club at The Secondhand Bookworm'. Trusty cameras about Arundel for Mary's Dowry Productions My cousin phoned me earlier while I was sitting up here in my attic room, listening to the rain on my three slanting roof windows while writing and reading, to give me some bookshop news. He has been filling my shoes for the past 6 years as manager of the bookshop where I worked, and so after a chat, and some new book-selling stories he has given me for my writing (always amusing), my sister and I were chatting over a cup of tea downstairs about the bookshop. I said to my sister, 'do you remember we went to London about ten years ag

Thirteen at dinner - Chapter Five of Book 7 So I am now on chapter five of 'Book Club at The Secondhand Bookworm' (as of 3rd January 2019) which I have titled 'Thirteen at dinner'. It's the chapter before the third Book Club meeting in the front room of The Secondhand Bookworm and Nora's anxious when another member's down to join that evening. The chairs used in the meetings are from her brother's theater and were used in the Agatha Christie play 'Lord Edgware Dies' which is alternatively titled 'Thirteen at Dinner'. This second title, used on American editions of the novel, arises from a superstition that sitting down thirteen to dinner means bad luck to the person who first leaves the table. Although the Book Club members aren't actually sitting down to dinner, they break for sandwiches, tea and cake in the middle of each meeting. Naturally, in chapter six, when the Book Club meeting commences, Nora is going to be ve