Update as stress levels soar.

Stress levels are rising steadily over the last few days of October. Soon the first of November will be here and that means #NaNoWriMo aka #nanowrimo2018 is due to start.
Although my project for this is fully outlined and the prospect of starting this project does not scare me nor stress me out, the fact that I want to finish the first draft of 'Growing Love' before November does.
This sixth book in the 'Friends, family and love' series is progressing slower than I had hoped. The words flow from my fingers quite easily, that is not the problem. The problem is, more words emerge than I would expect and the chapters are longer than I anticipated. The grand total of words at the moment stands at 105411 and I'm nowhere near finished. Another 10 chapters are waiting to be written before the book is completed, well the first draft. Is that possible to do in the remaining days of October? I have no idea. Only today and tomorrow are left and I will need to see how fast those chapters flow from my fingers onto the screen.
Perhaps it doesn't help that the draft edit happens as I go along. In other words, I write the scenes in yWriter 6, copy and paste them to ProWritingAid and tidy them up, then double check in HemingWay Editor before copy and pasting them back to yWriter 6. Grammarly also checks at the same time. At the moment I'm averaging around 7000 words and 2-3 chapters a day. This does not bode well for completing the first draft in time and it seems likely that I'll have to work on both projects at the same time.
Perhaps at least doing one chapter of 'Growing Love' daily and two chapters of the project for November each day. It will be hard work, but I'm sure I'll love it.

In case you need a reminder, here are the covers of the books I'm talking about.

 


And here is a little excerpt from the first draft of 'Growing Love', hope you'll like it.

Right at that time, a doctor and a nurse entered the room, “Morning everyone, hope you are all doing well.” The doctor looked around the room, “There seems to be one patient too many in here, one of the wrong gender.” He raised his eyebrows at Joshua.
The nurse shuffled her feet a little, “Sorry doctor, I allowed this gentleman to come in for a short period this morning to check in on his girlfriend before he needs to go to work.”
A smile appeared on his face, “Don’t worry nurse, I’m only pulling your leg. Let’s get started with the ward round, shall we?” Then they walked to the other two patients in succession first.
After a few minutes, the doctor came to my bed, “Morning Freya, how are you this morning?”
“Doing okay, thank you. When can I go home?”
He raised his eyebrows, “One step at a time, young lady.” He turned towards the nurse, “Can I have a look at this lady’s charts, please?”
The nurse handed the clipboard at the end of the bed to the doctor and he leafed through the details, making noises as he did. “Okay, this appears okay. Blood pressure normal, temperature normal, pulse normal as well. Ah, not drinking much yet, I notice,” he turned towards me, “Have you tried to drink some fluids? Or eat something?”
When I told him I had tried a little, he nodded, “That is great. Only little bits, but keep trying. Once you are able to keep your fluids down and are hardly sick any longer, we can consider letting you go home again. At the moment, I would suggest continuing as we are for now.” He turned towards the nurse again, “Can you arrange an ultrasound so we can check on the pregnancy and confirm how far along this young lady is? Thanks.” 
The doctor and nurse left and Joshua and I were alone at the bed again.

Love, 

Joni

Book Review: The Beauty Shop by Suzy Henderson

Book Review

Basic Details:

Book Title: The Beauty Shop

Subtitle:

Author: Suzy Henderson

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, History

Part of a series? No

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series? No

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32549885-the-beauty-shop

Overall score:

I scored this book 5/5

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

This book tells the story of the brilliant plastic surgeon, Sir Archibald MacIndoe, who treated severely burned Airman during the second World War in England. This work of fiction is strongly based in the real history of this New Zealand surgeon. It also follows John ‘Mac’ MacKenzie, an American pilot and Stella Charlton, an English WAAF recruit. This book is a lovely mix of stories from history, fiction and romance.

What I liked about the book:

I particularly liked the detail in the description of the surgical skill and the romance developing. Further the details of the missions the pilots went on and the feelings they went through were such that I felt I was there with them at times.

What I didn’t like about the book:

I liked this book in its entirety and there is not one thing I did not like about it.

My favourite bits in the book:

I loved where Stella persisted in her attempts to bring Mac around to accepting their love after his horrendous injuries. The tenacity with which Mac worked towards his recovery was also admirable. I also enjoyed the way the author included an epilogue detailing occurrences years after the book ended.

My least favourite bits in the book:

The book was great in its entirety and there were no points that I disliked.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

I understand that this was a stand-alone book.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This book reminded me of Soldier of Orange, Oorlogs Winter (a Dutch book about the war and resistance in The Netherlands) and some other books relating the Second World War. This book was at least on par with those books.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

Children	No
Young Adult	Possibly
Adult	Yes

If you like Historical Fiction, Romance or History this book is the book for you.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Book Description by Author:

England, 1942. After three years of WWII, Britain is showing the scars. But in this darkest of days, three lives intertwine, changing their destinies and those of many more.

Dr Archibald McIndoe, a New Zealand plastic surgeon with unorthodox methods, is on a mission to treat and rehabilitate badly burned airmen – their bodies and souls. With the camaraderie and support of the Guinea Pig Club, his boys battle to overcome disfigurement, pain, and prejudice to learn to live again.

John ‘Mac’ Mackenzie of the US Air Force is aware of the odds. He has one chance in five of surviving the war. Flying bombing missions through hell and back, he’s fighting more than the Luftwaffe. Fear and doubt stalk him on the ground and in the air, and he’s torn between his duty and his conscience.

Shy, decent and sensible Stella Charlton’s future seems certain until war breaks out. As a new recruit to the WAAF, she meets an American pilot on New Year’s Eve. After just one dance, she falls head over heels for the handsome airman. But when he survives a crash, she realises her own battle has only just begun.

Based on a true story, "The Beauty Shop" is a moving tale of love, compassion, and determination against a backdrop of wartime tragedy.

About the Author:

Suzy Henderson lives with her husband and two sons in Cumbria, England, on the edge of the beautiful Lake District. She never set out to be a writer, although she has always had an insatiable appetite for books.
Some years ago after leaving an established career in healthcare, Suzy began to research family history, soon becoming fascinated with both World War periods. After completing a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, she took a walk along a new path, writing from the heart. She writes historical fiction and has an obsession with military and aviation history.
Other interests include music, old movies, and photography – especially if WW2 aircraft are on the radar. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society. Her debut novel, The Beauty Shop, was released 28th November 2016.

Just a quick update

Over the last few weeks, I have been rather busy trying to work on two different projects at the same time:

The first is to write 'Growing Love' the sixth book in the 'Friends, family and love' series, This is progressing relatively well, still working on the first draft and I have currently completed the first 39 chapters, a total of 65515 words so far. Not displeased at all, but unsure if I will be able to finish the first draft before November.

You may ask, why before November?
Well, that is due to the second project I've been working on. As some of you may be aware, November is the month for #NaNoWriMo. For those of you who have no idea what that is, don't worry. I didn't until fairly recently. #NaNoWriMo stands for National (although it really is international) Novel Writing Month. This takes place every year in November and they even call October, Preptober instead.

This is kind of a competition. But who are you competing against? The novel you are writing really.
The challenge is to write 50000 words in 30 days. Quite a task for the majority of writers/authors. Lots of writers/authors have to deal with a job as well as their second job writing.

I hope I will be in with a good chance at winning (from myself only obviously) as I only started writing 'Growing Love' on the 1st of October. And now I'm on 65515 words already (for those who did not quite do the sums, that was in 24 days).

During October I have also prepared for the project for #NaNoWriMo. I have fully outlined this novel, which will be based on real life. From the first of November onwards I want to write 'Diary of a Female GP', based on real life, but still fiction in essence. Although all things that take place in the book could take place in real life, they are not completely based on any singular patient but will be an amalgamation of several patients seen by my close friend, a retired GP. She has kindly allowed me to write about her experiences as a female GP and the challenges she faced on a daily basis. This book was inspired by the negative press surrounding GPs and especially when British Prime Minister Theresa May kindly stated all GP practices should open from 8 am till 8 pm every day or face cuts in their budgets. She stated that the failure of GPs to open during these hours was the main reason for overstretched A+E departments, however, she failed to recognise that GP practices were also seriously overstretched. Her remarks were by many interpreted as GPs not pulling their weight and being lazy so and so's.

This book will hopefully help to show the story from the side of GPs and GP practices, but if you get to read this book, please bear in mind that this story could just as easily be relating to specialists in hospital, ambulance personnel, social services, the police, teachers and many other professions. It is a sad fact of life that too much is expected of nearly everyone walking this planet. But that may be a rant for a different day.

Wish me luck!

Love,

Joni

Book Review: The Fading by Linda Taimre

Book Review

 

Basic Details:

Book Title: The Fading

Subtitle:

Author: Linda Taimre

Genre: Speculative Fiction

Part of a series? No

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series? No

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41973649-the-fading

Overall score:

I scored this book 4/5

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

This book tells the story of an evolving virus which feeds on the human consciousness and grows its own consciousness as a result. Humans all over the world are attacked and once the last of the disease is reached, they evaporate and are lost forever.

Katherine, the wife of the Harriet, is affected and Harriet tries everything in her power to find a cure. It is a story filled with heartache, intrigue and love.

What I liked about the book:

I particularly liked the tenacity of Harriet in her fight to save her wife. The loyalty of her friend and the wickedness of the government. It was full of suspense, which made you want to continue to read.

What I didn’t like about the book:

I wasn’t impressed by the first chapter of the book, which contained several grammatical errors. Otherwise, I loved the book.

My favourite bits in the book:

I loved where more became known and obvious about the virus. To tell more about exactly what, would be a major spoiler.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I liked the entire book.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

I don’t think this book is part of a series. She has, however, written more books in this genre.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This book reminded me of some of the books by Robin Cook.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

Children	No
Young Adult	Possibly
Adult	Yes

If you like Science Fiction or supernatural books this book might well be the book for you.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Book Description by Author:

Shortlisted for Viva la Novella 2018
"Insightful and intriguing... a great read." - Alice Grundy, Seizure

AN EXCITED, FAST-PACED NOVELLA SET IN DYSTOPIAN AUSTRALIA...

Something is awake.

An evolving virus threatens humanity. Insidious, unknown, ever-changing.

Katherine is sick, and her wife Harriet is searching desperately for a way to save her. But what chance does Harriet have against a virus she cannot see and does not understand? Nonetheless, she strives to find a cure for this virus, no matter the cost.

A cost that Lady Trinh, head of the Australian government, cannot bear. From her seat in Brisbane's protectorate, a pollution-free haven for the lucky few, Lady Trinh will go to any lengths to protect her people from the virus. For her, failure is not an option, and loose threads must be quickly cut.

Something is awake. And it wants to feed.

About the Author:

I'm an Australian author who writes speculative fiction - anything supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic.

In the past, I've been an actor, corporate improvement analyst, teacher, producer, and operations manager. Nowadays, I'm also interested in neuropsychology, though I still love an occasional theatrical stint.

Don't forget to check out Lost Love.

Lost Love shows the depression and despair which faces the two once their relationship has been broken up by Josie (his sister) and Ronald (one of his friends).
Josie and Ronald are horrified by the misery they have caused and try their best to bring them back together again and undo the damage they caused.
Will they be successful? Is it already too late?

Read more in this emotional book.

books2read.com/u/bWzE9M

Always free on #KU

Joni

Have you had a look at Hidden Love yet?

HIDDEN LOVE

After following Lydia and Rob in the first two books in this series, we now follow their best friends, Krista and Theo as they try to develop feelings for each other. Is this love meant to be, or will it fizzle out once it is discovered by their friendship group?
Read more in this book.

books2read.com/u/bQ9Pxv

Always free on #KU

Joni

Freed Love, follow Lydia's and Rob's story where Captive Love left off.

Continue Lydia and Rob's story in the second book in the 'Friends, family and love' series.

Freed Love.
Available censored and 18+
books2read.com/u/mYo6rM (18+)
books2read.com/u/brG1YA
#MustRead

This novel follows on from where Captive Love left off. Lydia has escaped with the help of her friend and housemate Rob. The feelings have changed between them and it is difficult for them to find their way back to how their relationship used to be.
Will they be successful in saving their friendship or will it be lost? How will they deal with their feelings and with which consequences?
And what happens when Lydia meets Sam again?
A nice read available in two versions. The 18+ version contains explicit sex scenes and is not suitable for younger readers or those easily offended. Both deal with love, friendship, insecurities and contain just the right amount of suspense to make it interesting.

Joni

Start the 'Friends, family and love' series off with Captive Love

CAPTIVE LOVE

Read the first book in the series and see what happens to Lydia as she finds herself in a strange place. It's dark, damp and she can't move much. Where is she?
What happens when she finds she has been abducted by Sam. An old classmate and loner, always in the background. Why has he brought her here? How is she going to get out of this situation?

What will her friend and housemate Rob do once he finds her missing? Has she just run off?

Read all in this debut book.

books2read.com/u/mYogEV

#Permafree

Joni

Book Review: Basic Yoga for Improved Flexibilty by Aventuras de Viaje

Book Review

 

Basic Details:

Book Title: Basic Yoga for Improved Flexibility

Subtitle:

Author: Aventuras de Viaje

Genre: Self-help, non-fiction

Part of a series? Yes/No

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series? No

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34547623-basic-yoga-for-improving-flexibility

Overall score:

I scored this book 3/5

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

This book is focussed on the art of yoga. The book is separated in a few chapters: Breathing, Yoga Nidra, Poses and Sequences. There are also links to some freebies from the author.

What I liked about the book:

I liked the premise of a book that would help improve my flexibility. I have always enjoyed yoga and looked forward to reading another book on this subject.

What I didn’t like about the book:

I wasn’t impressed by the layout, the images or the search options of the book. The poses were listed alphabetically. For instance, ‘Balancing Table’ was listed before ‘Table’. This meant that the reader had to read through (or swipe through) all the poses in between to learn what the starting position for ‘Balancing Table’ was.

The book would have been more user-friendly if one of the following measures had been taken by the author:

·       Giving each pose its own chapter.

·       Hyperlinking/bookmarking the poses and link to the pose required as a start.

The lettering in the Sequences section was a rather small font and therefore difficult to read, as were the images below it. I believe there are several improvements the author can make to make this book more user-friendly and more marketable.

My favourite bits in the book:

I liked the descriptions of the poses, which were mostly understandable with the drawings provided.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I didn’t like the low-quality images, which were anatomically incorrect and confusing at times.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

I understand this author has written several other books in this genre.

What books could this be compared to and why?

Although there are many books about yoga, this book fell unfortunately below my expectation. Perhaps I am too spoilt having read many other yoga books, perhaps my criticism is fair. It can be compared to other books, however, it does not compare favourably.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

Children	Under guidance
Young Adult	Yes
Adult	Yes

If you like books about yoga this book may be the book for you. There are, however, several improvements possible to the layout of and images in this book.

To be honest, I was rather disappointed by this book.

Book Description by Author:

Discover How to use Basic Yoga to Drastically Increase Your Flexibility and Health!

Basic Yoga for Improving Flexibility: Increasing Flexibility with Basic Yoga Sequences contains six basic yoga routines specifically designed to increase your all-over body flexibility.

About the Author:

Aventuras has three passions. Travel, writing and self improvement.

Combining these three things Miss Viaje spends her time traveling the world and learning about all the things she loves (yoga and tantric practices in India, massage in Thailand etc.) as well as teaching herself many new skills.

She takes what she learns and shares it with the world through her books.

Aventura's "how-to" books are perfect for those that don't have the time and/or money to take professional classes, or would just like to learn in the privacy of their own home.

She is also a moderator and key contributor of SurviveTravel.com.

Book Review: Entangled Lives by Imran Omer

Book Review

 

Basic Details:

Book Title: Entangled Lives

Subtitle:

Author: Imran Omer

Genre: Culture – Pakistan, Historical Fiction

Part of a series? No

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series? No

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36564514-entangled-lives

Overall score:

I scored this book 5/5

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

This book tells the story of a young orphan, Raza, who lives in the slums of Pakistan. One day he is offered an education at a madrassah. It is a strict life, where he suffers abuse from the mullah, Fazal.

During this time he meets Perveen, a girl he falls in love with. After they flee from the city to escape an arranged marriage for Perveen, they have a brief reprieve.

She is, however, captured and sent to prison. Raza learns about her pregnancy and knows there is a price on his head. He returns to the madrassah and Fazal, whose main aim in life is to make money from the boys he trains. He sells them to the Taliban to fight in Afghanistan. Against all odds, Raza survives, meets an American journalist, Rachael and they meet again once he is imprisoned in America.

What I liked about the book:

I particularly liked the description of the characters in this book. Raza was a likeable boy, who grew up to be a decent man, even if he was fighting for the Taliban and considered by the wide world to be a terrorist. He remains compassionate where others are hardened by the war they are fighting. Raza continues to worry about Perveen and their baby and learns his son has been sent to the madrassah. He cares for his son, although he has never met him, and wishes to protect and safe him. The relationship between Rachael and Raza is also very warmly described. It was difficult to put the book down, something which is always a good sign.

What I didn’t like about the book:

I was sorry when the book ended. I wanted to know what happened next and what became of Raza, Perveen, their baby, Rachael and her family.

My favourite bits in the book:

I loved where Raza and Perveen ran away and had a brief reprieve from the harshness of the life they lived. I also loved the decision Rachael made at the end of the book and now wonder what happened next.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I didn’t like it when the book ended and no final answers were forthcoming. What happens to the characters next? I wonder whether any further books are planned to follow on from this one.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

I don’t know if there are any follow-ons planned for this book. It would be nice to read what happened next.

What books could this be compared to and why?

I’m not sure what to compare this book to. It approaches the terrorism issue from a completely different angle. Young, vulnerable and poor boys, who are groomed and brainwashed to fight in a war they don’t really believe in. So different from how we normally hear it on the news.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

Children	No
Young Adult	Possibly
Adult	Yes

If you like Fiction based on real issues, this book might be the book for you.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Book Description by Author:

Raza, a poor orphan trapped in the slums of Pakistan, is sent to a strict madrassah where he meets and falls in love with Perveen. They attempt to flee the city to escape their respective fates but fail. Perveen, pregnant, is sent back to her family, and Raza is sent to Afghanistan to fight as a Taliban solider. American journalist, Rachael Brown, travels to Afghanistan to cover the political unrest. When she meets Raza for a brief interview, she sees for the first time the true face of the Taliban: poor and desperate young men with nowhere else to go. As the war unfolds, their paths cross again, and each must decide what they owe the other.

Remember Captive Love is PermaFree

My first book, Captive Love, is available #PermaFree.

Get it at books2read.com/u/mYogEV

Grab a coffee, get the book on your e-reader and enjoy. Don't forget to leave a review if you liked it. #IndieAuthors rely on your reviews.

Love,

Joni

Don't miss out! Holiday Love is available free from 1-5 October.

Don't lose sight of the freebie available at the moment!

My fifth book, Holiday Love, is currently available free for Kindle to celebrate its release at the end of August.

In this fifth book in the ‘Friends, family and love’ series we follow 24-year-old Freya, a young hairdresser, as her camping holiday in France brings her more than a little sunshine and relaxation. When she meets someone will it turn out to be just a holiday fling or will it turn out to be true love?

We also follow 27-year-old Joshua, a car mechanic and the co-owner of a garage, on his camping holiday and he too meets someone. How will his love life pan out and is this actual love?

As they return home, they both decide to not tell their friends about the love interest they met on holiday. Is this something that will survive the reality of normal daily life and what challenges will it bring them?

Grab it while you can!

books2read.com/u/mYo9xo

Always free on Kindle Unlimited.

Love,

Joni

Holiday Love available free for Kindle.

The last 5 days of celebration for the release of my fifth novel 'Holiday Love' are here. 'Holiday Love' will be available free for Kindle from 1-5 October. Grab it while you can. You can grab it here: books2read.com/u/mYo9x. It is always free on Kindle Unlimited.

Please don't forget to leave a review once you have read it. We #IndieAuthors need your reviews to be visible to others.

Love,